- Thinking Musically and Teaching Music Globally offer concise themes and extensive cross-referencing to provide resources for music educators to achieve educational and musical goals. - Both books aim to expand students' awareness and understanding of diverse musics from around the world through listening activities, discussions of musical elements, and suggested lessons and projects. - While the books provide abundant detailed information and activities, the amount of content risks overwhelming teachers and students at times. Selecting key concepts and examples may help alleviate this.

1. BOOK REVIEW
Bonnie C. Wade, Thinking Musically (Oxford University Press: New York, 2004)
and Patricia Shehan Campbell, Teaching Music Globally (Oxford University
Press: New York, 2004).
JAMES ACKMAN
Conservatorio de Música de Puerto Rico
Thinking Musically and Teaching Music Globally, the first two volumes in The
Global Music Series, for which Wade and Shehan are general editors, offer con-
cisely stated themes that permeate their texts and the authors’ extensive use of
cross-referencing provides music educators at all levels the resources to achieve
their educational and musical goals.
Thinking Musically begins with Bonnie Wade’s statement of the purposes of
the book, which are to offer “a basis for the contrast and comparison of diverse
‘musics,’” “provide a set of unifying topics that recur in multiple case studies,”
and “frame and complement a series of cases studies in The Global Music
Series.”1
Wade states unequivocally that Thinking Musically is ultimately a study
of musical practices and ideas from around the world and that at its core, Think-
ing Musically “is a teaching book.”2
A unifying theme throughout the volume is
the view of how people constantly make music meaningful in their lives, includ-
ing how music functions within a social group or particular society.3
Thinking Musically includes a fifty-nine track CD containing musical exam-
ples that are designed for inclusion in the lessons and projects outlined in the
© Philosophy of Music Education Review, 15, no. 1 (Spring 2007)

2. series. These provide aural illustrations of the topics discussed in each chapter.
Activities include musical examples chosen by students which relate to the topic.
The first chapter, “Thinking About Music,” is based upon the concept of further-
ing students’ awareness of musics beyond their everyday comfort level. Wade
states that music is a process and not simply a method of organized sounds or
compositions,4
and discusses music in terms of sound, values, and aesthetics.
A striking aspect of this chapter is Wade’s in-depth discussion of the contex-
tual meaning of music within various cultures. Using such exotic examples as
Central Javanese gamelan and a Navajo work song,5
she explores the rich variety
of aural experiences available to students. The suggested activities exhibit Wade’s
understanding of educational philosophy and her awareness of what educators
require in structuring appropriate musical experiences for their students.
In Chapter 2, “Thinking About Instruments,” Wade examines the roles of
musical within a particular society and the topic of cultural diffusion.6
A succes-
sion of examples of instruments and musicians emphasizes her point that music
has historically been interwoven with culture and society. Suggested activities
include identifying extra musical links with instruments7
as a method of increas-
ing students’ awareness of music in daily life events, “the nature of the musical
roles (of) musicians,” and the meaning of musical terms (for example, soloist,
accompanist) within the context of culture. Examples are drawn from the famil-
iar, such as “New Orleans front-line,” and the exotic, a North Indian singer.8
Chapters 3–5 (“Thinking About Time,” “Thinking About Pitch,” and
“Thinking About Structure”) are devoted to the basic elements of music. Musi-
cal time is explored through its origins and function within specific cultures.
Again, Wade uses an assortment of musical examples drawn from throughout the
world in order to emphasize her points.
Both the strongest and weakest aspects of the author’s presentation style are
on display in these three chapters. Wade has included an abundance of detailed
suggested activities pertaining to various rhythmic concepts, such as Southeast
Asian colotomic structure and Korean changdan, replete with detailed charts for
presenting the material. Yet the amount of detail included borders on minutiae
and the resulting format risks information overload for both teacher and student.
A separate activities booklet might help reduce some of the clutter and also allow
teachers to select more easily the concepts and activities they would like to use
for a particular class session or unit.
In chapter 6, “Thinking about Issues,” Wade examines some arguably con-
tentious topics that impact contemporary music education, including
acculturation, gender, and “global versus local,”9
where her pithy assertions are
eloquently presented. Student activities are designed to demonstrate the inter-
connectedness of musics among nations and communities as well as authenticity
in their own cultures.10
82 PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC EDUCATION REVIEW

