Changes in the world economy and U.S. educational policy present music educators with the challenge of reassessing traditional pedagogy to ensure they are instructing and assessing in ways that contribute to students’ development of 21st-century knowledge and skill sets. Educators are responding by incorporating pedagogical approaches that challenge students to think critically, problem solve collaboratively, and use technology and media efficiently. Popular Music Pedagogies (PMPs) invite students, music teachers, and music teacher educators to take risks, learn alongside one another, and address 21st-century knowledge and skills through engaging with the music that students choose and create. In this article, we define PMPs and discuss how music teacher educators can incorporate PMPs into music teacher education programs to better prepare preservice and inservice music teachers to function within a Partnership for 21st Century Learning framework.

This article investigates and interrogates notions of student-centered music learning through collaboration in digital spaces. By harnessing the power and potential of Internet networks, one music educator in Miami, FL challenged his students to an online music collaboration project (OMCP) where students were asked to engage in deterritorialized collaborations with persons outside their classroom spaces. While in class collaboration was a hallmark of the class in other projects and areas of study, this particular 7-week project specifically targeted deterritorialized student collaborations through networked mediated digital music tools. The data discusses participant perspectives and contextualizes it within implications for music education in an evolving social sphere. The purpose of this research is to shed light on new pedagogies and push boundaries on what constitutes musical sharing places. While the students in this study needed guidance from the teacher/facilitator, the student agency, freedom and flow that resulted from the OMCP revealed an enthusiastic student perspective that was ripe for creativity. Implications for music education include widened notions of what constitutes a musical instruments, musical ensembles and musical venues. Further implications relate to broadened perspectives concerning student-centered learning, constructivist learning in music context and teacher/facilitator roles.

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A test to evaluate the tackiness of grease has been developed using a standard tribometer. There is currently no standard test of tackiness. A preliminary study determined the test parameters to use in the subsequent experiments. Twelve different greases were tested and the results showed how the developed test method was able to differentiate between different greases. The results were linked to the application of grease to a rail using a scaled-wheel rig developed at The University of Sheffield. The developed test method showed the same relationship as the larger scale tests, leading to the conclusion that the developed method can be used to inform larger scale tests which are more costly and time consuming. The effect of "working" the grease prior to the test showed that the working had a significant effect on the tackiness of the grease. The test method was shown to be sensitive to small changes in the grease by adding small amounts of tackifier additive (0.1 % increments) to the grease.

The recent increase in popular music education in K–12 school music programs is in part due to the expansion of modern band programming throughout the United States. Modern band is a term used to describe school music ensembles that include popular music instruments and focus on performing music that is meaningful to the students while incorporating songwriting. The purpose of this literature review was to examine relevant research related to modern band music programs in the United States and provide implications for music teaching and learning. Music researchers and professionals have recently addressed specific issues related to increasing the diversity of school music programs, addressing elements of culturally responsive curricula, and positively affecting the social and emotional development of students through modern band. Throughout this literature review, I provide implications for music teachers and discuss areas for future research.

This study is an examination of the influence of the Amp Up New York City (Amp Up NYC) music initiative on the development of students’ musical skills, social and emotional skills, and college and career-ready skill development. A retrospective pre-test survey was used to measure students’ self-assessment of their skill development. Surveys were also administered to their music teachers, classroom teachers, principals and parents. Student focus group interviews and classroom observations were also used to collect data in five case-study schools. Results revealed that participating students perceived Amp Up NYC affected their music classroom-learning environment, their development of musical skills, their social and emotional development and their academic skill development.

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