Making it relevant : engaging performing arts students in theoretical learning

This paper reports on a teaching strategy that I have developed over the last ten years to enhance the learning of music theory and history for first year performing arts students at a regional Australian university. The strategy was developed in response to the difficulties some performing arts students face with academic learning in their first year of study, and in particular, their reluctance to engage with academic learning that they see as irrelevant to their training as performing artists. This paper describes the teaching strategy, which has at its core live performance, and includes discussion of relevant literature, responses from students over several years, thus providing evidence that this strategy is effective in engaging these performing arts students in their academic learning. The paper concludes with suggestions for future research to enhance the learning for tertiary performing arts students.