Enterprise Learning in Australasian Tertiary Music Education: The Status Quo

Abstract

The creative industries is recognized as one of the fastest growing sectors of the global economy. Music, and the industry sector built around this discipline of creative practice, is a major part of the creative industries and contributor to global experience economies. The music sector is broad, diverse and complex, indeed it has arguably become increasingly so as a result of the explosion in digital and web 2.0 environments. In addition, within the literature there are ongoing references to the particular challenges associated with securing viable and consistent employment in the music sector and regardless of musical style. As a result, there is ongoing debate in the tertiary sector in relation to if and how educators should respond to the arguments for business, entrepreneurial and/or enterprise learning within undergraduate music curricula. This chapter therefore reports on an analysis of current undergraduate music programs in Australasia in terms of the extent to which they focus on the development of entrepreneurial or enterprise skills.