The goal of this research is to determine what activities young actors in the punk scene view as forms of politicality that they either practise themselves or see among other actors in the punk scene in Zagreb. This research focuses on young people because of the marginalized position older people have put them in. Likewise, the attitudes of young people towards politics are sometimes seen as ‘apolitical’, describing mistrust towards politicians or dislike of political parties. Regardless of these (un)conscious barriers that are often placed before young people, we can see their different reactions: from accepting the political disinterest others expect of them to resisting their imposed marginal social status. Accordingly, we were interested in often unrecognized, alternative forms of politicality among young people. We focus on punk as an example of a subculture that revives political activity among young people. Analysing the collected data, we obtained descriptions of 39 practices, activities and political ideas – organized into seven categories – through which participants described their politicality or the politicality of that of other actors in the punk scene in Zagreb. This article will introduce the results of ethnographic research, during which 28 interviews were conducted with participants between 20 and 36 years of age. The field part of this research was conducted in fifteen months.

Singing is an embodied, creative human endeavour, a means of getting in touch with and communicating ideas, inner feelings and emotions. The purpose of this study was to discover participatory, kinaesthetic and personalized learning strategies in the context of popular vocal pedagogy (PVP) for students with disabilities. When I started working with Spencer, a young composer with chronic pain caused by complex regional pain syndrome, he did not feel supported by his professors. He perceived they were not supporting his musical and career goals nor were they open to making necessary accommodations for his disability. Together, using a critical participatory action research methodology, Spencer and I confronted masterful, centuries-old patriarchal practices that often foster violence and repression on singer’s minds and bodies hoping to discover new learning and teaching strategies for disabled students in the PVP studio. Our goal was to make Spencer’s overall experience as a singer and performer in a conservatory-style music programme more student-centred and empowering. Findings from the study suggest ways that teachers in higher education might incorporate flexible teaching contexts (live and remote), engage the use of technology as a teaching tool and develop pedagogical strategies that involve the learner in reflection and self-evaluation (rather than imposing uniform, standardized approaches) in order to create more accommodating classrooms for their vocal students with disabilities.

Higher education music education programmes that prioritize Eurocentric perspectives related to the western classical canon may limit future music educators’ ability to connect students’ in-school and out-of-school music experiences. Growing interest in diverse and inclusive approaches to music education has led to increased attention on the inclusion of popular music pedagogy in music teacher education. Drawing on culturally responsive pedagogies as a theoretical framework, in this review of literature, I examined research related to popular music pedagogy in music teacher education. Researchers suggest that incorporating popular music in music classrooms may connect students’ in-school and out-of-school music experiences, resulting in greater student engagement and promoting lifelong musical involvement. Based on significant findings in this research, music educators might consider reimagining music teacher education programmes to reflect the changing landscape of music education and prepare future music educators with the skills necessary to acknowledge and value the diverse musical experiences and cultural contexts of students.

Techno-musicality – the mechanics of audio production on the meaningful effect of a recording – is an integral part of composition, production and performance of popular music. Yet this discussion is largely absent from Australian music classrooms. The pedagogy of aural perception is taught as part of the Australian music curriculum and framed via six concepts/elements of music – pitch, duration, structure, texture, timbre and dynamics/expressive techniques. Student engagement with these six concepts largely neglects to address matters of techno-musicality. A study, conducted across Australian secondary students and their educators, revealed that students demonstrate rudimentary skills and/or knowledge to adequately engage with techno-musicality in their listening analyses, and yet educators are willing and mostly confident working in this area. This article addresses the importance of techno-musicality to meaningful analyses of recorded sound and discusses how educators can equip students to engage with techno-musicality utilizing the musical concepts and, in particular, timbre and expressive techniques.

In a co-taught course on songwriting, we identified a need to discuss the ethics of being a songwriter. Songwriters and songwriting educators must consider how to best address issues related to cultural appropriation and develop ethical and accountable responses in their creative works. This article forwards habits of mind songwriters and songwriting educators can use to develop intellectual practices to focus on cultural exchange and lean into the power dynamics that surface in creative work. Habits of mind include posing critical questions and engaging reflexivity, researching lineages of the musics practised by individual songwriters, considering how songwriters position themselves in their music, developing a disposition towards compensation and taking a stance of cultural humility. This article suggests methods to help aspiring songwriters take up hard questions about what it means to be creative in a world where cultural exploitation has too quickly become a way to find commercial success.