Discusses the life of William Billings, an early American composer and a leader in one of the earliest forms of organized music education in the United States: singing schools and singing societies. Examines his contributions to the U.S. musical heritage and briefly surveys his publications. (GEA)

An overview of early country school music and music education in the Mountain Plains region of America provides impresssions gained from texts, journals, official records, and personal interviews. Music is portrayed as a socializer to engender community spirit, an enhancement of patriotism, a means to enculturate to the "American way of…