Walzer/The Handbook on Music Business and Creative Industries in Education, 8. Scaling Up: Teaching Contemporary Music through Repertoire Structures

Sean Foran, Jade O’Regan, Vincent Perry, and Tom O’Halloran discuss a study on popular music repertoire and ensembles conducted at three Australian universities. Foran et al. encouraged students to blend historical analysis of popular music to reimagine cover material, compose original works, and consider factors including performance skills, staging, technology, music cognition, and group dynamics. The authors consider the broader aims of ensemble pedagogy, namely guiding students towards autonomy, improved communication, and advocating for a more profound conception of repertoire built on creativity and collaboration.