Abstract:
This chapter explores problems in institutional music education associated with educational discourse and disciplinarity. It is put forward, as a provocation, that the notion of studio music education needs to be redefined and more clearly articulated. It is argued that university music education provision should not succumb to the reductive educational effect of academic disciplinarity—that is, the separation and reduction of music subjects into distinct, unconnected fields of educational concern. A redefined notion of studio music education sees it as an artistic concept—as a pedagogy of practice that values the search for artistic/community meaning and of certain freedoms to learn and explore through music, using creative methodologies. The idea of studio music education as presented is distinct from what is commonly called instrumental pedagogy in music, and is evident in all kinds of music learning situations from the classroom, through to one-to-one teaching and learning. Studio music education is seen as a concept, that in practice, develops artistic, musical and creative outcomes that are student focussed and that can move across learning fields in music rather than be situated solely in one area of learning.
