Here is a list of the best Music Education books, some I have read myself, some that I did research on, and all have great reviews!
- Music Education for Social Change: Constructing an Activist Music Education (2019)
- Music Education and Social Emotional Learning (2017)
- Remixing the Classroom: Toward an Open Philosophy of Music Education (Counterpoints: Music and Education) (2016)
- Introduction to Music Education, Fourth Edition (2017)
- Instrumental Music Education (2015)
- An Introduction to Music in Early Childhood Education (2005)
- Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs: A Label-Free Approach (2017)
- Urban Music Education: A Practical Guide for Teachers (2015)
- Listening to Music (with Introduction to Listening CD-ROM) (Available Titles CourseMate) (2010)
- Teaching Music to Children (2010)
- An Introduction To Music Therapy: Theory and Practice (1998)
- Teaching Young Children: An Introduction (4th Edition) (2008)
- Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education (2016)
Music Education for Social Change: Constructing an Activist Music Education (2019)
Music Education for Social Change: Constructing an Activist Music Education develops an activist music education rooted in principles of social justice and anti-oppression.
Music Education and Social Emotional Learning (2017)
Music educators are in a prime position to help students become socially and emotionally competent while at the same time develop excellent musicianship. For every child to be successful in the music classroom, teachers need to be aware of the whole student.
Remixing the Classroom: Toward an Open Philosophy of Music Education (Counterpoints: Music and Education) (2016)
In a delightfully self-conscious philosophical “mash-up,” Randall Everett Allsup provides alternatives for the traditional master-apprentice teaching model that has characterized music education. By providing examples across the arts and humanities, Allsup promotes a vision of education that is open, changing, and adventurous at heart.
Introduction to Music Education, Fourth Edition (2017)
The streamlined Fourth Edition of this widely adopted text introduces prospective school music teachers to the profession of music education by one of the field’s respected senior practitioners.
Instrumental Music Education (2015)
Instrumental Music Education: Teaching with the Musical and Practical in Harmony, 2nd Edition is intended for college instrumental music education majors studying to be band and orchestra directors at the elementary, middle school, and high school levels. This textbook presents a research-based look at the topics vital to running a successful instrumental music program, while balancing musical, theoretical, and practical approaches.
An Introduction to Music in Early Childhood Education (2005)
This text prepares childcare providers to meet the responsibility of musically nurturing young children. After being led to understand the importance of musically nurturing children in this age group, students are taught to nurture children at various stages in early childhood. The unique developmental characteristics of these stages are examined and are the basis upon which activities are planned.
Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs: A Label-Free Approach (2017)
The Second Edition of Teaching Music to Students with Special Needs offers updated accounts of music educators’ experiences, featured as vignettes throughout the book. An accompanying Practical Resource includes lesson plans, worksheets, and games for classroom use.
Urban Music Education: A Practical Guide for Teachers (2015)
The prevailing discourse surrounding urban music education suggests the deficit-laden notion that urban school settings are “less than,” rather than “different than,” their counterparts. Through the lens of contextually-specific teaching, this book provides a counternarrative on urban music education that encourages urban music teachers to focus on the strengths of their students as their primary resource.
Listening to Music (with Introduction to Listening CD-ROM) (Available Titles CourseMate) (2010)
The only music appreciation text on the market to include listening exercises throughout the book, Listening to Music (Sixth Edition) masterfully develops and refines the listening skills of students. Acclaimed for unparalleled clarity and accuracy, Wright succinctly covers traditional Western music from medieval to modern.
Teaching Music to Children (2010)
This valuable resource is designed to give elementary teachers with no formal music training all the tools they need to help their students develop an understanding of and appreciation for music. This book includes lessons, reproducible games, worksheets and puzzles. Also included is a mixed-media CD that features over 60 minutes of music and a complete PowerPoint presentation.
An Introduction To Music Therapy: Theory and Practice (1998)
Available for the first time in paperback, this low-cost, high-quality guide to music therapy thought, research, and practice is the ideal text for a one semester overview and the perfect handbook for the practicing professional.
Teaching Young Children: An Introduction (4th Edition) (2008)
This engagingly interactive and easy-to-read book outlines how to deliver quality early education and care through its focus on curriculum. Full-color throughout, this edition's features include more concrete applications in the book–and on the website.
Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education (2016)
Culturally Responsive Teaching in Music Education presents teaching methods that are responsive to how different culturally specific knowledge bases impact learning. It is a pedagogy that recognizes the importance of including students’ cultural references in all aspects of learning.
Best Music Education Books You Must Read
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some music education books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Music Education as Craft: Reframing Theories and Practices
Author(s): Kari Holdhus, Regina Murphy, Magne I. Espeland
ID: 2980282, Publisher: Springer, Year: 2021, Size: 4 Mb, Format: pdf
Visions for Intercultural Music Teacher Education
Author(s): Heidi Westerlund, Sidsel Karlsen, Heidi Partti
ID: 2468076, Publisher: Springer International Publishing, Year: 2020, Size: 3 Mb, Format: pdf
Narratives and Reflections in Music Education: Listening to Voices Seldom Heard
Author(s): Tawnya D. Smith, Karin S. Hendricks
ID: 2700635, Publisher: Springer International Publishing;Springer, Year: 2020, Size: 6 Mb, Format: pdf
Please note that this booklist is not definite. Some books are really chart-busters according to Los Angeles Times, others are composed by unknown writers. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant links you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.