Middle school chorus in the US is, from an adolescent perspective, primarily a means of socializing and making friends. Using Green's (2008) notion of critical musicality, I designed a constructionist learning environment. Using critical participatory action research, conducted with my students rather than on them, explored alternative pedagogical approaches to choral teaching and learning. We learned that collaborative learning fostered musical and social development in a heterarchical classroom environment that contributed to intersubjective understandings. It became possible for students to apply prior knowledge from outside of school to holistic, contextual, selfgenerated learning goals in the choral classroom. Incorporating popular music, technology and dance into the curriculum made learning relevant for these students. Choral educators may be able to implement student-centred curricula in choral settings more easily than is on occasion assumed.

The purpose of this study was to examine the characteristics, attitudes, and perceptions of older musicians who participated regularly in a local blues jam. Six core dimensions of eudaimonic well-being and their conceptual foundations provided a framework for examining the way that music-making contributes to subjective well-being during the lifespan of an individual. The following research questions guided this investigation: (1) In what ways do biographical factors and engagement with music influence the lives of older adult blues/rock musicians who participate in a local blues jam? (2) What implications for subjective well-being with regard to music learning might be used to inform music education practices? Interviews and observations over a 2-month period provided data for understanding how lived experiences impacted personal well-being, and musical growth and development over time. Findings suggested that eudaimonic well-being is the result of active engagement in human activities that are goal-directed and purposeful, and a good life involves the self-realization of individual dispositions and talents over a lifetime. Implications for music education include individualized pedagogical approaches that encourage learners to discover a sense of well-being in and through music.

How can passion for choral music be turned into something that challenges the status quo? Over the course of four seasons, VOICES 21C has progressed from being a short-term, project choir to an established, highlevel performing choral collaborative. Like many community music choral organizations, VOICES 21C is centered on social justice themes that are highly relevant in today's world. Unlike many choirs, VOICES 21C is concerned with the empowerment of singers; both individually and collectively. Social justice, in the context of VOICES 21C, is where the intersection of critical and historical thinking, sustained inquiry, concern for a more equitable social order and for -the marginalized other‖ take on significance. The group's critical, contemporary approach to choral singing evokes for the listener a thoughtful and provocative politicized perspective regarding the fears, hopes, and desires that characterize humankind. This article will address the philosophical, artistic and organizational processes that have evolved as the members of VOICES 21C have purposefully moved toward creating a more inclusive and collaborative, social justice-oriented choral enterprise.