3. The final chapter, “Thinking About Fieldwork,” functions as a practical out-
line for choosing, organizing, administering, and summarizing field projects.
Wade’s knowledge of the requirements of field research is in evidence with her
thoughtful consideration of both students’ needs and those of the people with
whom they will come in contact during their projects.
Patricia Shehan Campbell’s Teaching Music Globally, with comparable
organizing parameters, employs suggested activities with a variety of curricular
ideas suitable for a multiplicity of student ages, skill levels, and educational envi-
ronments. The concept of students’ understanding music “as it sounds and
functions across the globe”11
is reviewed in each chapter’s summary and is the
book’s unifying theme.
The opening chapter, “Cultures, Courses, and Classrooms,” underscores the
philosophical framework of the Global Music Series as a whole and provides the
theoretical underpinnings for the book, which Campbell heralds with her suc-
cinct declaration: “When music teachers–musicians all–care enough to commit
themselves to imparting musical techniques, repertoire, and meaning, music
learning results.”12
Her stated purpose is to provide a flexible, guided outline for
music educators in all areas of music, regardless of course, grade, class structure,
or students’ ability levels.13
A noteworthy inclusion in this chapter is a segment entitled “Sample Course
Schedules,” which provides practical examples for a twenty-session unit covering
the global aspects of music which can be modified for use in either elementary
or middle school classes. Ten-week and fifteen-week college level courses in
world music-culture are also included.
Additionally, Campbell offers initiatives for integrating world music into the
curricula of performing ensembles. This educational and philosophical vision
permeates the entire volume and demonstrates Campbell’s knowledge of the
issues that confront music teachers in contemporary society. The chapter con-
cludes with a “Problems to Probe” section, which offers ideas for educators with
regard to planning and assessment.
The second chapter, entitled “A Sound Awareness of Music,” is a discourse
on how to help students become more cognizant of music’s pervasiveness in the
world around them and to expand their listening boundaries to include unfamil-
iar styles and genres. Campbell provides listening activities encompassing
familiar environmental sounds and instruments from global cultures.
The “Sound Awareness Activities” are set off from the main portion of the
text in grey and for the most part are well structured and thoughtfully presented.
However, as was the case with Thinking Musically, the author tends to pack too
much information into a small amount of space. The result is a withering array
of listening and performing activities that is difficult to sift through.
The third chapter, “Learning Through Attentive Listening,” is a discussion of
BOOK REVIEW 83

4. three phases of listening through which students are able to obtain musical
knowledge and skills: attentive, engaged, enactive. The main focus of this chap-
ter is attentive listening, defined as “directed listening that is focused on musical
elements and structures.”14
Musical examples are drawn from a prodigious vari-
ety of musics and cultures, reinforcing the Global Music Series’ fundamental
premise of expanding students’ musical horizons. An inherent weakness of the
CD offerings is that many of the tracks are brief to the point of entering the realm
of sound bites. As a result, teachers may be unsure as to where to begin and what
to include in their lessons. Adding a second CD containing selected musical
examples played in their entirety is one possible solution.
In chapters 4 and 5, “Learning through Engaged Listening” and “Perfor-
mance as Enactive Listening,” Campbell defines the central topic at the
beginning of each chapter and provides recommended listening experiences in
conjunction with musical examples. Lessons are graduated so that teachers can
choose to use them in sequence or select those which are most educationally
beneficial for their particular situation.
In “Creating World Music,” Campbell discusses the topics of creating, re-cre-
ating, and conserving music within the rubric of world music. She posits that
these are not discrete categories, but disciplines that overlap and complement
each other. Suggested activities include improvisation and original composition.
The concluding chapter, “Music, Cultural Context, and Curricular Integra-
tion,” delves into the philosophical issues confronting contemporary music
educators. The author examines the traditional “music-as-music paradigm” and
deems it insufficient as a stand alone model for music education. She proposes
that teachers present music in context to “its connections to the past and pres-
ent.”15
Campbell then offers a “Cultural Prism Model,” which is based upon a
sequence of who-what-when-where-how questions common in the journalism
profession. Campbell asserts that using these types of questions “help(s) to shed
splinters of light from the multiple sides of the crystal prism.”16
There is abundant evidence that the authors share many philosophical
beliefs, yet are not so alike as to be indistinguishable and predictable. In point of
fact, their differences add a spice and texture that contribute to the freshness of
the series’ ideas and theses, and skillfully engage the interest of the reader. Wade
and Campbell are impeccably qualified researchers, scholars, and educators; this
series contains many attributes which suggest a culmination of their lifework
dedicated to the advancement and development of music education.
Both authors view music teaching and learning as a participatory process in
which teacher and students are actively engaged in musical experiences. The
authors’ extensive use of musical examples and activities from different cultures
illustrate a shared view that music teaching and learning are most effectively
achieved within the framework of global music.
84 PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC EDUCATION REVIEW

