3.5 Research and Research Training

Music is a positive, powerful and foundational contributor to cohesive societies, flourishing communities and individual creativity. Leadership in the creation of music and knowledge about music is crucial in the context of a sound and image mediated and mediatised 21st century. Research training in the School of Music prepares students for a wide range of employment pathways and generates valuable artistic and cultural energy at UQ. Research and research training is a central focus of the School’s life, with strong performance in quality and engagement indicators, including international recognition.

The School of Music’s researchers generate new musical ideas and musical knowledge in the disciplines of performance, composition, musicology (including technological perspectives), music education and the psychology of music. The School’s research profile is distinctive for its breadth across traditional and non-traditional outputs, with a significant volume of creative works and practice-as-research produced since the last review.

The School’s research has consistently achieved a rating of ‘4’ (above world standard) in each Excellence in Research for Australia (ERA) exercise since inception in 2010. It is recognised as a strong contributor to the University’s top 30 research strengths through Performing Arts and Creative Writing. Researchers support their research with funding from a range of sources and partner and collaborate through strong national and global networks. The international reputation of our researchers is demonstrated by their research leadership, both formal and informal, across their respective disciplines. Research training is embedded throughout teaching programs from the integrated BMus(Hons) through postgraduate coursework and HDR programs. High student demand for HDR enrolments is generated by the School’s reputation and research-intensive environment.

The School proposes the metaphor of constellation to understand its research identity, with its diverse people and areas representing interconnected points of illumination. As a constellation, our disciplinary diversity becomes a strength; with individual nodes forming networks and connections that reflect music’s ability to foreground individual achievement and group collaboration simultaneously. We shine as leaders in diverse musical knowledge and artistic contributions, through engagement and collaboration on local, national and global scales.