Wright, Ruth, ed. and Music Education. Burlington, VT: Ashgate, 2010. xv + 299 pp. Index, hardback. ISBN 978-0-75466-801-5, $99.95 and Music edited by Ruth Wright, is a collection of works encompassing a broad range of issues. Wright assembled an expert international panel of contributors--both researchers and practitioners--that includes pioneers in the field Lucy Green and Christopher Small. Published by the Society for Music, and Psychology (SEMPRE) as a component of the SEMPRE Studies in the Psychology of Music series, and Music Education is intended to fill a gap in the literature; its application is to contexts outside of North America. Beginning with an exceptional introductory chapter by Wright and a seminal work by Lucy Green, what follows is an exploration of music education and sociology connections illustrated with basic and applied research. first chapter, Sociology and Music Education, begins with a compelling explanation of sociology as a lens for viewing music education. Wright provides a primer on sociology--its roots and historical underpinnings--and reviews briefly several sociological theories. In the second half of the chapter, Wright connects sociology and music education by stating that culture, power, and pedagogy have become key themes (p. 16). This chapter offers essential information for those new to sociological thought and an apt refresher for those with more familiarity. A reprint of a 1999 Green work comprises the second chapter, Research in the of Music Education: Some Introductory Concepts. Green introduces basic sociological concepts and their application to music, mainly groups (social class, ethnicity, gender) and practices (production, distribution, and consumption). Green then proceeds to outline her view of musical meaning and musical experience, deftly connecting the various ideas to question how schools participate in reproducing the social organization of music through history (p. 28). Green concludes with research suggestions for academics and practitioners. From the first two chapters emerge several main concepts that form a foundation for the remainder of the book--curriculum, pedagogy, agency, and the reinforcement of societal norms. Within these four concepts are several subthemes: curriculum development, children's agency, advantaged and disadvantaged groups, and application of specific sociological theories to music education. Not every contribution can be neatly sorted into one of these subthemes, as often several subthemes are present within one chapter, but they provide a useful organizer for analyzing the book. Chris Philpott critiques curriculum development in England in chapter 6, The Sociological Critique of Curricular Music in England: Is Radical Change Really Possible? He examines the English music curriculum utilizing the sociological theory of structuration--the relationship between structure and human agency. Wright and Brian Davies employ a broader lens by looking at the National Curriculum for Music in the United Kingdom in chapter 3, Class, Power, Culture and the Music Curriculum. Using the ideas of sociologists Bourdieu and Bernstein, Wright and Davies discuss the differing codes of policy makers, music teachers, and students, and pose thoughtful arguments for music teaching in any setting. In the final chapter, Democracy, Social Exclusion, and Music Education: Possibilities for Change, Wright turns again to Bernstein and his ideas of democracy as a call to change, leaving the reader with looming questions about democratic music education. Children's agency and ownership receives attention from several researchers. In chapter 8, Panagiotis Kanellopoulos primes the reader for subsequent chapters by summarizing music education research on children's creative music making and suggests research directions that include sociologically informed music education perspectives on children's creative musical practice (p. …