Moore the Changing Landscape of Irish Higher Music Education

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THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE

OF IRISH HIGHER MUSIC EDUCATION:

FINDINGS FROM POLICY AND PRACTICE

GWEN MOORE



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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This study would not have been possible without the participation of students and lecturers in higher education. Sincere

thanks to the Council of Heads of Music in Higher Education (CHMHE) for announcing the research purpose and topic at one

of their meetings.

This document focuses on some of the core themes that emerged from my doctoral research. I would like to take this

opportunity to again thank my doctoral supervisor Professor Lucy Green, Institute of Education, University College London

for her advice, clarity and support throughout the research process.

I would also like to thank Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick for the granting of research leave; Gareth Cox,

Michael Murphy, Paul Collins, Ailbhe Kenny and Michael Finneran for their collegial support and/or for providing materials

and suggesting ideas for further enquiry.

To all of the students, lecturers, and university/college staff for giving permission, their time and diverse perspectives,

I am truly grateful and hope that the study will contribute to further debate and enquiry.

Contact Details

For further information, please contact:

Dr Gwen Moore,

Lecturer in Music Education,

Department of Arts Education and Physical Education,

Faculty of Education, Mary Immaculate College,

University of Limerick.

Email: [email protected]

Copyright Gwen Moore. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any

form or by any means including photocopying or recording, without written permission of the author.

CONTENTS

List of Tables and Figures

Acknowledgements 01

Contact Details 01

Executive Summary 02

Background and Rationale 04

Introduction 05

Higher Education Policy 05

Irish Higher Music Education Programmes 06

Curriculum 06

Purpose of this Document 07

Methodology 08

Methods and Sample 09

Survey, Sampling and Distribution 10

Interviews 11

Student Focus Group Discussions 12

Ethical Considerations 12

Findings 13

Historical and Contextual Data 14

School Music and the Leaving Certificate 14

Students’ Perceptions of Leaving Certificate Music 15

Expectations, Experiences and Challenges 18

Choosing Music in Higher Education 18

The Changing Profile of the Music Degree Student 19

Expectations and the Value of a Music Degree 21

The Devaluing of Music within the Humanities 23

Curriculum and Resource Restrictions 24

Conclusion and Recommendations 25

Recommendations 26

Concluding Thoughts 27

References 28

LIST OF TABLES AND FIGURES

Table 1: Sample of Students by Institution Type 10

Table 2: Year of Study 11

Table 3: Characteristi cs of the Lecturer Sample 11

Table 4: Characteristi cs of the Student Sample 17

Table 5: Students’ Reasons for Choosing Music 18

Figure 1: Phases of Data Generation and Analysis 09

Figure 2: Leaving Certificate music

(higher and ordinary) take-up in Ireland 1995-2013 15

Figure 3: Themes arising in relation to content

and assessment of LC music 16






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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This report draws from a national study which engaged in original, critical and empirical analysis of the musical backgrounds

and experiences of undergraduate music students and lecturers from eleven higher education institutions in the Republic of

Ireland (Moore 2013). Utilising documentary analysis, survey, interviews and focus groups within a mixed-methods design, the

study provides an overview of the changing context of higher music education in addition to in-depth accounts of students

and lecturers experiences in higher education. This report focuses on one of the major findings in the study which revolved

around the challenges broader education policy places on the experiences of those teaching and learning music at

undergraduate level.

Findings from this study revealed a complex web of values and assumptions influenced by the macro and micro contexts of

higher education. Student and lecturer experiences of teaching and learning in higher education were strongly influenced by

particular contextual structures of higher education (macro) and structures within each programme or music department

(micro). Teaching and learning experiences were also framed in terms of particular knowledge and skills required for an

undergraduate qualification and the mismatch between curriculum and assessment at second level and in higher education.

In general, skills associated with Western classical music symbolised relevant and adaptable cultural knowledge to the

students and lecturers though some students and lecturers were critical of an over-emphasis on western classical approaches

to music theory and harmony. Particular types of knowledge associated with the history and tradition of institutions, as well

as the valued knowledge of those in positions of power, affected teaching and learning for both students and lecturers.

Overall, both students and lecturers expressed the need for support mechanisms for music theory induction since the

curriculum has had to be continuously modified to accommodate diverse musical backgrounds. Students reported many

benefits from opportunities to access learning support mechanisms within the institution when they encountered difficulties.

Lecturers seemed to have agency in their teaching when innovative pedagogical approaches could be engaged with

manageable student numbers. Repeatedly, it was found that limited resources and superimposed agendas encroached on the

agency afforded to meaningful teaching and learning experiences.

The majority of lecturers pointed to shortcomings in students’ music literacy, theory, and historical knowledge, while some

expressed their appreciation for the diverse and flexible musical skills that students bring from being able to play by ear and

improvise. Where higher music curricula depend on advanced music literacy and analytical skills, students from more diverse

musical backgrounds seemed more able to cope with the curriculum demands when parallel modules in rudiments, theoryand aural skills were included throughout the programme. Where this was found not to be the case, some students found

that they had no choice but to choose elective modules in which music literacy skills were less important and in which they

were less likely to fail. Of more pressing concern was the expression by both students and lecturers, that in some cases an

accredited undergraduate music degree could be acquired with minimal music literacy and history knowledge, and this was

perceived by students as limiting their future career and postgraduate options.

This report argues that dialogue is needed between higher education policy makers and those teaching and learning music

in higher education institutions. In this regard, the report serves as a springboard for further dialogue on how best to

articulate the challenges posed for music teaching and learning to policy-makers. It also reveals that very little research has

been conducted on both students and lecturers in Irish higher music education and that without an evidence-base from

which we can test our assumptions and theories, our calls to policy-makers may go unheard. From the findings, this report

identifies a number of important principles upon which it can base four key recommendations:

1. The need for further dialogue between policy makers, heads of departments and all involved in teaching music in highereducation in order to develop shared policies that acknowledge discipline-specific needs

2. The need to strengthen support mechanisms for music students to enable them to improve their knowledge and skills in

relation to music theory

3. The need to question assumptions of valued musical knowledge and skills and to consider the ways in which these relate

to the prior experiences of students and lecturers from diverse musical backgrounds.

4. In the context of a forthcoming national cultural policy, music education policy and higher education policy, there is a need

to develop a strong evidence base to inform higher education policy in particular.



