In the light of an apparent paradox that has resulted from the integration of 'world music' into the school curriculum in many countries, the present paper proposes a tri-partite approach to music education. Such an approach would clearly distinguish between the teaching and learning of: 'inherent meaning', or the study of music for music's sake;…

In this paper, I draw on seminal literature from new media researchers to frame the broader implications that user-generated content (UGC), YouTube, and participatory culture have for music learning and teaching in online communities; to illustrate, I use examples from two contrasting online music communities, the Online Academy of Irish…