Within a theoretical framework drawn from Bourdieu, this article explores the relationship between undergraduate students' experiences of music in higher education and their musical backgrounds and prior music education experiences. More critically, this study aims to discover whether ideologies surrounding musical value impact on the student experience in higher education. A survey of undergraduate students of music (N=60) at a higher education music department in the Republic of Ireland was conducted. Preliminary data suggest that students' musical "habitus" and "cultural capital" impact on their experience of music within the "field" of higher education. Implications of findings from this study suggest a reappraisal of curricula and assessment at secondary level and of musical value and curriculum content in Irish higher education. (Contains 3 tables and 3 notes.)