Learning cultures creativities and higher music education institutions

It is increasingly recognized that musicians must embody multiple creativities in order to thrive in their professions, navigating a complex tapestry of musical fields (Burnard 2012). Higher music education institutions thus have a responsibility to foster and encourage wide and varied creativities among their students. To do so, however, can raise a tension between what Gregory (2005) refers to as long-held practices that ‘preserve musical tradition’ and newer practices that facilitate ‘centres of excellence for new ideas and approaches’ (p. 19). This chapter explores current practices, situating creativities as a cultural phenomenon constructed in and through the ‘learning cultures’ of higher music education sector institutions.