Whom Does It Concern? A Reflection on Issues Relating to Quality, Accountability, and Relevance in Music Education's Journals

This essay examines components of the critique process used for American music education journals. Issues of criticism and critique are explored from three perspectives: those who oversee, those who contribute to, and those who constitute the audiences for these journals. This analysis concerns both implicit and explicit aspects of critique as they relate to peer review, journal rankings, the rise of digital academic journals, and tenure decisions. These are individually and collectively examined for indicators of quality, accountability, and relevance.