BACKGROUND AND RATIONALEINTRODUCTION

In the context of a higher academic qualification in music, commonplace assumptions would hold that a critical engagement

with music at undergraduate level requires a modicum of music knowledge and skills in music theory, notation, history and

analysis in tandem with practical encounters in performing and music technology. Yet such prior knowledge and skills are

usually dependent on prior access to formal music education. Historically, formal music education in Ireland has been

financially and geographically inaccessible (Music Network, 2003), thus access and opportunity to a range of musical genres,

skills and knowledge, has been unequal. Due to the disparate nature of music provision within the Irish state system (Smyth

and Calvert, 2011), the pursuit of higher music education has historically been the privilege of students with economic and

cultural capital enabling them to access to private instrumental and/or theory tuition (Dibben 2006; Moore 2012). In addition,

higher education policy changes pose many challenges for music teaching and learning which have not been documented

heretofore.

The bipartite nature of the research problem can be summarized thus: first, opportunity in higher music education would

appear related to students’ musical backgrounds and access to prior music education. This demands critical inquiry into the

problem of access to musical knowledge and skills and the need to document the ways in which teaching and learning

experiences are affected. Second, coming to an understanding of the ways in which broader higher education policy impacts

on music teaching and learning, calls for an essential and timely investigation of the experiences of students and lecturers.

HIGHER EDUCATION POLICY

In recent decades, higher education has seen extensive social, economic, and educational transformation (Barnett, 1990;

David, 2007). In recent years, political demand in Ireland has given rise to the promotion of diversity in the socio-economic

profile, age, ethnicity, disability and citizenship status of students (Higher Education Authority, 2010). Inclusive policy has

afforded access to students from diverse backgrounds, for whom access may have been hitherto excluded. Following

international trends, the Irish Universities Association recognises the importance of inclusion, listing ‘Widening Participation’

as one of its core objectives (Higher Education Authority, 2010). However, despite such policy interventions, issues of unequal

access and opportunity persist (Lynch and Moran, 2006).

Increasing trends of investment and governmental interest in higher education and training, can be attributed to the rise of

globalisation, technological advances, and increasing competition. Consequently, higher education has become synonymous

with ‘big business’ (Barnett, 1997). Contemporaneously, the Irish higher education sector has been recruited in attending to

the demands of research relevant to the ‘knowledge economy’:

Into the future, real success and growth will depend on the country’s ability to transfer the

knowledge generated domestically into goods and services for world markets requiring

effective on-going relationships between enterprise and academia. (Forfás, 2004)

Policy development at European level has committed to increasing the numbers of graduates, improving the quality of

teaching and learning and integrating flexible and digital technologies into higher education (High Level Group on the

Modernisation of Higher Education, 2014a). National policy has given rise to a period of rapid and dramatic change in terms

of restructuring with a reduction in the number of higher education institutions from 39 to 25, the requirement for institutions

to form regional or thematic clusters and the alignment with performance-related funding in the form of ‘Compacts’ (HEA,

2014b).




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We also know that the student population and profile is undergoing significant change. Recent statistics from the Higher

Education Authority (2015) indicate that full-time undergraduate student numbers have increased by 8% in just five years and

that 13% were mature students (over 23 years of age). Until now, the extent to which higher educational policy agendas have

affected practice in music at undergraduate level has not been documented. If higher music education is to respond to policy

changes, we need an evidence-base which can provide policy-makers with a deeper understanding of the impact these have

on music teaching and learning. Indeed, reflecting on the historical context of higher music provision provides a worthwhile

springboard for future directions.

IRISH HIGHER MUSIC EDUCATION PROGRAMMESHistorically, the European model of higher music education has been based on different conceptions of musical knowledge.

This model manifested in universities as a primary focus on theoretical training in areas of music analysis, history, pastiche

and original composition. In conservatoires, applied instrumental/vocal practice took precedence with complementary music

history and theoretical knowledge (Rainbow and Cox, 2006). The tradition from the Oxbridge model of music education was

‘designed primarily in the interests of preparing performing musicians who also possessed a theoretical and historical

understanding of music’ (Jorgensen 2003, p.87). Arguably, the perpetuation of the Western classical canon within music

education in general, and in higher education, ensured that such works within Western classical music sustained a higher level

of importance over other musical genres such as jazz, folk and popular music. Indeed, the influence of the European model

of higher music education at university is also reflected in the development of music at Irish universities and conservatoires

(Moore, 2013).

In the context of the arts and humanities in the Republic of Ireland, music departments have historically been small and

somewhat isolated (O’Flynn, 2009). In the UK context, the value of extra-curricular musical activities in university brochures

and websites continues to promote the value of musical participation, despite the removal of music degree programmes

(Pitts, 2013). The recent closure of music departments in the UK, at the University of Reading in 2006, Exeter University in

2007, and the University of East Anglia (to close in 2014), has heightened Irish music lecturers’ awareness of the tenuous

foothold of music within the arts and humanities (Smaczny, 2012). As data go on to show, response to higher education

narratives of tradition, progress, widening participation and the market puts increasing pressure on music lecturers to

balance demands for student-centered approaches to teaching and learning, with useful and ‘relevant’ content.

CURRICULUM

A curriculum can be defined in many ways: as a written document, as a process, what is taught, or what is actually

experienced and learnt by the students (Apple 1997; Pitts 2003). For the purpose of this study, the term curriculum is defined

as a multi-faceted concept that mediates institutional and departmental conceptions of valued knowledge to learners but

it can also be seen as mediated by external and internal influences. For example, the design and content of institutional

documents, the interpretation of these documents by student and lecturer, and the teaching and learning experiences implicit

in the hidden curriculum mediate conceptions of valued knowledge. At a macro-level, higher education policy agendas have

mediated curriculum design in the form of the Bologna declaration and modular credits. Micro-level departmental curricular

decisions are often mediated by policies such as widening participation, increasing student numbers and financial cutbacks.




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Curriculum innovation has to a great extent been influenced by ‘relevance’ and employability agendas. Consequently, the

growth in provision of applied, industry-related courses has risen (Clegg, 2011). The lack of debate on the types of knowledge

inferred by applied curricula is problematic because it presupposes the usefulness of knowledge without considering the truth

claims of such types of knowledge outside of particular contexts (Moore, 2000; Moore and Young, 2001; Young, 2008).

On closer examination, the curriculum can be seen as a structure that is often representative of ideological and cultural

traditions and values, but it can also be seen as structured by wider forces such as limited department resources and lecturer

expertise. In terms of progression, students may need requisite knowledge and skills to negotiate both the core curriculum

content and in many cases, electives that require the successful progression from prerequisite modules.

