Freeing music education from schooling: toward a lifespan perspective on music learning and teaching

This article argues that school music programs in the United States are too concerned with preparing and polishing large ensemble performances, such that students do not have the skills needed for life-long musical involvement. The author suggests that school music programs will only survive in the future if teachers place more emphasis on creating partnerships between school music and community music of various kinds. Survey data is provided to support these claims.