There are currently very few brass bands in schools in Australia, however they were the predominant music ensemble in Australian schools up to the 1970s. The aim of this article is to document the popularity of British-style brass bands in Australia, and the corresponding development of brass bands in schools during the 20th century. The history…

There are many young people playing brass band instruments in Australia, yet there is generally an expectation in secondary education, and almost always in higher education, that students will play orchestral brass instruments. This article explores how schools and tertiary music educations in Australia are equipping students to be 21st century…

This paper presents the results of an analysis of the 2021 piano and voice syllabuses of four Australian music examination boards investigating the percentage of included repertoire by Australian and female composers. The study aimed to address a gap in the research into examination boards within the Australian music education landscape,…

Across the globe, students begin and continue learning the piano for various reasons. For many this can be an engaging and enjoyable activity which enhances their commitment to learning. Foundational in this process, practice is an essential part of piano learning. Without the excitement of performing for others, for some practice may become…

For many music students studying classical piano in tertiary institutions, techniques in improvisation are not included in their undergraduate curriculum. Despite the acknowledged musical benefits of improvisation, piano pedagogy curricula remain firmly rooted in the nineteenth century, focusing on the performance of the familiar canon of…

Practice is essential to the acquisition and development of musical skills, requiring musicians' time, investment, application, motivation, metacognitive strategies, and ability to self-regulate. Research in children's music practice indicates the type, quality, and duration of practice, along with adult support, contributes to fluency in musical…

The inclusion of jazz ensembles within extra-curricular instrumental music programs in secondary schools in Australia has grown exponentially in the past two decades. Despite this growth, there is a deficiency of specialist teacher training in jazz education and pedagogy in Australian tertiary institution instrumental music courses. This lack of…

This paper presents findings from ethnographic case study research that investigated teacher practices and student engagement in classroom music. The data collection was undertaken in a primary (elementary) and a secondary school in Australia and focussed on the classroom practice of two teachers and four classes of students aged 10 to 16 years.…

This article explores teachers' experiences of establishing and maintaining Indonesian gamelan music programs in Australian schools focusing on their views of the strengths and challenges of those programs. By analysing these experiences, I argue that we can discover important indicators of the factors which affect the long-term vitality and…

Gender in music has been explored over recent decades with growing recognition of the challenges that are faced by women in the field. There has been substantial work exploring the Western music canon but little that addresses the music of Australian women, and more specifically, repertoire written for the wind band genre. With thousands of…

Feedback is a powerful influence on learning and achievement in the instrumental music lesson, though this impact may render positive as well as negative implications to learning. The impact of feedback is thus foundational to the ways music teachers impart knowledge, skill, planning, reflection, and student motivation. This article provides an…

The purpose of this study was to conduct a qualitative study examining 'real-world' jazz performance contexts within an Australian tertiary music course. Course projects were designed to offer students opportunities to gain a better understanding of the intersections of working and performing with their teachers in an improvised music ensemble.…

This study investigates the careers of 28 classical pianists in Australia to develop greater understanding of skills needed to build professional music careers and to highlight implications for higher music education training. Semi-structured interviews were analyzed for emerging themes using Subotnik and Jarvin's scholarly productivity or…

Valuing diversity in education and educational research is at the heart of higher education institutes. This research takes place in Australia, a multicultural society that is still predominantly Western Anglo-Celtic. Through blended modes of delivery, this paper focuses on three tertiary educators collaborative autoethnographic voices sharing how…

Music can be a powerful activity and resource in a child's ongoing identity construction. Rather than something that people have, musical identities are understood to be something people enact and continually work on. The correlation between musical identities and developing music skills raises serious questions regarding the possibilities and…