PURPOSE OF THIS DOCUMENT

Given the various contextual factors outlined above, it is clear that education policy at all levels has the potential to

significantly impact teaching and learning experiences. What has not been researched within the Irish context heretofore,

however, is the extent to which curriculum and higher education policy changes impact those teaching and learning music.

In recognising that conceptions of music education are diverse and often contested, there is a need to critically examine the

impact of changes that have been brought to bear on general music education and by extension higher education,

on student and lecturer experiences.

As the data will show, higher music education curricula are influenced on one hand by assumptions of valued musical

knowledge and skills, and by external policies of relevance and increasing student numbers on the other. Thus, what is

deemed valuable and relevant for inclusion in higher education music courses is borne out of external and internal ideologies

of knowledge and musical value. This report does not examine perceptions of music as a subject within the broader landscape

of higher education but examines the problem of unequal access to perceived ‘powerful’ knowledge and skills (Young, 2008)

and the ensuing challenges for teaching and learning in higher education. More critically, the study considers the ways in

which the curriculum as structure and musical knowledge and skills relate to issues of access and opportunity in higher

music education.



METHODOLOGY




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METHODS AND SAMPLE

The study employed a range of research methods. A mix of both qualitative and quantitative elements was utilised in order

to draw on the strengths of various data gathering tools that, together, could provide a deeper understanding of the problem

than either method could in isolation (see Figure 1). Data gathering tools included a documentary survey, a national survey,

interviews with students and lecturers, and three student focus group discussions.

Figure 1. Phases of Data Generation and Analysis






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Table 1 Sample of students by institution type

Table 2 Year of Study

Year of Study Freq %

1st Year 169 41.6

2nd Year 70 17.2

3rd Year 66 16.3

4th Year 101 24.9

Total 406 100.0

Student and lecturer surveys were designed to incorporate identical questions (where appropriate). Quantitative data were

coded and analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Analysis of the quantitative data mostly comprised

descriptive statistics including frequency tables, cross-tabulations and where appropriate measures of association between

discrete variables.

As illustrated in Table 4, the student sample represents a balance of gender and a diverse range of characteristics such as age

category, year of study and musical background.

Table 4 Characteristics of the Student Sample

Students (n:18)

Gender Age Category Institut ion-Type Year of Study Musical Background

Male: 9 18-24 : 13 University: 7 Year 1: 5 Western Classical :11

Female: 9 25-34 : 3 Conservatoire: 6 Year 2: 5 Irish Traditional: 1

35-44 : 1 Institute of Technology : 2 Year 3: 4 Bimusical:2

45-54 : 1 College of Education : 3 Year 4: 4 Pop/Rock:2

Jazz:2

INTERVIEWS

A theoretical sampling approach to interviews facilitated the probing of emerging data that required expansion (Birks and

Mills, 2011). In so far as practicable, both lecturers and students were purposively sampled according to gender, age, musical

background, institution-type and year of study. Lecturers who were close colleagues or friends were not interviewed for

reasons of interview bias. As I was mindful to avoid overburdening lecturers’ already busy schedules, those who had returned the

postal questionnaire were not asked to participate in an interview. One exception was a lecturer who at the time of interview,

offered to complete the questionnaire. In total, 46 lecturer perspectives (35 surveys + 11 interviews) are captured in the data.

Table 3 Characteristics of the Lecturer Sample

Lecturers (n:12)

Gender Position Institution-Type Musical Background

Male: 8 Chair: 2 University: 6 Western Classical: 9

Female: 4 Senior Lecturer: 1 Conservatoire: 4 Bimusical: 3

Lecturer: 9 Institute of Technology: 1

College of Education: 1

SURVEY, SAMPLING AND DISTRIBUTION

The empirical research began in January 2010 and fieldwork for the main study was conducted from September 2011 –

March 2012. It included students and lecturers from six distinct music programmes across eleven higher education

institutions offering music to degree level in the Republic of Ireland. These institutions comprised: five universities, three

conservatoires, one institute of technology and two colleges of teacher education. Students from music degree programmes

within eleven out of thirteen institutions representing universities, conservatoires and an institute of technology (Table 1)

are represented in the study resulting in a total yield of 406 student questionnaires. Of the sample of 406, 36% were male

and 64% female and of the entire sample 12% self-identified as mature students. As Table 2 illustrates, a larger proportion of

first years and fourth year students are represented in comparison to those in second and third year.

Institution Type Freq %

Universities 201 49.6%

Conservatoires 130 32%

Colleges of Education 53 13%

Institute of Technology 22 5.4%

Total 406 100%



FINDINGSSTUDENT FOCUS GROUP DISCUSSIONSStudent focus groups in three distinct institutions were conducted representing: i) final year students at a university

(7); ii) second and third year students at a teacher education college (6) and iii) 1st year students at a conservatoire (10).

Data categories that had arisen in previous interviews as well as existing questions were probed.

ETHICAL CONSIDERATIONSEthical considerations began from the outset of the study and will remain throughout the dissemination of the findings.

While ethical clearance was granted by both the University of London and Mary Immaculate College, Limerick, it was

imperative to consider the wider implications of documenting the relatively unchartered, yet very familiar territory of higher

music education, with particular sensitivity. Ireland is a small country with a population of approximately 4.8 million and music

education circles are equally small. Names of institutions and individuals from survey and interviews were anonymised from

the outset of data generation and analysis. It was vital for the study and the participants that I ensured a safe platform for the

gathering of honest opinions without any fear of identification. Moreover, any distrust on a student’s or lecturer’s part to the

data gathering process would have also impinged on the validity of the findings. Thus, consideration was taken in regards to

ethics throughout the research by respecting the students’ and lecturers’ needs and interests.

Permission was sought to carry out the research in the first instance by way of a formal letter to the Council of Heads of

Higher Music Education in Ireland (CHMHE). Subsequently, permission was sought from each music department Head to

conduct the research with faculty and students. At all stages of data collection, both students and lecturers were informed

about the nature of the research and the risks and benefits.

Names of persons, locations, and institutions discussed in the course of the study were omitted in any transcribed extracts of

the interviews/discussions. All participants were assured of anonymity and confidentiality and all participants were informed

of their right to withdraw from the research at any stage. It is important however to clarify at this juncture, that documentary

evidence publically available via the worldwideweb or prospectuses relating to admissions procedures, curricula and student

handbooks are not anonymised. As these documents are already in the public domain, some institutions and persons are

named in the presentation of documentary data. However, I have taken care in the way I present the narrative of the data not

to reveal anything that might be damaging to individuals, the departments or the institutions involved, while at the same time

maintaining a critical perspective appropriate to scholarly inquiry.




