Music, art and science. : An interdisciplinary liberal approach to teaching and research within higher education

Abstract

There has been a consistent trend in Western HE systems for course structures to become increasingly focused; the ‘art school’ or ‘conservatoire’ competing against unique, and potentially obscure, areas of study within the subject field. And yet research, in the UK (REF 2021), prioritises interdisciplinary working – thinking ‘outside of the disciplinary box’, attempting to break down the departmental boundaries. This presentation will demonstrate the author’s interdisciplinary research and how it has been incorporated into undergraduate teaching. It will also explore how UK music provision, prior to HE, is forcing a change in teaching methodology within Universities. This presentation took place at the invitation of Professor Premeela Gurumurthy, Vice-Chancellor of the Tamil Nadu Music and Fine Arts University.