Abstract
Based on personal experience as an educator in public and private institutions and research from both educational and philosophical fields, I offer in this essay considerations and conclusions to the following question: How can elementary school music programs utilize the values of Community Music to uphold inclusive, sustainable, and loving spaces for children, teachers and families? To structure a response, this essay spans three parts. Part I: Community Music recognizes the collective intention of those who pursue music education as well as understandings and practices of Community Music that promote inclusion, sustainability, and love for children, families, and teachers. Part II: Systemic Realities, outlines barriers that community music educators face when building their programs in partnership with leadership teams and the necessity of healthy family engagement practices. Part III: Prepare for Possibilities, suggests personal and institutional practices that carve pathways towards a unified future in which a Community Music Program can thrive towards a more just world.