Advancing sustainability in music education through eco-musicality

To advance the dialogue on environmental sustainability in music education, we propose the concept of “eco-musicality,” drawing on research in ecomusicology and our personal experiences in Indigenous and non-Western music. We define eco-musicality as the competencies that musicians develop to engage with and enhance their musical and ecological experiences. It encompasses various dimensions of musical engagement, extending beyond mere awareness and knowledge of environmental issues. Specifically, we embrace seven dimensions of eco-musicality: (1) Understanding the human-nature relationship through music, including the “place” of music-making (ontology); (2) Recognizing how knowledge of and about music-making is conceptualized and constructed differently from ecological perspectives (epistemology); (3) Embracing a responsibility for ecological stewardship, including attention to the material systems in music and music’s impacts on the environment, fairness, equality, and justice (ethics); (4) Crafting creative materials by critiquing consumerism and hand-crafting instruments using natural or recycled materials (green craftsmanship); (5) Listening to and interacting with nature, appreciating and musically contributing to the sound environment (sound appreciation); (6) Absorbing nature and transcending conventional awareness of self (self-rewilding); and (7) Composing nature through music to express ecological experiences (green musicianship). The model of eco-musicality that we present emphasizes an appreciation for global cooperation and embraces diverse music traditions, including Indigenous and non-western musics. Copyright © 2025 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.