This fascinating and exhaustive set of essays confirms Bennett Reimer not only as an inspirational thinker and educator, but as a philosopher of deep humanity whose clarity of thought and expression are equally matched by his breadth of vision, humour, and delight in finely honed language. If you care about or are involved in educating through music, not only in the USA, but worldwide, then this book is essential reading. -- George Odam, head of research and staff development, Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK The enduring legacy of Bennett Reimer is that, for over 50 years, he has been able to challenge us to think much more deeply about the profession we proudly call music education. In this collection of essays, the reader is again
summoned by Reimer's wise, empathetic, and learned mind as he weaves a brilliant intellectual tapestry that both celebrates and illuminates the role and function of music in our lives, and provides a profoundly eloquent foundation for a practical philosophy for music education. This intellectual memoir is endlessly thought-provoking and will live for generations as one of our discipline's finest achievements. -- Gary McPherson, Marilyn Pflederer Zimmerman Endowed Chair in Music Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign It is often difficult to find among scholars in education individuals whose ideas are as deep as they are broad. In Bennett Reimer we have such an individual. The twenty-four essays that constitute this book touch many of the central questions one can raise about music and its place in education. To be able to articulate so clearly what these issues are and how they might be approached is a real achievement, one that Professor Reimer has attained. This book will be an invaluable resource for those preparing to teach in the arts. I recommend it with considerable enthusiasm. -- Elliot W. Eisner, Lee Jacks Professor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Art, Stanford University The entire music education profession will benefit from Reimer's perspective on past, present, and future concerns central to the functioning of music education in Seeking the Significance of Music Education: Essays and Reflections . National Association For Music Education, September 25, 2009 I have known Bennett Reimer and admired his work for a long time. Seeking the Significance of Music Education is a very special publication. Essays written over a fifty-year timespan are now reprinted (as originally published) along with reflectionsfrom a present-day vantage point. As he puts it: 'This book is a kind of intellectual memoir of a life spent grappling with intractable questions relating to music education.' The essays are organized into three parts: Our Values as a School Subject (generating core values; core values in larger contexts); Achieving Our Values (what and how to teach; educating our teachers; the role of research); and Preserving and Enhancing Our Viability (our values in service of our future). So much has happened in theintervening years between the time the essays were written and the present. New technologies have radically altered our means for making and disseminating music. The arts (including music) have become highly politicized. Previous distinctions between 'high' and 'popular' music have been erased, and the image of the artist has changed. Reimer addresses the consequent issues confronting those who would teach music. Indeed, the issues are those that need to be addressed by all art educators. This is an inva -- Jerome J. Hausman I have known Bennett Reimer and admired his work for a long time. Seeking the Significance of Music Education is a very special publication. Essays written over a fifty-year timespan are now reprinted (as originally published) along with reflections from a present-day vantage point. As he puts it: 'This book is a kind of intellectual memoir of a life spent grappling with intractable questions relating to music education.' The essays are organized into three parts: Our Values as a School Subject (generating core values; core values in larger contexts); Achieving Our Values (what and how to teach; educating our teachers; the role of research); and Preserving and Enhancing Our Viability (our values in service of our future). So much has happened in the intervening years between the time the essays were written and the present. New technologies have radically altered our means for making and disseminating music. The arts (including music) have become highly politicized. Previous distinctions between 'high' and 'popular' music have been erased, and the image of the artist has changed. Reimer addresses the consequent issues confronting those who would teach music. Indeed, the issues are those that need to be addressed by all art educators. This is an invaluable book for all those who would want to teach art. Reimer is passionate, clear, and convincing in making the case for education in all of the arts. -- Jerome J. Hausman Bennett Reimer has secured a unique place in music education history. His close association with the aesthetic education movement and his respected texts devoted to the philosophy of music education have provided professors, public school teachers, and music students the opportunity to think and re-think their position on the validity of music education. From answering the question of 'is music for everyone?' to the role of diversity and cultural education in the music classroom, Reimer has woven an intricate web of thought and historical context to convince even the non-musician of the importance and validity of music education in our schools. His most recent book, Seeking the Significance of Music Education, provides a unique prospective that only Reimer can provide through twenty-four essays from his long and distinguished career. Reimer's first edition of his book A Philosophy of Music Education became closely associated with the term 'aesthetic education.' Much later in 2003, Reimer revised this text considerably in his third edition A Philosophy of Music Education. In this recently revised version, Reimer distances himself from the historically rigid views of the aesthetic education movement. 'A phrase can become a signal of a person's identity. That happens to me with "aesthetic education." The term is in its infancy when I am introduced to it in the mid-1950s, as I begin my serious study of the philosophy of music. It will serve as a powerful organizer for my growing understandings. As its meanings expand and deepen for me and for many others across the field of the arts in education, the idea of aesthetic education becomes so influential as to make it a catchphrase for the entire field's aspirations. My many writings about music education as aesthetic education...lead to my being strongly identified with the term. In one sense, that's fine with me. In another, the identification associates me with a view that eventually deteriorates for some into a narrow, rigid conception of -- Adam Ballif, assistant professor of music, Mesa State College Teachers College Record This profound and thought-provoking book is composed of 24 carefully chosen essays representing the best of Bennett Reimer's publications in music education. This book should be required reading for every student seeking a music education degree. Its major strength lies in the multitude of diverse topics that are crucial to the field. American Music Teacher, (Magazine) In this magnificent collection of essays that spans a half century of publication, Bennett Reimer presents some of his most compelling statements on the significance and value of music and music education. His reflections on the essays reveal not only a depth of wisdom and clarity of perspective, but also a personal humility after a life spent grappling with 'intractable questions' related to music education. The book is a rare gift to the profession and will serve as 'the essential Reimer' for years to come. -- Marie McCarthy, professor and chair of music education, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
