ABSTRACT
School music education has the potential, and arguably the responsibility, to significantly and positively shape and support student musical identities and future music engagement. Musical identities are contextualised, and a thorough description of the learning context is necessary to understand the multiple musical identities in the senior secondary music class at Queensland Boys’ School. This chapter begins by outlining contemporary arguments for music in schools, namely lifelong music participation, the extra-musical and transfer benefits, and human flourishing. Australian school music education, particularly class music also known as classroom or general music, is described, and the ongoing challenges of the sector are canvassed, such as diminished time allocation for music in the school curriculum and initial teacher education in light of government literacy, STEM, and job-readiness agendas. Class music education has at times struggled to find relevancy, though it has been found that effective programs engage students by prioritising making music in creative, social, challenging, and situated ways. My personal philosophy and pedagogy of music education as the class music teacher–researcher is also outlined, consisting of a blending of social constructivism, praxial music education, and Kodály-inspired music education.
