Hebert's interests in global music historiography developed as he explored such topics as how European music was adopted in Japan, and how the American genres of jazz and rock music ironically struggled to gain acceptance in American schools.David G. Hebert (2011). "Originality and Institutionalization: Factors Engendering Resistance to Popular Music Pedagogy in the USA". Music Education Research International, 5, pp.12-21; David G. Hebert and Patricia Shehan Campbell (2000). " Rock Music in American Schools: Positions and Practices Since the 1960s". International Journal of Music Education, 36(1), pp. 14-22. In 2014 he produced a book with Jonathan McCollum (Washington College) entitled Theory and Method in Historical Ethnomusicology.McCollum, Jonathan and Hebert, David (2014) Theory and Method in Historical Ethnomusicology Lanham, MD: Lexington Books / Rowman & Littlefield Through use of "a broad spectrum of geocultural examples, the volume includes several engaging strategies for using and writing about history in order to understand the world's musics".Justin R. Hunter (2016). Theory and Method in Historical Ethnomusicology. "NOTES", 72(3), pp.534-537. Ethnomusicologists Keith Howard, Daniel M. Neuman and Judah Cohen contributed chapters. Hebert now edits a book series in this field with Jonathan McCollum for Rowman and Littlefield press, The Lexington Series in Historical Ethnomusicology: Deep Soundings.
