For many, John Paynter has been the most significant figure in music education in Britain and beyond over the past 50 years. He remains widely influential through his work and his many publications, some of which are hard to locate. This collection of seminal writings, selected in collaboration with a range of music educators, brings the ideas afresh to a new generation of teachers, and includes useful introductory notes by John Paynter. The collection embraces the core topics and values of music education and includes contributions from a range of publications, among them core text books and articles, as well writings hitherto published in Britain.