THE STUDENT-CONSUMER HEGEMONY: RETHINKING INTERPERSONAL TRUST IN POPULAR MUSIC HIGHER EDUCATION
Abstract
This individual paper presents ongoing research on the impact of the student-consumer hegemony in the development of trust between teachers and students in the specific context of popular music higher education. It evaluates current frameworks of trust within that setting, which commonly utilises creative pedagogical strategies that are conducive to the development of teacher-student relationships (Hall, 2019; Hagenauer and Volet, 2014), and considers the influence of neoliberalism and consumerism in an already complex interpersonal dynamic. The relevance of this topic is further emphasised by popular music’s propensity for an overrepresentation of at-risk and non-traditional students (O’Keefe, 2013; Roberts, 2011) – including first-generation students and students with learning difficulties – groups which benefit greatly from strong and effective teacher-student relationships (Bacon and Bennett, 2012; Meehan and Howells, 2018). While there are some studies available on how trust aids these groups of students to develop engagement,
achievement, and loyalty to their institutions in business degree programmes (Jabbar et al., 2017), there appears to be a significant gap in research on how neoliberal policies have impacted trust between teachers and students in popular music. The available definitions of trust in current research provide an atomistic and insularm approach to the topic, where both interpersonal and consumer dimensions pay a role in the development of relationships in higher education. It is argued that a new, holistic and encompassing definition of trust is required to represent student relationships with faculty, and effectively develop social and cultural capital that is of value for teachers,
students, and institutions alike.
Biography
Pedro Catela is a musician, senior lecturer and member of the Research & Enterprise Committee at the BIMM Institute, and a doctoral candidate at Durham University. His experience in higher education ranges from foundational to postgraduate levels, focusing on teacher training and development of effective teacher-student relationships – the latter being the subject of his doctoral thesis. With nearly 20 years of experience in the music industry as a performer, producer, and engineer, Pedro strongly believes in the application
of critical pedagogy in higher education, in order to empower students to become empowered professionals.
Hi Pedro,
Interesting presentation thank you. I was wondering if you had looked at trust in relation to the curriculum.
Do students trust the courses to fulfil their needs and aspirations as musicians? Also it might be interesting to examine what is specific about
HPME students and the concept of trust. Sometimes there might be a level of trust before students start a course but how is this maintained
across the length of their course.
Interesting stuff
Simon
Hi Pedro,
I really enjoyed this paper, and I think you’re onto something really important in higher ed. My question is similar to Simon’s above: do you think trust is also built or lost in relation to repertoire and pedagogical methods, or is it something that is developed separate from or regardless of the ‘what’ of what is being taught and learned?
Looking forward to hearing more of your results as your continuing working on your PhD!