Presage: First year music students’ experiences, understandings, expectations and aspirations on entering an undergraduate music program

Abstract

For professional musicians, all aspects of music play an integrated role in music-making. However, for first year music students, who usually begin their studies identifying as performers, some may question the value of learning these other areas of music. This study investigates the responses of 80 first year undergraduate music students to questions about aspects of the music study they were about to begin, and their identity as a musician. The students were enrolled in two universities located in suburban and regional Australia. Questions were given to students in their first week of the Bachelor of Music course before classes began. In doing so, the study sought to capture what experiences, understandings, expectations and aspirations incoming students bring to, and have for, an undergraduate music course, and how they identify as musicians as they begin the course. As expected, findings noted experience with music performance and the possible influence of the location of the universities in relation to a low level of music theory knowledge. Yet understanding student interest in music technology, musicology and the music of Australian First Nations people reveals presage opinions which can help design authentic curriculum for the education of the 21st century musician.