C. Victor Fung - Böcker

Moving back through Dewey, Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Rousseau, the lineage of Western music education finds its origins in Plato and Pythagoras. Yet theories not rooted in the ancient Greek tradition are all but absent. A Way of Music Education provides a much-needed intervention, integrating ancient Chinese thought into the canon of music education in a structured, systematized, and philosophical way. The book's three central sources - the Yijing (The Book of Changes), Confucianism, and Daoism - inform author C. Victor Fung's argument: that the human being exists as an entity at the center of an organismic world in which all things and events, including music and music education, are connected. Fung ultimately proposes a new educational philosophy based on three key ideas in Chinese thought: change, balance, and liberation. A unique work, A Way of Music Education offers a universal approach engrained in a specific and ancient cultural tradition.

Moving back through Dewey, Heidegger, Nietzsche, and Rousseau, the lineage of Western music education finds its origins in Plato and Pythagoras. Yet theories not rooted in the ancient Greek tradition are all but absent. A Way of Music Education provides a much-needed intervention, integrating ancient Chinese thought into the canon of music education in a structured, systematized, and philosophical way. The book's three central sources - the Yijing (The Book of Changes), Confucianism, and Daoism - inform author C. Victor Fung's argument: that the human being exists as an entity at the center of an organismic world in which all things and events, including music and music education, are connected. Fung ultimately proposes a new educational philosophy based on three key ideas in Chinese thought: change, balance, and liberation. A unique work, A Way of Music Education offers a universal approach engrained in a specific and ancient cultural tradition.

This volume focuses on the collective wisdom of Asian philosophies and their implications for music education. All twenty chapters are written by highly regarded philosophers and music educators steeped in various Asian traditions. These chapters will include an explanation of a prominent philosophical tradition, evidence in a contemporary music teaching and learning settings (including its inception and historical development along with an explanation of how the philosophical tradition works in contemporary music education), and suggestions for potential directions in the near and distant future.The book is organized into five sections. Section I is based on Chinese philosophical traditions, which have the longest history and are some of the most influential across Asia and beyond. Chapters in Section II present a snapshot of Japanese and Korean views, beginning with the musical practices in the Joseon Period (1392-1910) that are still being practiced in South Korea today to Western influences in 19th century Japan. A collection of philosophical traditions from South and Southeast Asia are contained in Section III, ranging from the insights of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, King Rama IX of Thailand, an accomplished jazz musician, to the Balinese notion of taksu, a form of supreme energy and divine power crucial for compelling performances in the performing arts. We venture into the Islamic and the Middle Eastern world in Section IV, where the dance practices of the Hadhrami Arabs in the Malay Archipelago to traditional sharah music are contextualized within Islamic philosophy. This section also describes the philosophical ideas of the 12th-century Persian philosopher and founder of the Illuminationist (Ishraq) philosophy, Shihab al-Din al-Suhrawardi, arguing that his ideas have much to recommend music education, as this approach requires students to listen in deeper ways, absorb more abundantly, and move beyond arts education to encompass the education of the whole person. Section V concludes with a metaphorical view on a New Silk Road in music education in the 21st century, where ideas are traded for mutual benefit and the development multicultural philosophies of music education. While there are numerous publications on the philosophy of music education rooted in the Western philosophical traditions of ancient Greece, the Asian philosophical voice is virtually silent outside of Asia, and this volume aims to begin the long process of redressing this imbalance. This volume will open readers to the richness of Asian philosophical sources and hopefully stimulate dialogues that could generate new insights and directions for further development, cross-pollination, and application of some of the world's earliest philosophical traditions.

Music for Life: Music Participation and Quality of Life of Senior Citizens presents a fresh, new exploration of the impact of musical experiences on the quality of life of senior citizens, and charts a new direction in the facilitation of the musical lives of people of all ages. Authors Fung and Lehmberg clearly define the issues surrounding music education, music participation, quality of life, and senior citizens, discussing the most relevant research from the fields of music education, adult learning, lifelong learning, gerontology, medicine, music therapy, and interdisciplinary studies. At the heart of the book is Evergreen Town, a retirement community in the southeastern U.S.A., that serves as the backdrop for three original research studies. The first of these is in two phases, a survey and a focus group interview, that examines the histories and rationales for the music participations and non-participations of community residents. The second and third case studies take an in-depth look at a church choir and a bluegrass group, two prominent musical groups in the community, and include the perspectives of the authors themselves as group members and participant-observers. Fung and Lehmberg conclude with a challenge for the profession of music education: to act on this research and on the current advances in the field, to enable all people to benefit from the richness of music as a substantial contributor to quality of life.

