Routledge Focus in Music Education: New Directions, consists of concise monographs that attempt to bring more of the outside world of music making, and all of the conceptualizations and pragmatic implications that come with that world, into the discourse in music education. It is about discovering and uncovering big ideas for the profession, about criticizing our long held assumptions, about suggesting new courses of action, and about putting ideas into motion for the prosperity of future generations of music makers, teachers of music, and society.

The proposal is the first step in developing a project for the Series. In preparing your proposal, please keep in mind that the Series editor and the publisher need to know as much as possible about your planned book: its scope, theme, organizational structure, potential contributors, applicable course(s) and audience, as well as the focal points for the publisher to best promote the volume to that audience. The proposal serves to demonstrate that you can write and organize with authority, accuracy, and clarity, and present what you have to say in a way that will be of use, of interest, and of importance.

With this in mind, your proposal should address five main areas:

1. A Statement of Aims

• Briefly and concisely state the main themes and objectives of the proposed book. Please give a one or two paragraph summary of the content of the book.
• What are its main themes and objectives?
• What are you doing differently, in a more innovative way, or better than existing books?
• Please also provide a concise (150-200 word) and compelling abstract for the book.

2. A Detailed Synopsis, including Chapter Summaries and pedagogical features (if any)

• a proposed table of contents with chapter titles and subheads.
• chapter headings and provide at least one paragraph of explanation on what you intend to cover in each chapter.
• Indicate the basic structure and features of each chapter (e.g., introduction, argument summary, case studies, etc.).
• If an edited collection, please also provide a tentative list of the expected authors and their affiliations and indicate whether they have agreed to contribute.

3. A Description of the intended readership

• Please discuss the intended audience for your book. Is it written primarily for scholars (if so, what disciplines), professionals (if so, which fields), or students (if so, what level)?
• Will this book have international appeal? If so, where?
• Writing Style: Is the writing accessible to the intended audience?

4. A Review of the Main Competing Titles

• List the main competing (or closest-to) titles – three to five. Provide a few sentences of explanation on each. These could be books covering the same subject matter or books that are related in terms of field of research or cutting-edge argument. What are their strengths and weaknesses? What distinguishes your book from the existing competition?

5. Format and Timeline

• a realistic date for when you intend to submit the final manuscript. If this is an edited collection, remember to allow time for revisions to individual chapters once contributors have delivered them.
• Word count – does this include references and footnotes?
• How many diagrams, illustrations, or tables will there be (approximately)?
• Third party material: Please give a clear indication of content to be included in the book that will come from another source (i.e., previously published material or illustrations).

Other Relevant Information:

• One or two sample chapters (preferably the introduction and another chapter),
• Whether it has been submitted to other publishers and, if so, to whom.
• Your CV

PLEASE SEND PROPOSAL TO CLINT RANDLES:

randlesc@usf.edu