Following her initial education in Ireland, Mary Stakelum undertook postgraduate studies at the Kodaly Institute in Kecskemet and at the University of London, gaining her PhD in 2005 from the Institute of Education on 'Transmission, Transformation and Replication: Case Studies of Practice in an Irish Primary School Setting'. Her publications include journal articles, invited book chapters and edited volumes, and these reflect her research focus on musical development in children and young people, growth and development of teacher knowledge, and intercultural perspectives on music curriculum. Her teaching experience spans school, conservatoire, and university level, and she has held leadership positions on a variety of programmes in higher education. She is currently Area Leader, Music Education at the Royal College of Music, editor in chief of Music Education Research and a Trustee of the Society for Education and Music Psychology Research, and their nominated representative on the steering group of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion in Music Studies.

Chapter 1: An Introduction to Music Education as a Field of Study
Chapter 2: Perspectives on Music, Musicality and Musical Knowledge
Chapter 3: Musical Imagination in Thought and Practice
Chapter 4: Musical Worlds Created for Children
Chapter 5: Ways In: Entering the Musical Worlds of Children
Chapter 6: Music Created With Children
Chapter 7: Into the Future