Building Your Own Musical Community: How YouTube,Miley Cyrus,and the Ukulele Can Create a New Kind of Ensemble

Abstract

This column presents an account of the Homebrew Ukulele Union: an ensemble where students build their own instruments, write their own compositions and arrangements, and organize performances in the local community. One author, a member of the group, presents the student perspective on building, learning, leading, and performing, whereas the second author focuses on some scholarly ideas that shaped the practice: anthropology, ethnomusicology, and the lifelong-learning era of new media. The authors argue for a sustainable model of musicianship that students can carry forth into their adult lives, making music of their own choosing in small or large groups, built around the local musical culture or that of an online community.

Keywords

ukulele secondary general music ethnomusicology ensemble new media

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