Reimagining How Students Learn Music: Contrasting Formal, Nonformal, and Informal Music Learning Practices

Drawing on the conceptual framework of informal music learning, I explore the implications of formal, nonformal, and informal music learning practices on students’ developing musicianship and musical identity. Specifically, the present column examines three key areas in which informal music learning practices differ from traditional music learning approaches: (a) teacher-facilitated instruction, (b) functional musicianship, and (c) peer collaboration. A reflective guiding question encourages teachers to consider how informal learning principles might inform their practice. The present column asks, how can the principles of informal music learning help us begin to reimagine learning in formal and nonformal music learning spaces?