When worlds collide: How a classically trained cellist integrates a heavy metal music camp into her learning ecology.

This article examines how a classically trained cellist, Helena, navigates and integrates the Wacken Music Camp (WMC)—a heavy metal music learning space—into her broader music learning ecology, which had previously been rooted in Western art music traditions. It highlights the perceived clash between the distinct social and musical worlds of classical and heavy metal music, focusing on differences in practices such as the rejection of sheet music and the emphasis on collaborative improvisation at the WMC. Through repeated participation, peer interaction, adaptation of skills, and the use of her cello (including transitioning to an electric cello), Helena acts as a broker connecting these musical worlds, ultimately reshaping her identity and expanding her competencies. The study suggests that understanding such conflicts and integrations can inform music education by addressing students' alienation from school music lessons and promoting the recognition of diverse musical worlds and learning practices.