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HISTORICAL AND CONTEXTUAL DATAEquality of access to the study of music at second-level education in Ireland is inconsistent, due to the ‘optional’ status of

music and the absence of musical traditions within schools. For example, in a recent study by Smyth and Calvert (2011), it was

found that provision for music at Leaving Certificate level is high in girls’ schools (91%), community/comprehensive schools

(79%), and co-educational schools (86%). By contrast, provision is lower in boys’ schools (59%) and vocational schools (62%).

Such disparity may be in part explained by the historical context of Irish education.

Ireland was part of the United Kingdom until 1922 and its education system was governed by the principles and practices

of British education policy and the promotion of colonial values, most notably in the nineteenth century (McCarthy, 1997).

Historically, formal music education in Ireland at both second and higher education levels was conceptualised on the

Western classical tradition (McCarthy, 1999; Stakelum, 2008; O’Flynn, 2009). Although popular music was beginning to make

an appearance in the educational context of the UK during the 1970s, changes to music curricula at second level to include

not only popular music, but also Irish traditional music performance, would not occur in Ireland until two and a half decades

later. Indeed, the introduction of a more diverse curriculum in the mid-1990s was not without detractors in higher education

who cautioned the implications of falling standards in school music, and the potentiality of a less musically educated cohort

at university (White, 1998; Boydell, 2001; Heneghan, 2001). In essence, the more inclusive nature of the revised music

curriculum at second level threw into sharp focus the historical exclusivity of the music curriculum in Irish higher education.

SCHOOL MUSIC AND THE LEAVING CERTIFICATEThe Leaving Certificate Established (LCE) programme comprises the culmination of assessment at second-level education (ages

12-18) and passing this examination is mandatory for entry onto higher education programmes. Within the Leaving Certificate

curriculum, a syllabus for each subject contains prescribed and optional material from which the teacher and students select.

Prior to significant changes to the Leaving Certificate Music Syllabus in the mid-1990s, the selection of music as a subject for

Leaving Certificate remained the privilege of students who were attending private instrumental lessons and/or those who

intended to study music in higher education (McCarthy, 1999).

A revised Leaving Certificate Syllabus was introduced in 1996 which encompassed a performing, listening and composing

model of music education along with a broadening of musical genres (Department of Education and Science, 1996). Mostnotable was the inclusion of a compulsory performing aspect for all students at examination (which could form up to 50%

of the overall grade), and the introduction of music technology.

Following the introduction of the new syllabus in 1997, numbers of Leaving Certificate music candidates increased by 66%

from 1996-1999 (State Examinations Commission, 1999). From an analysis of State Examination Commission reports,

Figure 2 illustrates a steady increase in the numbers of students opting for music at leaving certificate level with just

under 12% of the overall student population sitting the subject in 2013 (see also Moore 2014). By way of contrast, the

aforementioned trend was not replicated in candidates for Leaving Certificate Physics which while also witnessing curricular

modification, illustrate a decline in take-up from 19% to 14% over a fifteen-year period from 1990-2005 (Politis et al, 2007).




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While the increase in candidates for music at Leaving Certificate may be welcomed by teachers and policy-makers, media

reports cite music as the easiest subject at Leaving Certificate level (Walsh 2007; Faller 2013). On examination of aggregate

honours grades in music at higher level, it is evident that A-C grades have been awarded to 94/5% of candidates since 2004

(State Examinations Commission, 2012) indicating a slim chance of failure or a D grade. Anecdotal evidence suggests that

numbers of students accessing undergraduate music courses have increased since the introduction of a new leaving certificate

music syllabus in 1996 but that standards have fallen (White 1998; 2013; Heneghan 2001; Boydell 2001). Although I have

published on the transition from Leaving Certificate to higher education in detail elsewhere, (Moore, 2014) I will draw from

some additional findings here.

STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF LEAVING CERTIFICATE MUSIC

A recurring theme from the study was the problematic nature of the transition from secondary school music to higher

education and the perceived lack of knowledge and skills undergraduate students appear to bring. Over half of the student

sample described the music at Leaving Certificate level as easy, a minority (10%) found it difficult and just under a third of

students described it as ‘neither easy nor difficult’. Such quantitative data must be read with caution however as the majority

of the sample comprised students who had taken private lessons and were successful in accessing higher music education.

Indeed, in light of the challenges they iterated with the curriculum content in higher education it is unsurprising that they

would retrospectively class Leaving Certificate music as ‘easy’. Therefore, qualitative data were necessary to provide more

indepth narrative on the students’ experiences. When asked to provide a reason(s) for their answer to the question to the level

of ease with music at Leaving Certificate level, students referred specifically to the content of the syllabus, their

extra-curricular music education, pedagogy and specific teachers, and preparing for the examination. Themes arising in

relation to the content and assessment are illustrated in Figure 3.

Figure 2. Leaving Certificate music (higher and ordinary) take-up in Ireland,

1995-2013 (Moore, 2014) (Sources: SEC, 1999; 2003; 2007; 2013).






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Figure 3. Themes arising in relation to content and assessment of LC music

Two-thirds of lecturers surveyed conveyed negative views of music at Leaving Certificate level with most of the view that a

facile level of musical knowledge left most students deficient in musical knowledge and skills in particular music theory,

history and aural skills:

It has been dumbed down to such an extent that students are no longer equipped to tackle a

3rd level music degree programme without remedial classes on for example, very basic music

theory (such as major/minor scales, key and time signatures, triads). In the area of performance

the general standard required is much lower than it was 20+ years ago. In the academic area of

music history students are neither equipped to deal with this in an acceptable academic

manner... (Lecturer Survey, 22)

Content is far too basic and limited. Music history is not taught systematically; it seems that

rudiments are barely taught; and in general the syllabus is a mess with the same material for a

16 year old who might have started studying music only at the age of 12 in 1st year and for a

16 year old who might already have grade 7/8. (Lecturer Survey 25).

Perceptions of facile and compartmentalised theoretical and historical content evident in the comments above suggest that

the years of private tuition some students have enjoyed would appear to devalue their already acquired knowledge and skills.

Moreover, it could be argued perceptions of music as facile have potential for the devaluing of music as a subject.The qualitative comments from the student survey also pointed to a lack of theoretical knowledge from secondary school

music. Many students and lecturers mentioned dissatisfaction with the perceived gap from the Leaving Certificate to higher

education:

I feel that not having done music theory in secondary school has affected me a lot and caused

me to fall behind in theory classes I am not going to be keeping on music as an art subject next

year as I feel it is too difficult (Student Survey 34).

