Finding pedagogical value in Australian contemporary popular music: A comparative case study of electric guitar compositional styles

Abstract

How do educators ascertain the pedagogical value of a musical composition for inclusion as curriculum exemplars? A number of factors contribute, including: canonic status, historical and cultural significance, popularity and aesthetic values. This comparative case study examines a number of Australian compositions from within the scope of contemporary popular music (CPM) looking for musical richness as a factor of pedagogical value in modern guitar curricula. Using The Beatles’ song ‘Eleanor Rigby’ as a comparative basis, musicological methodologies of theoretical analysis are applied to six Australian CPM compositions to evaluate their pedagogical value. Discussion of the musical richness discovered in each composition leads to conclusions regarding their value within a guitar programme of an Australian CPM school curriculum.