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ABSTRACT
A survey of 80 graduates of an Australian popular music degree revealed that graduates had a deep understanding of the value of soft skills to their employability and musical livelihoods. Soft skills are defined here as interpersonal and intrapersonal transferrable skills such as effective collaboration and communication, as opposed to the hard skills related to the technical requirements of a specific task. On breaking down the curriculum and pedagogical framework of the degree over its 3-year delivery, it is shown that the self-directed, collaborative and peer-learning environment is a major contributor to that understanding. The interpersonal and intrapersonal soft skills identified by graduates as essential outcomes of their learning are crucial to navigate the uncertainties of the portfolio career most music students will progress into. Embedding collaborative and entrepreneurial elements across all courses in the program content ensures they become intuitive practice for graduates, applicable across the range of roles they may engage with throughout their musical livelihoods.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Notes on contributor
Donna Weston is Deputy Director of Learning and Teaching at the Queensland Conservatorium, Griffith University (Australia), Head of Popular Music, and convenes the Musical Livelihoods focus area of the Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre. Her research focuses on popular music education, popular music studies and ecomusicology.