Due to the exposure I had to music outside school I found the course ridiculously easy. Nearly to the point where I was bored

in music classes (Student Survey 302).






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CHOOSING MUSIC IN HIGHER EDUCATIONDiscourse in the MEND report (Heneghan, 2001) had cautioned the possibility of prospective students’ unrealistic

expectations on entry to higher education and that students would simply choose music as part of an arts degree because

they had achieved a high grade at Leaving Certificate level. One of the questions posed on the survey requested a reason for

choosing music as a subject in higher education. Of the 80% who answered this question, a range of reasons were given

from ones which might be expected, to some quite bizarre. Following an analysis of the reasons given, Table 5 illustrates

eight recurring themes and the number of mentions:

Table 5 Students’ reasons for choosing music in higher education

Reasons for choosing music in higher education Number of Mentions

Passion and Love for Music 137

Interest in Music; for Enjoyment 135

Career and Money Prospects 67

Expand Knowledge and Skills 41

By Accident/Default/no Idea 21

Easy Subject in School 18

Musical Background – Predordained Destiny 15

Influenced by Teacher 5

While I expected the top four reasons for studying music, some of the other reasons took me by surprise. Given thesuggestion by one lecturer who was interviewed that students might be choosing music because it was perceived as a ‘nice

easy pastime’, I investigated the comments that referred specifically to the subject as ‘easy’ and those that didn’t know why

they chose it at all:

I thought that it’d be a nice subject (Student Survey 82).

It was an easy way to get a good grade in a LC subject as well as going on to

develop my music education (Student Survey 143).

I’m not really sure. It was my highest mark in my leaving cert and I wanted to pursue

it while I was young (Student Survey 279).

EXPECTATIONS, EXPERIENCES AND CHALLENGES Students who referred to expanding their knowledge and skills mentioned improving on what they had acquired in childhood

or in secondary school. For example, some students specified a desire to improve particular skills or musicological and

historical knowledge. Others stated that they chose music because they wanted to learn how to read music. While these

comments were in the minority, they were nonetheless unexpected in light of the perceptions of what the study of music in

higher education ought to entail, and how it might differ from studying a different subject, for example, physics for the first

time. They also pointed to a lack of theoretical knowledge that students without private instrumental/theory tuition seemed

to have.

THE CHANGING PROFILE OF THE MUSIC DEGREE STUDENT

One of the prominent categories that emerged from the interview data was that of the increasingly diverse music studentpopulation. This, in turn has had a significant impact on the nature of teaching and learning and the curriculum in higher

music education. Of most significance is the ways in which students themselves describe the importance of music theory and

notation skills. Mature students in particular, frame this contextually with their experiences alongside ‘traditional’ students

(aged 18-22). They stress not only the ways in which one’s prior music education impacts on their experience in higher

education but also how potential career opportunities depend on such knowledge and skills. Lecturers described feeling

restricted in what they could teach because of incoming students’ limited background knowledge in music theory and notation

and that many courses now have induction sessions on notation and music theory where previously such courses would have

begun with composition techniques. A lecturer who tutors on such a course explains how she has tried to adapt in light of the

changing student profiles:

G: Have you noticed a change in the knowledge and skills students have?

L: Oh yeah, well they don’t have grade five theory, they’re below that because in first year

we had to introduce grade five theory, it’s called ‘composition’ but they can’t compose

because they actually can’t even make chords. So I take them for that and that’s why I’m

so aware of the difficulty you know? ...we have massive failure rates...it’s awful and I mean

if they have problems making chords then they just can’t do that, so even though we

have the streams where they can follow the pop history or the pop improvisation or

fretboard skills, they still get caught on the composition, orchestration, or analysis. That

catches so many students you know, so it’s very important for them to be able to pass that or they won’t get through… (Lecturer Interview 7)

Another lecturer originally from an international context described the many curriculum changes that have taken place

because of the changing profile of students since her appointment to the university. She particularly welcomed the principle of

‘widening access’ to higher education but recognises the inherent challenges in teaching a diverse group of students:

...we have actually made a lot of changes to the curriculum in the last two years as a result...I

mean it’s funny because of course it’s much easier to teach students who have all the

knowledge and the background ahead of time, who you don’t have to explain what a C major

scale is or something like that, but I really like the fact that you potentially reach musicians who

don’t have the formal training but who are actually really good musicians (Lecturer Interview 4)






21

The following lecturer is welcoming of the fact that students wish to pursue music after their positive encounter with

secondary school and the Leaving Certificate. Moreover, he embraces the idea of teaching students ‘from scratch’, thus while

acknowledging that this takes more time for students, it is implicit in this comment that the lecturer is happy to accommodate

diversity and factors this in his pedagogy:

I like the fact that so many students wish to study music based perhaps on good LC results and

an apparent emphasis on performance. This we are happy to build on. The musical techniques

more or less need to begin from scratch but this is largely not a problem (it’s our job!)

(Lecturer Survey 29).

While all lecturers agreed that music theory knowledge has diminished since the new Leaving Certificate curriculum was

introduced, some referred specifically to the prevalence of popular culture in students’ and children’s lives:

I mean, the other students that are coming in definitely don’t have the solid grounding in theory

that they would have had before...we get these people coming in doing jazz and pop singing

and they sort of don’t know what it is themselves even, they just sort of pick a song and say

oh, this one you know, it’s like this idea seems to be out there that I can do a degree in music

because I can play a few songs on the guitar do you know?...these days we have people who

come to audition and they’re like, ‘I bought a saxophone in Aldi last month and I can play a

song on the saxophone’ (laughs) do you know that type of a thing...it’s very strange…

(Lecturer Interview 7).

This lecturer’s expectations of music degree requirements and prerequisites are based on her own experience of hard work

and her prior music education. In her view, students’ expectations of what a music degree might entail have changed

dramatically in the last decade, whereby mediocre musical ability and experience would not be tolerated in the past.

Perceptions of what music is and what it is for would seem to have changed from both philosophical perspectives of

academics and in the wider sociocultural sphere. Another lecturer described the ‘explosion of popular culture’ thus:

Well, the situation is so complex, where do I start? Ok, I have to say there is a horrendous gap

between second level and third level what with the complete dumbing down of the Leaving

Cert, so many more people encouraged to do music but as well as that you have this explosion

of popular culture. How are music colleges supposed to address that? Students cannot follow a

score, they have no idea what Sonata form is and what Scherzo means. It seems to be all down

to the democratisation of music and society, like we are just trying to deal with too broad a

spectrum… (Lecturer Interview 3).

