The ripple effects of pedagogies and curriculum in Australian tertiary contemporary popular music guitar education

Research suggests graduates from music courses in Australian tertiary institutions typically undertake portfolio careers that include a combination of performing and teaching. Both of these activities could have ongoing artistic ripple effects on the musical communities the graduates inhabit. This paper reports on a qualitative post-graduate research study using Inductive Thematic Analysis to address the question: How do the pedagogical practices and curriculum content of Contemporary Popular Music (CPM) courses influence their graduates’ performance practices and how, in turn, do the graduates influence the local music communities in which they perform and teach? With a specific focus on tertiary CPM guitar programs the study investigated how graduates are being influenced by Australian and non-Australian content, in the form of repertoire for ensembles and recitals, and course design. Also, how they are, in turn, influencing the local music communities through their activities. The sample for this research included current students, alumni and educators of Australian Bachelor level CPM courses. The British Invasion and the influence of the Afro-American Blues have had a lasting impact on Australian popular music. The study was designed to investigate if the pedagogical practices and curriculum content of Australian CPM courses intentionally continue to embrace this historical phenomenon, or if new advances in tertiary music education are creating new waves with further ripple effects.