With the ambition of informing place consciousness in music education by better understanding the social contexts of hip-hop music education and illuminating potential applications of hip-hop to school music settings, the purpose of this research is to explore the sociocultural aspects of hip-hop musicians' experiences in music education and music schooling. In particular, this study is informed by the following questions:1. How do sociocultural contexts (particularly issues of race, space, place, and class) impact hip-hop musicians and their music?2. What are hip-hop musicians' perceptions of school and schooling?3. Where, when, how, and with whom do hip-hop musicians develop and explore their musical skills and understandings?The use of an emergent design in this work allowed for the application of ethnographic techniques within the framework of a multiple case study. One case is an amateur hip-hop musician named Terrence (pseudonym), and the other is myself (previously inexperienced as a hip-hop musician) acting as participant observer.By placing Terrence and myself within our various contexts and exploring these contexts' influences on our roles as hip-hop musicians, it is possible to understand better who we are, where and when our musical experiences exist(ed), and the complex relationships between our contexts, our experiences, and our perceptions. Employingboth authenticity and identity as dynamic and performative concepts, findings demonstrate that these elements can have an important impact on musical experiences and perceptions.My history as a professional educator and Terrence's perspective as a high school dropout offer a valuable contrast of beliefs, values, and assumptions about school and education. Exploring Terrence's experiences with and perceptions of school provide additional material for placing him as a musician and learner and also allow for a criticalinvestigation of my own perspectives. Recognizing my privileged and assumption-laden perspectives offers valuable layers of nuance toward better understanding the relationships between schools, those who school, and those who are schooled.In addition to exploring Terrence's musical learning experiences, I participate in the study as a novice hip-hop beat producer under Terrence's mentorship. Investigating our musical teaching and learning delivers compelling findings toward better understanding music education as it exists outside of school. The relationships betweencollaborators, the spaces in which they work, and the backgrounds that inform their perspectives all perform important roles in the development of applicable music skills in a practice far more complicated and demanding than I had initially imagined.Terrence's experiences with and perceptions of music, school, and education challenge many of my preconceived notions and offer important considerations for music educators. My experiences as both researcher and case in this project reveal complex issues of privilege and provide opportunities to better understand and confront theseissues. I ultimately contend that hip-hop cultures possess the potential for critical improvements in some school music settings and that music educators might consider making a place for hip-hop within scholarship and practice.
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