In his view, popular culture is as much to blame as the curriculum at second level and that as a result of ‘broad spectrum’

or broadened access to music in higher education; students do not have the background in Western classical music theory.

Another lecturer went on to explain how the audition process has started to resemble X Factor auditions and that prospective

students have a misguided view on what an academic qualification in music is:

They just sang and strummed a few chords on the guitar and we were both expected to be

Simon Cowell (laugh), I mean you see they thought it was going to be like X Factor, and you

know this is for an academic qualification! Like we said, ‘do you understand what you’re

letting yourself in for here?’ (Lecturer Interview 10).

EXPECTATIONS AND THE VALUE OF A MUSIC DEGREE

While arguments in the literature on the accessibility, and by association, the inaccessibility of music curricula at primary and

second level point to disinterest, disengagement and alienation from school music (Green, 1988; Ross, 1995, Wright, 2008),

the argument alters when it comes to higher education. This is because in both lecturers’ and students’ views, acquiring an

academic qualification in music ought to equip graduates with a strong foundation in musical knowledge and skills, especially

if graduates wish to pursue teaching or postgraduate courses.

Student Survey

S50: I have not been challenged at all. I hoped to develop my skills if anything my level has dropped.

S51: Not what I expected. Disappointed with keyboard skills and theory is too basic.

S54: I am unhappy as I feel I am going backwards rather than developing. I think it has affected my experience because I

don’t feel I am learning much now.

When we were in first and second year and we looked at a simple just kind of normal

composers and stuff but you never had to really go in and look at their works and analyse

them...so we’ve never had to actually really engage with them in terms of the musical aspects

so, well I’d see myself at a disadvantage compared to other colleges who have looked at stuff

like this indepth. I’m thinking if I become a teacher I’m not going to have that background you

know and like if you’ve no knowledge of an instrument or something you’re gonna have to stay

at home and Google it... (Áine, 4th Year, B.A.).Diminishing skills in music literacy emerged as a prevailing issue throughout the findings in terms of what the study of music

ought to entail, its relevance to the study of musicology and the perception of music as a subject in university. And reducing

the emphasis on music literacy represents an attack on what some believe to be a particularly intellectual engagement with

Western musical culture. Almost all of the lecturers interviewed said that they thought that music could risk being devalued if

a strong foundation in musical knowledge and skills were not acquired at university level.

...the down side really is that a student can come through here and never know anything about

Beethoven which I think is not right...if you come out with a music degree I just feel that it

should be much more well rounded (Lecturer Interview 8)

Some music degree courses feature musicianship classes such as notation and techniques in first year or for the first two years

only. Many lecturers as well as students expressed this as problematic, not least because it privileges the students who have

already acquired a high level of music theory while simultaneously failing to provide for students who are deficient in such skills.






23

...I think it’s hard to appreciate the differences if you don’t have the strong grounding in the

first place... like I’m always challenging the whole idea of the score, I mean my first years are

completely sick to death of hearing that from me you know? I think you need to be able to

understand the discourse that surrounds western music. Like I definitely wouldn’t privilege any

one way of talking about music over any other but for a curriculum to work as a whole I do

think it’s important to have a kind of common language. I mean it does make my job easier if

I’m teaching an ethnomusicology module and I’m trying to talk about like today ‘em you know

Indian Classical Music, it’s very hard to do that if they don’t understand the relationship with

different pitches in a scale...(Lecturer no 5).

Other music programmes have introduced induction courses in basic rudiments and music theory in the first year because

many students come with insufficient theoretical knowledge and skills. In the context of a degree without a strong focus on

music theory, many students mentioned feeling disadvantaged on exit from higher education. They saw their lack of music

theory as limiting their progression routes:

Well...there isn’t enough theory like in 1st year it’s all really basic major scales and all that, like

really secondary school stuff. Like then you can drop it after 1st year but you’re limited then in

the electives you can take ‘cos you’re not going to be able to engage with serious stuff if you

can’t follow the scores... (Michael, 3rd year, university).

For students wishing to pursue a career in teaching, music theory was perceived as vital. In the context of a degree without

a strong focus on Western classical music techniques, many students mentioned feeling disadvantaged on exit from higher

education. They saw their lack of music theory as limiting their chances in terms of teacher education qualifications and

postgraduate opportunities:

Focus Group No 1

G: So do you think there ought to be a certain amount of theory in each year?

S2: Yeah, like there should be one module consistently throughout. I would have liked to have been forced to improve a lotof skills in college especially theory...

S3: To do a Master’s most places would look at you wondering you can’t read this, you can’t analyse?

S1: Well like I’ve applied for a HDip1 and it worries me ‘cos I’ve got zero theory.

The belief that a music graduate ought to be equipped with music literacy skills in order to pursue a career as a secondary

school teacher is of genuine concern to student 1 above. His concern is justified however, whereby professional knowledge

and skills as well as pedagogical content knowledge (Shulman, 1986; Lennon, 2001) have come under increasing focus in

pre-service music teacher education (Ballantyne, 2006). In another institution, a lecturer survey stated that approximately

50% of their students become teachers, and that ‘rudimentary skills are essential for effective classroom teaching’

(Lecturer Survey 23).

1 HDip or Higher Diploma in Education is a postgraduate qualification in education similar to a PGCE in the UK.

THE DEVALUING OF MUSIC WITHIN THE HUMANITIES

Some lecturers spoke about trying to cope with teaching large amounts of students within the context of an overall Arts

degree, while others mentioned falling numbers in some courses that offered a classical stream alongside Irish traditional

and popular. An unprecedented increase in the numbers applying and being accepted on the new BA in Commercial Modern

Music which commenced in 2011 at Dublin Institute of Technology is evident (HEA, 2011-12). According to another lecturer,

external economic values are indicative of the perceived intrinsic value of a subject by external agents. Moreover, in his view

the push by institutions for marketing that reflects the perceived desires of prospective entrants, further undermines the value

of a subject as it panders to the economic rationale for studying the subject in the first place:

...so the perception is, if you’ve got 300 people doing history, then that’s 300 times moreimportant than one person.. to say the number of people studying your subject equals the

inherent approach of what it is you’re teaching, now that’s really serious... so therefore we have

to have ‘an anybody can do it’ approach, and indeed if you’re going to fund it, the more people

who are doing it, the more significant it is...in the humanities and particularly a subject like

music, the idea is oh well, everybody is interested in music aren’t they? Not everybody is

interested in organic chemistry or Greek... I think that that’s the real difficulty itself -

an economic model has been turned into an education policy... (Lecturer Interview 11).

