Not "Getting Some Guns and Doing Some Damage": Listening to Teens and Learning From a Ragtime Festival.

TEENAGERS; RAGTIME music; MUSIC festivals; COMMUNITY-school relationships; EQUALITY; LEARNING communities; ALTERNATIVE education; EDUCATIONAL cooperation; PREVENTION of school violence

The article presents a post-Columbinecase study of a ragtime music festival, which is an out-of-school learning community. The festival for teenage boys aims to reduce violence by promoting an egalitarian community. Three central features of the festival can be utilized to improve schools to foster a sense of belonging for all students. The teen pianists, their adult peers, and professional pianist teachers demonstrated a community that contrasted sharply with their school experiences. They were critical about the hierarchical structures in many schools.