Pandemic Profits: The Hidden Privatization of US and Canadian Music Education.

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Bibliographic Details
Title:	Pandemic Profits: The Hidden Privatization of US and Canadian Music Education.
Authors:	González Ben, Antía¹, Mullen, Jess²
Source:	Action, Criticism & Theory for Music Education. Mar2025, Vol. 24 Issue 2, p136-180. 45p.
Subject Terms:	*Music education, Digital technology, Capitalism, Privatization
Geographic Terms:	Canada, United States
Abstract:	Employing Stephen Ball's notion of network governance, this study examines the relationships between private companies, non-profit organizations, and public institutions involved with music education in the United States (US) and Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. To identify which public and private actors had a hand in shaping music education policy, we traced the digital music resources three major professional organizations recommended at the height of the pandemic. Also, we examined these organizations' equity discourses surrounding the adoption of digital music-making services in public schools. Informed by the work of critical theorists Ball, Deborah Youdell, Naomi Klein, and Mark Fisher, our analysis suggests that the uptake of digital technologies during the pandemic may have deepened the hidden privatization of public schooling in the US and Canada. We conclude by advocating for a techno-skeptical approach to music technology and a re-investment in schooling as a public good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
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Database:	Education Research Complete

Description
Abstract:	Employing Stephen Ball's notion of network governance, this study examines the relationships between private companies, non-profit organizations, and public institutions involved with music education in the United States (US) and Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic. To identify which public and private actors had a hand in shaping music education policy, we traced the digital music resources three major professional organizations recommended at the height of the pandemic. Also, we examined these organizations' equity discourses surrounding the adoption of digital music-making services in public schools. Informed by the work of critical theorists Ball, Deborah Youdell, Naomi Klein, and Mark Fisher, our analysis suggests that the uptake of digital technologies during the pandemic may have deepened the hidden privatization of public schooling in the US and Canada. We conclude by advocating for a techno-skeptical approach to music technology and a re-investment in schooling as a public good. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
ISSN:	15454517
DOI:	10.22176/act24.2.136