The articles in the symposium part of this issue are devoted to the topic of education in the arts, reporting on experiences in the United States and providing evidence of the effectiveness of the arts in creating model classroom climates for learning. The Conference note is a summary of the International Music Education Policy Symposium of 2004.

To look out for in the research section: Roodhouse examines the definitional framework of the visual arts in light of the new focus on the creative industries and its implication for policymakers. He argues that the lack of a consistent definition in the United Kingdom, Europe and Australia and consequently of reliable data, calls into question the claims made for the economic importance of the creative class and hinders the evaluation of performance.