ABSTRACT
When we think of the study of music, we automatically associate it with the study of a specific musical instrument because this is, of course, where students begin. We sing, or we play. Although we may not realize it at the time, music students are also learning about theory (rhythm, melody, and harmony); about history (the lives and times of the composers of the music we play); about the structures and styles of music (its organization and language); and about how to listen. Because the theoretical and historical aspects of music training are usually peripheral to the practical skills taught to beginning students, many of us, unless we pursue advanced musical training, may not be aware that music does not exist without contexts (e.g., cultural, social, political, and artistic). Feminist scholars investigating the roles of women musicians, however, are showing that these contexts are not incidental to the creation, performance, interpretation, and preservation of music.
