IASPM Journal

This Special Issue is motivated by Philip Ewell’s call for a more diverse range of theoretical lenses but focused on the need for more theoretical diversity in research into and about popular music practices. A primary aim is the development of diverse knowledge for practical and vocational courses in popular music. Christopher Frayling’s (1993) divisions of practice research—research into, through and for practice—roughly parse the approaches taken here. Of the eleven articles in this special issue, Tolstad, Pisfil, Shea and Oyler fit into the ‘research into practice’ category, Wolfe, Sykes and Braae et al fit into ‘research through practice’, and Anthony et al, Whiting and Thompson & Harding are pedagogy research and therefore a version of Frayling’s ‘research for practice’. Zaddach provides a sort of meta-commentary on the nature of practice research.

Editor Prof. Abigail Gardner Special Issue Editors Prof. Simon Zagorski-Thomas, Dr. Mary Fogarty, Dr. Laura Jordan, and Prof. Anthony Kwame Harrison Assistant Editors Eric Smialek, and Alex de Lacey Additional Editor Dr. Melissa Avdeeff

Cover image: Sara Mcguinness’ band Grupo Lokito at the Cheltenham Festival in 2021. Image by stillmovingmedia.com