Reviews

"Michael Mark's incomparable book is an eye-opening and mind-expanding collection of important writings, chosen with erudition and situating music education in the long sweep of history from Plato to the present and in diverse cultures. It is an indispensable source of insights for professional music educators and all who seek to understand how and why learning music has historically been conceived as a necessity for a humane education." - Bennet Reimer, Northwestern University, USA

"In this new edition of his classic collection of source readings, Michael Mark has judiciously assembled a rich selection from six continents which relate to formal and informal modes of music education, both past and present. The readings encourage us to understand the past on its own terms in order to illuminate the present. Music educators will welcome the book as a valuable contribution to the greater understanding of music education as a world-wide phenomenon, subject to such forces as colonialism, industrialisation, nationalism and popular culture. Michael Mark has produced a distinguished book, which should be essential reading for today's music educators." - Gordon Cox, University of Reading, UK