Music for Life: Music Participation and Quality of Life of Senior Citizens presents a fresh, new exploration of the impact of musical experiences on the quality of life of senior citizens, and charts a new direction in the facilitation of the musical lives of people of all ages. Authors Fung and Lehmberg clearly define the issues surrounding music education, music participation, quality of life, and senior citizens, discussing the most relevant research from the fields of music education, adult learning, lifelong learning, gerontology, medicine, music therapy, and interdisciplinary studies. At the heart of the book is Evergreen Town, a retirement community in the southeastern U.S.A., that serves as the backdrop for three original research studies. The first of these is in two phases, a survey and a focus group interview, that examines the histories and rationales for the music participations and non-participations of community residents. The second and third case studies take an in-depth look at a church choir and a bluegrass group, two prominent musical groups in the community, and include the perspectives of the authors themselves as group members and participant-observers. Fung and Lehmberg conclude with a challenge for the profession of music education: to act on this research and on the current advances in the field, to enable all people to benefit from the richness of music as a substantial contributor to quality of life.

Lisa Lehmberg and Victor Fung present a groundbreaking look at quality of life via the music participation of older adults in diverse US senior centers. The state of musical activities in senior centers pre- and mid-pandemic is elucidated through original research conducted in senior centers across six states. Featured are older adults' stories told in their own words; insights from senior center activity leaders, manage-ment, and staff; and data, analyses, and syntheses from the authors' senior center visits and a survey of center managers. The authors document the adjustment process undergone by these centers during the pandemic and leading into a new normal. Recommendations are offered for policy makers, school and community music educators, music activity leaders, older adults, caregivers, and service providers to enhance the quality of life of older adults. The critical role that music plays in supporting their quality of life is emphasized.

Lisa Lehmberg and Victor Fung present a groundbreaking look at quality of life via the music participation of older adults in diverse US senior centers. The state of musical activities in senior centers pre- and mid-pandemic is elucidated through original research conducted in senior centers across six states. Featured are older adults' stories told in their own words; insights from senior center activity leaders, manage-ment, and staff; and data, analyses, and syntheses from the authors' senior center visits and a survey of center managers. The authors document the adjustment process undergone by these centers during the pandemic and leading into a new normal. Recommendations are offered for policy makers, school and community music educators, music activity leaders, older adults, caregivers, and service providers to enhance the quality of life of older adults. The critical role that music plays in supporting their quality of life is emphasized.

This book uncovers the multifaceted nature of music participation through a collection of studies in a wide variety of musical contexts across the United States. The contributors combine personal voices and vivid narratives with scholarship to present many potential meanings of music participation, and lay out research-based implications for lifelong music education. Exploring music participation in choral and instrumental ensembles; school music classes and community groups; in-person and virtual spaces; among children, young adults, and older adults; and for native-born citizens and immigrants, the 10 original studies in this volume present a diverse portrait of musical engagement. The chapters draw out themes including enjoyment, identity development, learner autonomy, social interaction, motivation, commitment, and quality of life, and draw connections between musical meanings and philosophical principles from both Western and Eastern traditions. Linked by interludes that connect the empirical studies with philosophical interpretations, this volume brings together multiple methodologies and perspectives to consider the social, cultural, and psychological meanings of lifelong music participation. It offers a valuable resource for scholars, professionals, and students working in school and community music or music education research, as well as readers interested in general education, social psychology, lifelong learning, and aging studies.

This book uncovers the multifaceted nature of music participation through a collection of studies in a wide variety of musical contexts across the United States. The contributors combine personal voices and vivid narratives with scholarship to present many potential meanings of music participation, and lay out research-based implications for lifelong music education. Exploring music participation in choral and instrumental ensembles; school music classes and community groups; in-person and virtual spaces; among children, young adults, and older adults; and for native-born citizens and immigrants, the 10 original studies in this volume present a diverse portrait of musical engagement. The chapters draw out themes including enjoyment, identity development, learner autonomy, social interaction, motivation, commitment, and quality of life, and draw connections between musical meanings and philosophical principles from both Western and Eastern traditions. Linked by interludes that connect the empirical studies with philosophical interpretations, this volume brings together multiple methodologies and perspectives to consider the social, cultural, and psychological meanings of lifelong music participation. It offers a valuable resource for scholars, professionals, and students working in school and community music or music education research, as well as readers interested in general education, social psychology, lifelong learning, and aging studies.