The role of music in higher education: cultural perpetuation in hidden curriculum

A study is being conducted by researchers at the University of Tasmania examiningpedagogical practices and curriculum content of guitar programs in Contemporary PopularMusic courses delivered by Australian universities. Data were collected via surveys,interviews and industry documents. A contemporary methodology blending aspects ofEthnography and Phenomenography was designed for the study employing InductiveThematic Analysis as the primary tool. The analysis revealed manifest and latent roles ofmusic education present in the existing paradigm. Themes of cultural perpetuation werefound in the data corpus implying a hidden curriculum. The findings are discussed fromperspectives of Ethno-Aesthetics, Globalization