In the last few years expressions like "European convergence," "European Higher Education Area," "European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System" and others have become more and more usual not only in academic circles but also even in the mass media. But to what extent are these expressions valid for all knowledge…

Recent research on practice-based doctorates in Australia has revealed an institutional preference for "theorised" research approaches aimed at situating studies of practice within established academic paradigms. In this article we examine how the aim of communicating with artistic peers steers the research design and the production of…

This study analyses 10 Swedish music teachers' descriptions of how a new music syllabus and a new credit scale have influenced their practice. In the new curriculum, grading is introduced in year 6 and not, as previously, in year 8. We have therefore focused on the effects of this change on school years 5-7. The new syllabus is much more precise…

Technologies such as YouTube, mobile phones and MP3 players are increasingly integrated into secondary school music in the UK. At the same time, the gap between formal and informal music learning is being bridged by the incorporation of students' preferred music into class activities. We conducted an ethnographic study in two secondary schools in…

"Music is both a creative and a performing art" (Hallam, 2006, p. 70). Many musicians and music educators maintain that composing and performing, although related, are essentially different aspects of musical activity. In the professional musical sphere, composition and performance are almost invariably separated; academic studies have…

This article raises questions about three features of musical education that have been explored in the pages of the "British Journal of Music Education" ("BJME") over the last 25 years: the assessment of creative work; the nurturing of an elite among young musicians; the uses of electronics in music classrooms. The article…

We discuss a recent peer-learning project we undertook as co-conductors of the Young Conservatorium Wind Orchestra at Griffith University. Drawing on current educational theory on peer learning and material from our conducting practice and research, we explore how this approach offers professional conductors the opportunity to work together in an…

The article explores curriculum change in Scottish schools between 1978 and 2000 and its impact on learning and teaching. This period produced far reaching alterations to music curriculum thinking and practice. However, there is presently only limited reference within music education literature to strategies that either support or enhance our…

Whilst a rationale for the content and organisation of knowledge in a standardised curriculum may be clearly articulated at official policy level, factors may come to bear on a teacher operating at a local level which may work against the successful implementation of the curriculum on the ground. Drawing on a Bourdieuan notion of cultural field,…

This observational study analysed the lesson content of 24 instrumental lessons (piano, strings and winds) using a gender-balanced sample (equal numbers of male/female teachers and students) from five Australian higher education institutions to ascertain the priorities of topics in advanced applied music lessons in the Western Classical tradition.…

During 2003/4 a team from the University of Central England in Birmingham (now UCE Birmingham) undertook an evaluation of student perceptions of their music courses as part of the Birmingham and Solihull Learning and Skills Council review of music in the area. As well as identifying the wide range of courses available in the locality and students'…

Creativity in human endeavours is being discussed and promoted in many fields and venues throughout the Western world. In this paper I discuss reasons for the current emphasis on creativity, especially in music education. I also describe some philosophical, psychological, cultural, and political/social/economic factors that have worked for and…

There has been little research conducted on Taiwanese Aboriginal music education in comparison to Aboriginal education. C. Hsu's "Taiwanese Music History" (1996) presents information on Aboriginal music including instruments, dance, ritual music, songs and singing, but information on music education practices is lacking. The examination…

Popular Music Studies (PMS) is now taught in over 20 higher education institutions (HEIs) in the UK and numerous others across the world. This article outlines the constituent parts of PMS in the UK and questions its status as a discipline in its own right. It concludes by arguing that, having established itself, PMS will need to deal with two key…

The purpose of the study is to examine, through interviews and observations, the extent to which 8-10 year old children in a London primary school replicate gendered musical practices and experience gendered musical meanings, and how these may affect their expectations and the specific practices and products of their composition. I also consider…