Educating the Music User

Abstract

To better serve students’ evolving needs in music, music educators must connect classroom learning with how students use and interact with music in their daily lives. One way to accomplish this is by approaching classrooms with the music user in mind, which can open new possibilities for meaningful music making and remove students from the constraints of ensembles projected only as preparing them for performances. This article provides several examples of how to help students further their active involvement with music in their adult lives—especially if they no longer participate in a performance ensemble after they leave the music classroom.