College music administrators’ opinions of curricular initiatives in popular music

This study examined college music administrators’ attitudes towards popular music in tertiary settings. Participants (N = 92) completed a Likert-type scale survey that solicited administrators’ overall attitude towards popular music education, coursework and degree plans. Additionally, data were collected through written comments regarding challenges to implementing curricular changes. Descriptive data revealed that administrators’ overall attitudes towards popular music and its inclusion in higher education settings are mostly positive. Participants’ responses to open-ended questions revealed that limited resources, budgetary concerns and pressure to have fewer credits in degree programmes are challenges to curricular changes that include more popular music opportunities. With these findings, we suggest that while college music administrators may be in favour of popular music initiatives in higher education, the ways in which they can be enacted through curricula will vary based on the unique opportunities and challenges at each institution.