A Philosophy of Music Education: Advancing the Vision (3rd Edition)

Rating:
Summary: 3rd Edition, Same old stuff
Review: Reimer wants his readers to think he's done something important by putting his tired, old ideas into new words (here and there) and using a new cover. Only his rabid followers will agree. This is the same old stuff that Reimer has always tried to sell and it fails for the same basic reasons: Reimer does not have -- Reimer never had -- a plausible explanation of the nature and value of music. Reimer is obvioulsy desperate -- he's running very hard -- to save his legacy in this "third" book (the same book x 3!). But he cannot. He fails, again, because a new generation of music education philosophers -- Bowman, Jorgensen, Elliott, Regelski -- has already exposed Reimer's poor thinking, weak scholarship, and faulty logic in the past. This "third" edition is full of the same old problems.

Rating:
Summary: Words, words, and more words...
Review: The man has interesting viewpoints, but these are all overshadowed by the overwhelming verbage. He can explain these principles in fewer paragraphs without missing out on anything. Instead, he opts to confuse readers by using too many words and by beating around the bush. I'd rather read something else if this weren't a required text.

Rating:
Summary: This book is a good example of bad philosophy.
Review: This book fails to offer a reasonable philosophy of music education because it is based on a notion of music (as a "presentational symbol") which has been debunked by mainstream philosophers for decades. The "absolute expressionist" theory of music and music education put forth in this book is so narrow and implausible it's hard to believe that any reasonable person would take it seriously. Because it misrepresents the nature and value of music, this book is invalid as a guide for music curriculum and instruction.

Rating:
Summary: A poor book
Review: This book is poor. It 's not "philosophical" in any sense because it's not logical and it's not supported by the majority of music scholars today. Reimer contradicts himself at every turn; he doesn't understand what Langer is really saying; and. his absolutist notion of music is completely out of synch with what most scholars argue about music today. Reimer just mouths a lot of fluffy, feel-good nonsense.

Rating:
Summary: A poor book
Review: This book is poor. It 's not "philosophical" in any sense because it's not logical and it's not supported by the majority of music scholars today. Reimer contradicts himself at every turn; he doesn't understand what Langer is really saying; and. his absolutist notion of music is completely out of synch with what most scholars argue about music today. Reimer just mouths a lot of fluffy, feel-good nonsense.

Rating:
Summary: Not convincing!
Review: This book is selling old, modernist ideas about music which are totally unconvincing compared to the postmodern views of music (e.g., Lawrence Kramer, John Shepherd, George Lipsitz, Robert Walser, Richard Taruskin) I've been studying in musicology and ethnomusicology courses (where the profs just chuckle at Reimer's book). Why do my music education profs still believe this stuff?

Rating:
Summary: 3rd Edition, Same old stuff
Review: This text presents an excellent philosophy of music education! It makes clear that the nature and value of music must be found WITHIN it, not outside. We music educators must express to the public that music in itself is good and should not be an excuse or tool for increased standardized test scores, etc. Currently, more and more music educators are forced to link musical attributes to scholastic activity. This deteriorates the nature and value of music. Author Reimer makes it clear that an aesthetic view of music education is a goal for all music educators to strive for.

Rating:
Summary: A Great Read For All Music Educators
Review: This text presents an excellent philosophy of music education! It makes clear that the nature and value of music must be found WITHIN it, not outside. We music educators must express to the public that music in itself is good and should not be an excuse or tool for increased standardized test scores, etc. Currently, more and more music educators are forced to link musical attributes to scholastic activity. This deteriorates the nature and value of music. Author Reimer makes it clear that an aesthetic view of music education is a goal for all music educators to strive for.