Singin'' Bout a Revolution : Children's Musical Activism and Changing Times

Singin' Bout a Revolution challenges common views of children's music as unimportant and shows how young musicians have engaged with some of the most urgent social and political issues of the present day.

Against the backdrop of significant cultural upheaval and increasing political polarization in recent years, children and young people from around the world have found diverse ways of using music to critique injustice, envision social change, and demand political action. Challenging common views of children''s music as trivial and unimportant, Singin'' Bout a Revolution explores the multiple implications of children''s musical activism: young musicians'' engagement with some of the most urgent social and political issues of the present day, from environmental crisis and war to racism and mental health stigma. Combining a critical musicological approach with perspectives from childhood studies, cultural studies, media studies, and related fields, author Kai Arne Hansen examines young musicians'' songs, music videos, live performances, social media posts, and more alongside the public discourse surrounding these artists, their music, and their activism. Directing serious attention to young musicians'' responses to an ever-changing world, as well as to how the world responds to them, Hansen argues that the myriad ways in which music is weaved into the cultural, social, and political fabrics of our lives make the musical sphere a particularly fruitful context for rethinking dominant ideas about children''s agency, knowledge, and power. Ultimately, Singin'' Bout a Revolution highlights the rich complexity of children''s relationships with popular music, public culture, and politics, thereby encouraging readers to think anew about what children can do with music and what music can do for them.