School music curriculum evolution in Victoria, Australia: caught between postmodern and neoliberal agendas

In many countries school systems are in crisis, impacted by postmodern social constructivist views of knowledge on the one hand and neoliberal marketised education on the other. School music curricula seem to be caught between these two positions. A postmodern view calls for music education principles and practices that favour contemporary popular musicking. This emphasis can sell short school students seeking knowledge and skill that could lead to future music specialisations. Previously, curricular statements have emphasised the acquisition and development of knowledge and skills but more recently this has been replaced with student-centred problem-based learning that often seems to mimic garage bands. We argue that a consequence of this may be the reduction of rigour to less demanding musical knowledge, entailing less theoretical or practical musicking knowledge, understanding and expertise. Ideally, music educators should be cognisant of the need for both student-centred learning accessible to the comparative novice and the availability of more challenging theoretical and practical knowledge required by those seeking depth in their music education experiences. We do not suggest prioritising one over the other but rather adopting an expansive model of music teaching and learning that can accommodate both. We explore these issues via recent curriculum evolution in music in Victoria, Australia. In Australia, school education falls under the purview of individual states and territories, each with an accredited curriculum and assessment authority. Students ultimately receive a Victorian Certificate of Education (VCE) after successful completion in Years 11 and 12. Since 1987 the VCE Study Designs have undergone several revisions and re-formulations. This paper focuses on the changes between the present and immediately past iterations of the VCE Study Design for Music as a theatre of curriculum reduction and marginalisation that emphasises student-centred learning and glosses over difficult knowledge, understanding and practice.