Music Theory

Limiting music study to the Western classical canon — roughly 1750–1950 — offers familiarity but risks perpetuating ethnic, gender, and social blind spots. Film music provides a viable path toward inclusion: composers from every inhabited continent, a vast stylistic spectrum from Gregorian Chant to Minimalism, and real opportunities to question stereotypes. Educators skeptical of replacing core repertoire have a pedagogical tool ready at hand.

What does it mean to decolonize music teaching — and where do professors even begin? This special-issue introduction confronts the history of colonialism in music departments, unpacks key terms like coloniality and settler colonialism, and makes the case that decolonization is not a metaphor but a concrete pedagogical demand. Whether you are starting from zero or already engaged, the authors challenge you to ask "Why not?" rather than "Why?"

What happens when a centuries-old folk tradition meets the digital frontier? This study applies Wenger's community of practice theory and Hine's cyber ethnography to the Old Time music community online, revealing how forum discussions, embedded YouTube videos, and asynchronous exchanges create a virtual space where learning is deeply social, meaningful, and bound by shared identity—without a single classroom.

Music reaches deeper than mere entertainment. In the Hindustani tradition, sound is the foundation of creation itself — primal vibrations that yogis hear internally and performers wield to transform mind, emotion, and identity. This chapter explores how Nad (cosmic sound) permeates performance, how Rasa (aesthetic experience) restructures emotional awareness, and what musicians like Dr. Manju Sundaram and Professor Ritwik Sanyal reveal about music’s capacity to reshape lives beyond cultural boun

Can music open a space where healers, educators, ethnomusicologists, and even geographers meet? In 2017 a London conference brought together over a hundred researchers and practitioners to revisit the spiritual dimensions of music — topics that researchers often keep inside familiar disciplinary containers. The resulting collection showcases Guided Imagery and Music, drone metal, Wana healing rituals, grandparents and preschool spirituality, the concept of gerotranscendence in music therapy, and

For years, scholarly research on African music has sidelined women’s contributions — Duran, Idamoyibo, and others have called for more study. This investigation dives into Baluu and Kengbe, two female oral musical arts of the Ilorin people in Kwara State, Nigeria. Through field observation of Iyabo Awero’s Baluu band and the Egbe Onikengbe of Magaji Nda, alongside historical analysis, the findings reveal these traditions as rich repositories of history, social commentary, and entertainment. Disc

Despite music's deep roots in Nigerian culture—from birth ceremonies to community life—it is often overlooked in secondary schools. Teachers struggle with inadequate materials, cultural diversity, and jam-packed curricula. Yet, integrating folk music into pedagogy could transform music education, making it relevant and engaging for students. Discover the hurdles and the promise of using indigenous music to teach rhythm, form, and more.

Before the armies of Islam and the caravels of Europe reached its shores, African musical traditions pulsed through communal life—woven into birth, marriage, farming, and worship. Then came Arabic melismas, lyres, and court instruments; later arrived Western guitars, cash economies, and the forced sonic diaspora of the slave trade. This deep look at foreign influence on African music reveals a continent perpetually reinterpreting outside forms into something unmistakably its own.

Having a cardiac lead extraction under local anaesthesia can be a long, stressful experience – even with medication. The "Facilitated Music Listening" (FaMuLi) protocol was developed to change that. Rooted in medical music therapy and a biopsychosocial approach, this intervention places a trained Music Therapist in the operating theatre to deliver personalized, calming music paired with relaxation techniques. Here is the detailed protocol but also the underlying theory driving it: from the neuro

When physical space and scheduling blocked growth in a community music program, one researcher turned to the internet. Using browser-based notation, production tools, and virtual discussions, five Bronx teens joined six weeks of composition activities from home. Learn what happened when students composed with Incredibox, Noteflight, and Soundation — and how their idea of a "composer" shifted along the way.