Thus in his view, the economic structures superimposed by universities and colleges represent the wider public perception of

the value of subjects in higher education. The consumer demand agenda would seem to dominate in the humanities because

other disciplines such as mathematics and sciences are already believed to be of significant value in higher education and in

the promotion of the ‘knowledge economy’ agenda.

Some lecturers reported increasing pressure to change curricula or admit students regardless of their suitability. This seems to

be impacting negatively on the perceived value of music, whereby hierarchical decisions are made by those with more power

and little musical knowledge. One lecturer described how many days are spent auditioning and examining prospective entrants

by faculty and that even when decisions are made; these are often overruled by someone in administration. She explained

how grades appear to be inflating to prevent appeals at examination board meetings:

At the end of it the grades they’re coming out with are much higher than the grades that we would have come out with years

ago you know... the standards were demanded where as now we go we go to exam board meetings and if the student gets

45 it’s like oh could not push them to 50? So we’re constantly been told that.

It’s an awful situation because it’s very unfair on the student because they just can’t keep up, as

well as being unfair on those who are being held back...we feel that our course is being totally

and utterly devalued...I mean really we feel that we’re becoming irrelevant...so it’s very hard...

(Lecturer Interview 7).






25

CURRICULUM AND RESOURCE RESTRICTIONS

Both lecturers and students mentioned the effects of diminishing music department budgets and resources as a consequence

of the economic recession. This has in some cases limited curriculum development as ‘in-house’ expertise is depended upon

with no income for guest/part-time lecturers. Data revealed that the curriculum is often shaped by the expertise of the lecturers

within the music department. What emerged later when I probed this issue was that in most cases, this was due to limited

resources. Therefore the contingency of finance on the curriculum would seem to be a significant factor. Another lecturer

expressed his desire to offer more electives to students:

...it’s always determined by which staff are available, what particular specialities we want to

put forward but the menu system we were enjoying around 2007/2008 has gone down, we’ve

suffered cuts and staffing cuts and so on like most institutions...(Lecturer Interview 1)

In another university, Fionn (4th year BMus student) describes the perceived positive bias toward disciplines such as the

sciences when it comes to financial resources:

...the modules we can actually choose from in third and fourth year generally are based on what the lecturers specialise in

themselves but you know one of the defining features of the three years I’ve been here, is the fact that the music department

has been getting less money every year...the thing about music in (University G) is that I don’t think they ever really do have

the money because even when there’s not a recession, (University G) is biased towards science courses, medicine,

engineering, technology yeah pretty much courses where the university feels it will bring them more prestige...what they call

the knowledge economy (laughs) and music is never viewed as something that’s particularly important in that way...

In this particular university, the music curriculum would be closely described as traditional in that its student handbook openly

states that it is grounded in the tradition of Western art music. However, despite its traditional leanings alongside a very

healthy progressive compositional unit, it would seem that the funding still remains lower than other departments. Thus, it

would seem that the music curriculum whether more ‘traditional’ or ‘progressive’ makes little difference in terms of its

perceived importance in the Academy.

Other lecturers mentioned going the extra mile to assist students in their learning by providing one-to-one tutorials if possible.

In one institution, I witnessed a music lecturer teaching four-part harmony to a class of sixty first years, all of whom he was

able to name individually. In a lively interactive style, he asked individual students to come up with note suggestions for each

part and chord, thus maintaining their interest and attention. In another college, a lecturer mentioned that lecturers had

provided extra classes as a result of students’ needs but had been instructed by management to stop any initiative that

occurred outside of the established timetable. Therefore, in this instance we can see how lecturer and student agency were

curtailed by hierarchical structures within the field (institution):

...we would love to be allowed to give them extra classes and the students come to us

requesting more classes in certain things but we’re not allowed to offer anything outside of our

course schedule... it’s extremely limited and totally stripped back...so we’re not giving them

everything we could give them you know and that’s very hard... (Lecturer Interview 8).

CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Lecturers in this study appeared to be constantly balancing claims for curricular, time and resource space as well as

challenges in practice such as differentiating for a diverse student population. What we can clearly see in these accounts is

the disempowering of academic staff and students as they endeavour to make improvements to the knowledge-base and

experience of students but are undoubtedly limited in their capacity to do so. This ultimately has an effect on students who

do not have sufficient knowledge at the course entry level as well as those who feel they are out of their depth. Thus,

differentiating for diverse students in the context of widening participation agendas is extremely challenging for lecturers.

It would seem that in some cases, efforts to provide equal opportunity within music departments is hindered, while in others,

there is dismay in even attempting to address the issue because of the sheer volume of students. Such challenges were also

echoed in the students’ recollections of their experiences at second level in the context of the revised Leaving Certificatemusic curriculum, thus I turn briefly now to suggest areas for further consideration in this regard.

First, opportunity and success in higher music education point to a long-term engagement with music, in many cases from a

very early age. Musical experiences at home and in education played a central role in the longer-term trajectories of students

who expressed ease with the degree they were pursuing. Most notably, the increased take-up of music at Leaving Certificate

level and the challenges of students who find themselves ‘late-starters’ have some parallels in the UK context. For example,

engagement in Musical Futures has sparked an increase in the take-up of GCSE music. However, musical knowledge is needed

in order to realise success at GCSE level (Hallam et al., 2008). Barriers through established systems would seem to be created

whereby ‘the knowledge gap between compulsory school music, selective exams, and university education becomes ever

greater and increasingly reliant on private instrumental tuition out of school’ (Pitts 2012, p.171). Thus, barriers remain despite

greater participation and engagement in music programmes. Indeed, it could be argued that the music’s purpose in the school

is to foster lifelong engagement in music (Pitts 2012) and provide a foundation for lifelong leisure (Mantie, 2013). Yet within

the Irish context, the Leaving Certificate examination presents as a high stakes examination in accessing higher education and

employment (Smyth et al, 2011), thus further compounding the purpose of music as a subject at senior cycle.

Second, the division between those who have the economic and cultural capital to avail of private instrumental and theory

lessons can be described as a structural impediment to equal opportunity in music education. Although it manifests as one

cog in the fractured continuum of statutory music education, it presents as a stumbling-block in the transition from second to

higher levels. This incoherence in the relationship between second and higher levels of education requires discussion and

reappraisal on both sides of the divide.

