A matter of comparative music education? Community music in Germany

In German music education, the term community music is almost unknown. There could be various reasons for this fact such as a lack of community music activities in Germany, terminological problems concerning the German translation, or an appropriate explanation of the term community music. This paper will discuss some of these issues, starting with the common problems Germans have with the concept of community music regarding the notion of community and non-musical goals. Furthermore, an overview of activities that might qualify as community music will lead to a brief examination of one the most important music education projects of the last decade, Rhythm Is It!. Finally, this paper offers some future perspectives about how to include German music education in the international discussion on community music.