Educating Popular Musicians: Insights into Music Teaching and Learning on Higher and Further Education Programmes in Ireland

The aim of this thesis is to investigate approaches to the teaching and learning of popular music in higher and further education institutions in the Republic of Ireland. Despite the proliferation of popular music in contemporary culture, very little research has been conducted into how popular musicians are educated in Ireland. This research presents an analysis of case study data using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) as a framework. The research examines how students of popular music approach their learning and whether their needs are adequately supported in higher and further education settings. The research also investigates how the study of popular music is valued at institutional level. Findings highlight the importance of informal learning, authentic learning environments, technology, performance and industry engagement amongst popular music students and tutors. Findings also show an inconsistent approach to the facilitation of these learning needs within higher and further education institutions in Ireland. Disparate attitudes between students and teaching staff in relation to the value of studying music in higher education is also evidenced in the findings. The research makes an important contribution to the field of popular music education in Ireland and provides a number of recommendations for the delivery of popular music programmes in higher and further education.