The findings would indicate that more could be done to ease the transition from Leaving Certificate music to undergraduatestudy. Challenges faced by a diverse student population could be alleviated by wider higher education support structures.

Although these are gradually finding a place in international contexts as large-group generic seminars such as essay writing

and note-taking (Marland, 2003), music requires specialised support mechanisms (Pitts, 2003).

The idea that more students from diverse backgrounds ought to be accepted onto college places is a widespread and some

would argue laudable, higher education agenda. However, if only a minority of these students have strong prior knowledge

base, then it changes the nature of what is included or excluded on the curriculum. And in acknowledging that strong music

literacy skills are required for musicology and musical analysis, the focus of the curriculum is forced to adapt and change.

Knowledge and skills such as music theory, history and analysis tend to be unequally distributed by virtue of unequal access to

and opportunity in music education. Thus, competence in the skills functioning as cultural capital in higher music education,

would seem to engenders ‘exclusive advantages’ (Lareau and Weininger 2003, p.579) to students who have accessed private

music tuition and in particular those with Western classical music backgrounds. Indeed the state as a dynamic agent within

which unequal relations are produced and reproduced, maintains inequality whereby choice is dependent on institutional

and economic conditions (Lynch and O’Riordan, 1998). Furthermore, it has been argued that policies that give priority to

widening participation and student choice without an explicit concept of how knowledge can be accessed may form the basis

for further inequalities (Young, 2008).






27

RECOMMENDATIONS

The recurring themes as identified earlier were consistently reported by both students and lecturers from eleven higher

education institutions in Ireland. Thus, this report is the first empirical study to document the impact of policy changes on

those teaching and learning in higher music education. In this regard, the report serves as a springboard for further dialogue

on how best to articulate the challenges posed for music teaching and learning to policy-makers. It also reveals that very little

research has been conducted with students and lecturers in Irish higher music education and that without an evidence-base

from which we can test our assumptions and theories, our calls to policy-makers may go unheard. From the findings, this

report identifies a number of important principles upon which it can base four key recommendations:

1. The need for further dialogue between policy makers, heads of departments and all involved in teachingmusic in higher education in order to develop shared policies that acknowledge discipline-specific needs

The Symposium on the Arts and Higher Education convened by the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht in

Croke Park on 9 May 2014 acknowledged the multifaceted benefits of engaging with the arts in the context of higher

education policy. However, music was but one area of discussion within this forum. Building on the work of the

Council of Heads for Music in Higher Education in Ireland (CHMHE), the Symposium on Music in Higher Education at

Trinity College Dublin 1 April 2015, aims to broaden representation of those teaching music in higher education in order

to further dialogue around music teaching and learning and to consider how best to engage with policy and policy-

makers. In the context of a rapidly changing landscape of higher music education, lecturers, tutors and Heads of

Departments need to have a platform for dialogue in order to voice shared concerns and to engage with policy makers.

2. The need to strengthen support mechanisms for music students to enable them to improve their

knowledge and skills in relation to music theory

By researching current practice in the area of support mechanisms for music students in Ireland and the UK, we can

identify mechanisms that can inform policy and practice at micro/departmental level in order to enhance opportunities at

undergraduate level and their future musical pathways.

3. The need to question assumptions of valued musical knowledge and skills and to consider the ways in

which these relate to the prior experiences of students and lecturers from diverse musical backgrounds

(see also Moore 2013)

What counts as knowledge and skills in music education is already contested in the broader literature on school music

education but is less researched in higher education. A critical engagement with the curriculum in higher education

demands requisite knowledge and skills, however skills such as improvisation and the ability to play by ear are deemed

less important than the ability to sight-read for example (Moore 2013). There is a need for further discussion on the ways

in which valued knowledge and skills implicit in curricular design affect students’ and lecturers’ expectations and

experiences in higher music education. As evidenced in this report and elsewhere (Moore 2014) there is also a need to

question the proposed curricular changes in the context of the Junior Cycle reform, the impact these may have on Senior

Cycle and music at Leaving Certificate level and how higher education will be in a position to respond to such changes in

the future.

4. In the context of a forthcoming national cultural policy, music education policy and higher education

policy, we need to develop a strong evidence base to inform higher education policy in particular.

Through funded research collaborations with stakeholders, networks and associations, awareness can be heightened

of discipline-specific challenges and possibilities as well as further recommendations for policy and practice. For example,

research within Music Generation will inform music education policy for children and young people. Research being

conducted as part of the Arts-in-Education Charter and the Department of Education and Skills is currently examining

the role of artist-teacher partnerships in schools. Bodies such as the Society for Music Education in Ireland, Society for

Musicology in Ireland, the Council of Heads for Music in Higher Education, Post-Primary Music Teachers’

Association, Conservatoires Ireland, Irish Council for Traditional Music, Encountering the Arts in Ireland, and Music

Network are engaged in exciting innovative practice and development but there is much potential for input from a

diverse range of stakeholders into future music and music education policy development in Ireland.

CONCLUDING THOUGHTS

Through the employment of many data gathering tools (documents, surveys, interviews), an overview of the prevailing

context and a situated investigation within the context of Irish higher music education is documented in this report. One

of the strengths of the study lies in its unique encapsulation of a pan-like view of the historical and current contexts of Irish

higher music education, and a gathering of multiple perspectives on current and pressing issues of concern. Further research

is required however and this study has identified possible future directions in that regard.

Music’s ubiquity has been shown to contribute in significant ways to people’s everyday lives (DeNora, 2000). However, it can

also be argued that with such ubiquity, the boundaries between music’s function in society and its role in education have

become increasingly blurred. The data from surveys, interviews and documentary evidence, illustrate the ways in assumptions

of knowledge, expectations and policy changes continue to exert an impact on music education at all levels.

While the focus of the research has been situated in higher education, this question brings into sharp focus the unequal

opportunity that has obtained in all levels of formal Irish music education for many decades. The establishment of a National

Music Education Programme in the form of Music Generation and its recent adoption by the Department of Education and

Skills is most definitely a positive step. However, this study has shown that there is a need to ameliorate the unequal

distribution of ‘powerful’ knowledge by a reappraisal of music education policy and practice at all levels of education.

A reverse to a staid, mechanical approach to music rudiments teaching is not what is called for here; rather, it is in

reconsidering the value of musical knowledge and skills that provide students with opportunities for successful curriculum

negotiation both within and beyond higher education that change can occur for the better.






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Documents

Moore the Changing Landscape of Irish Higher Music Education