The notion of care is at times misunderstood in the context of music education--equated simply with kindness or associated with lowered expectations--and is often dismissed without consideration of its full value to music learning. When viewed through a student "deficit" perspective, concepts of care might evoke unnecessary pity or a sense of rescue, thereby positioning teachers and learners in a superior/inferior relationship that may be unhealthy and unhelpful to either person. Furthermore, many well-meaning approaches to care emphasize a unidirectional relationship from teacher to student, discounting the ways in which a teacher also continues to learn and develop.

A more empowering conceptualization of care in music education involves sharing--sharing experience, sharing passion, sharing excitement, sharing goals, and sharing humanness. The Oxford Handbook of Care in Music Education addresses ways in which music teachers and students interact as co-learners and forge authentic relationships with one another through shared music-making. Concepts of care addressed in the handbook stem from philosophies of relationship, feminist ethics, musical meaningfulness, and compassionate music teaching. These essays highlight the essence of authentic relationships and shared experiences between teachers and learners, extending previous conceptions of care to meet the needs of contemporary music learners and the teachers who care for, about, and with them.