Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools

From the reviews: The book is intended for a broad readership (e.g. education, ethnomusicology, Japanese studies and band directors). The way it is written will certainly appeal to readers from each of these disciplines. ... Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools is a thoroughly written book that combines in-depth historical and ethnographic research. It is certainly the first book of its kind and adds to the growing literature of research on transplanted music styles in Japan. (Henry Johnson, Music Education Research, January, 2014) Hebert not only describes the structure of practices and training of contemporary Japanese school wind bands as seen through his fieldwork, he also traces the history of the reception of modern Western music in Japan. ... at a time when Japanese schools, clubs, arts, and sports are going through a great number of changes, this publication can serve as an important reference and inform the decisions of those attempting to advance changes to the educational system. (Hiroshi Nishijima, Social Science Japan Journal, April, 2013) David Hebert's book exhaustively explores the relationship of wind bands and the formation of cultural identity in Japanese primary schools in the twenty-first century. ... This book will be most interesting for scholars interested in contemporary Japan and music pedagogy. ... In this meticulously researched book Hebert methodically guides the reader through a highly organized account of every aspect of Japanese wind bands. (CedarBough Saeji, ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu, February, 2013) Hebert's text is an important contribution to the profession, important and unique. The book's importance stems from Hebert's first-hand knowledge of students, schools, and teachers at the middle school level in one suburb of Tokyo. ... One learns many facts about middle school instrumental music and its context and one can honestly say that the book provokes one to learn more. ... I am glad to have read the book and I learned a lot ... . (Richard Colwell, ethnomusicologyreview.ucla.edu, February, 2013) The definitive book on Japanese wind music by David Herbert was published by Springer. This detailed research into wind band training in Japan should be in every library, and his interviews with six leading wind band composers must be compulsory reading for anyone interested in Japanese music. (Tim Reynish, timreynish.com, June, 2012)