Community Music in Higher Education

Abstract

The establishment of community music courses and degree programs in universities gives rise to discourse about the fundamental principles of community music. Can community music flourish in the complexity of academia, where disciplines are regulated, researched, and examined systematically? This chapter will argue that community music principles are synergistic with higher education goals, and, in fact, traditional music education has much to learn and gain from community music practices. How can schools of music be more civic minded, community friendly, and enhance the cultural life of the regions they serve? How can rigour exist (artistic and scholarly) in a culture of empathy, inclusivity, and hospitality where nonformal pedagogies are practiced, and where intergenerational and lifelong learning—along with activism, health, and wholeness—are foundational? These questions are addressed and measured against a tradition where audition standards and progression pathways are becoming increasingly multivalent.