10. Rethinking Music Performance Education through the Lens of Today’s Society

Abstract

This chapter aims to provide insights into the perspectives that arose from the data collection and analysis carried out by the Norwegian team of the Erasmus+ project REACT - Rethinking Music Performance in European Higher Education Music Institutions. The data was collected through a series of small-scale studies, including REACT - network activity at the University of Agder and the Academy of Music in Oslo, and an analysis of reports following the participation of a group of fourteen music performance students in a creative ensemble project at the University of Agder. We also refer to a small curriculum study conducted at the University of Agder. The study addressed some of the educational demands that emerged from extensive international research on music performance curricula and pedagogy in Higher Music Education during the early, mid, and late 2010s. The chapter highlights novel approaches to music performance, including community-based perspectives, creative ensemble collaborations, and improvisation in students' music education. These approaches aim to address the challenges that students face when pursuing professional careers in music today. The discussion sheds light on the ways in which music education curricula can be strengthened to support students entering their professional music careers and to broaden their musical thinking, thus preparing them to become contributors in society. The chapter references the small-scale research project Music for Microsculptures, an interdisciplinary student concert that reflects the results of data analysis and aspects often commented on in research on music performance curricula in Higher Education.