Bitter Sweet: The Broad Context Of Research and Music Education in Australia

Abstract

Pressure on public resources, the redefinition of higher education as an instrument in economic recovery, the new Unified National System (UNS) and the questioning of the meaning and purpose of higher education constitute a powerful and dynamic framework within which we must plan our futures for the next decade. Institutions, faculties, centres and individuals are competing for increasingly scarce resources to support research. Research performance is judged more and more by a rather narrow, highly defined set of indicators. For research in music education to obtain the physical and human resources that it needs to grow, it must operate and compete successfully within this paradigm. This article examines the growing maturity of research in music education both in Australia and overseas, and suggests ways in which the challenges ahead may be met by the joint efforts of music educators.