Musical identities and music education, written by Börje Stålhammar, provides an illuminating view of the way in which English and Swedish students consider music and musical meaning. For the young people in this study, music is not an isolated topic nor evaluated based on its theoretical constructs but is judged on the context of the listening experience and the emotional impact which is filtered through the lens of their social and cultural backgrounds. Stålhammar contends that in today’s world three central “musical forces” converge to affect the musical identity of young people: 1) the international music industry, 2) the cultural background and environment that forms values, commitments, preferences and the emotional imprints that are central to identity and, 3) teaching contexts represented by formal schooling and community teaching situations (p. 10). In light of the many decisions that music educators must make in their responsibilities for carrying out curriculum, Music Identities and Music Education provides a broader view for these considerations and places the importance of student experience at the core.