5. Wade’s use of the term “musics” is significant because it is a key for unlock-
ing her philosophy of music education. The word itself suggests some influence
of David Elliott, whose “musicing”17
is at the center of his praxial philosophy.
Wade’s statement that her volume is a study of diverse musical practices from
around the world reinforces the perception that her philosophy is based upon a
more contemporary view of music education versus the aesthetic experience phi-
losophy that has dominated the field for more than a half-century.18
In Wade’s view, music does indeed have a utilitarian function insofar as
teaching and learning are concerned. This viewpoint is very much in evidence,
as Wade approaches musical structure from the rubric of world music. By empha-
sizing music’s cultural context, she offers a contrast to the aesthetic model’s idea
that music of all cultures should be listened to in the same manner.19
Two other significant threads woven into the fabric of Wade’s philosophy are
the issues of gender in music and “global versus local.” Her statement concern-
ing women who “brave the possible consequences of having their music
perceived as performed sexuality,”20
is clear evidence that she considers the West-
ern European model of music teaching and learning to be outdated and elitist.
With regard to “global versus local,” Wade’s inclusion in the curricula of musi-
cal examples from around the world pointedly demonstrates that Thinking
Musically is not simply a teacher reference book; it is also intended as a bold new
philosophy of music education on a global scale.
Wade does indeed combine portions of the venerable aesthetic philosophy
with a variety of contemporary ideas such as student field-work projects. Yet she
appears to fall short of a “new” philosophy insofar as the volume is predomi-
nantly a modernization of the traditional model of music education with the
addition of global musical examples. Notwithstanding Wade’s exemplary inclu-
sion of improvising and composing in Chapter Five, listeners are still advised to
listen for the formal structure of a given work and to make “aesthetic choices.”21
In Teaching Music Globally, Campbell posits views similar to those put for-
ward by Elliott, who states in Music Matters that “MUSIC is a diverse human
practice,” and that “(e)ach musical practice pivots on the shared understandings
and efforts of musicers, who are practitioners (amateur and professional) of that
practice.”22
Her unifying phrase “music with a capital M” is an indication of con-
nected philosophical foundation. In a manner similar to Wade, Campbell’s
volume employs an extensive assortment of music examples from diverse global
cultures in the teaching strategies. This inclusive world view of music education
is the philosophical adhesive that binds her work into a unified whole and rein-
forces her stated premise that the Global Music Series is “expanding students’
musical horizons.”
Campbell’s discussion of creating, recreating, and conserving music within
the rubric of world music (Chapter 6) has a close philosophical link to Wade’s
BOOK REVIEW 85

6. 86 PHILOSOPHY OF MUSIC EDUCATION REVIEW
and her “Cultural Prism Model” is meant as an alternative to the “music as
music paradigm” that is so closely linked with the aesthetic philosophy of music
education. The prism model, based on the questions of “who-what-when-where-
how” is not only a staple of the journalism profession, it is also closely aligned
with Charles Hoffer’s basic five questions (why, what, how, to whom, and with
what results) with regard to all aspects of music education.23
Campbell’s agreement with the core philosophy of Wade can also be found
in her discussion of music listening in which she posits that the listener should
be attentive to the elements of music within the formal structure of the work.24
This is rather closely aligned with the Music Education as Aesthetic Education
(MEAE) in which the primary goal of the listener is to recognize the overall
structure of the work.25
Yet Campbell departs significantly from Wade in regard to the area of musi-
cal performance. One of the central columns that support Campbell’s
philosophy is the inclusion of world music into the curricula of performing
ensembles, whereas Wade’s focus is more on the musical content, instrumenta-
tion, and the elements of music. Succinctly stated, Campbell’s emphasis is more
on performance while Wade’s inclination is tilted more in the direction of listen-
ing. In essence, though both authors posit the use of world music in their
curricula, Campbell leans more toward the praxial philosophy of Elliott and
Wade employs aspects of the aesthetic philosophy espoused by Bennett Reimer
and others albeit in a more active and participatory manner.
Campbell’s appears to the stronger of the two philosophies because it com-
bines elements of both the praxial and aesthetic models and concepts are
presented in such a manner that educators of any manner of philosophical per-
suasion can find meaningful musical activities and experiences for their students.
From a purely educational standpoint, the contemporary music educator it
would be prudent to employ elements of both texts, as what is not found in one
is almost assuredly found in the other.
In summary, Thinking Musically and Teaching Music Globally are thought-
ful, lucid texts, written by two gifted authors who are able to merge research,
philosophy, and viable learning theories into articulate, practical guides for con-
temporary music educators. These volumes discuss diverse, comprehensive
topics and present them in a cohesive, pragmatic manner that allows individual
teachers the flexibility to modify and adapt them to correspond with their partic-
ular educational circumstances.
NOTES
1
Bonnie C. Wade, Thinking Musically (Oxford University Press: New York, 2004), xiii.
2
Ibid., 1

7. 3
Ibid., 2.
4
Ibid., 3.
5
Ibid., 13, 14.
6
Ibid., 27.
7
Ibid, 38.
8
Ibid., 53.
9
Ibid., 135.
10
Ibid., 143, 145.
11
Patricia Shehan Campbell, Teaching Music Globally (Oxford University Press:
New York, 2004), 28.
12
Ibid., 3.
13
Ibid., xv.
14
Ibid., 55.
15
Ibid., 216.
16
Ibid., 218.
17
David J. Elliott, Music Matters: A New Philosophy of Music Education (Oxford
University Press: New York, 1995), 49.
18
Ibid., 27.
19
Bennett Reimer, A Philosophy of Music Education (Prentice Hall: Englewood
Cliffs, NJ, 1989), 145.
20
Wade, Thinking Musically, 132.
21
Ibid., 108, 125.
22
Elliott, Music Matters, 43.
23
Charles R. Hoffer, Teaching Music in Secondary School, 5th edition (Wadsworth/
Thomson Learning: Belmont, CA, 2001), 3–7.
24
Shehan Campbell, Teaching Music Globally, 55.
25
Elliott, Music Matters, 33.
BOOK REVIEW 87