In a world facing multiple existential crises, music might be seen as little more than a distraction. However, in this synthesis of ideas developed over a decade, a timely re-appraisal of the potential of musicing for human flourishing is presented, emphasising its role in the history of human evolution alongside its potential as a resource for sustainable development.
A holistic philosophy of music is outlined which recognises the complex web of meaning which spreads across complementary musical dimensions of performance and participation, whilst emphasising the ‘paramusical’ benefits which arise from both. Highlighting the notion that the social bonds which arise from musicing share much of the neurobiological underpinnings of attachment and love, musicing is presented as a resource with the potential for facilitating ethical human connection.
The humanistic values which are thereby materialised during musicing – love, reciprocity and justice – form the experiential grounds for inhabiting alternative social realities. The book addresses how such a holistic philosophy of music might be implemented in practice, drawing on the author’s professional praxis as a performer, educator, community musician, composer and researcher, in particular their experience of musician education at Sage Gateshead, Royal College of Music and Trinity-Laban Conservatoire in the UK.
'[As] I read Camlin’s work, I was struck by its criticality and reflexivity. It avoids simplistic claims such as ‘music can solve everything’. The depth of scholarship underpinning his arguments situates music as socially meaningful and biologically adaptive, while also providing a vocabulary for imagining inclusive, ethical, and civic possibilities in music education...
Reading this book resonated deeply with me as an early-career researcher navigating music education with a social justice focus. Camlin’s text functions almost as a companion voice, offering guidance and reassurance when direct mentorship or reflective conversations may not be immediately available. One of the book’s most striking contributions is its insistence on teaching with rather than teaching to, reframing educators as collaborators and companions who create spaces for exploration and collective imagination... Overall, Camlin’s work affirms the social and biological significance of music, challenges dominant logics of measurement and productivity, and invites educators to envision learning spaces in which participation, difference, creativity and ethical engagement are valued intrinsically. I believe this will be an essential reading for anyone committed to transforming music education or who needs a reassuring reminder that the complexity, challenges and exhaustion of this work are valid.'
-- Chi Ying Lam, British Journal of Music Education'Music Making and Civic Imagination is an invitation to expand our capacities and connections, and to be reminded of our common humanity through music-making. [...] Camlin’s proposition of music-making as a holistic and contextual practice, as a way of creating and strengthening kinship, and inviting civic imagination and responsibility, is a hopeful and deeply moving provocation to us all as global citizens. It encourages creative, intellectual and spiritual engagement.'
-- Cynthia Kinnunen, International Journal of Community MusicCamlin has an uncanny ability to uncover and make visible the fundamental truths about musicing that we intuit from practice. Camlin’s quest to understand the phenomenon of musicing has led him to read widely from many different disciplines, which moves us towards a consilient understanding of why music is of such tremendous value now, more than ever. This book is a tremendous contribution to the discourse on what it means 'to music' and what music can mean for the survival of our species, and the planet.
-- Melissa Forbes, Associate Professor in Contemporary Singing, University of Southern Queensland, on Giabal and Jarowair Country, AustrISBN: 9781835951781
Dimensions: 244mm x 170mm x 14mm
Weight: 412g
252 pages