Entrepreneurial Music Education Professional Learning in Schools and the Industry

This book addresses the gap between formal music education curricula and the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the professional music industry. It uses extensive data from a long-running research project where high school students were invited to start their own business venture, Youth Music Industries.

"This is a terrific contribution to innovative practices in music education, and makes a profound connection with the musical world outside the classroom."— Emerita Professor Lucy Green, UCL Institute of Education, UK
"Entrepreneurial skills are essential for aspiring musicians, artists and composers in the contemporary music economy. The question is how to design a learning experience where young musicians are able to develop such skills. In this important book, Dr Kelman reports on her successful approach to this challenge. Dr Kelman's entrepreneurial education model that allows students grow their own business venture provides crucial insights for music industry educators around the world."— Professor Patrik Wikstrom, Queensland University of Technology, Australia
This book addresses the gap between formal music education curricula and the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the professional music industry. It uses extensive data from a long-running research project where high school students were invited to start their own business venture, Youth Music Industries. Not only did this act as a business venture, but it also functioned as a learning environment informed by the concepts of communities of practice and social capital. Exploring how entrepreneurial qualities were developed, their learning was subsequently captured and distilled into a set of design principles: in this way, a pedagogical approach was developed that can be transferred across the creative industries more broadly. This book will be of interest and value to scholars of music education, as well as those preparing students for the creative industries.

Kristina Kelman is an independent researcher, teacher, community music facilitator and jazz musician. Her research interests include the education of the aspiring musician through experiential learning.


This book addresses the gap between formal music education curricula and the knowledge and skills necessary to enter the professional music industry. It uses extensive data from a long-running research project where high school students were invited to start their own business venture, Youth Music Industries. Not only did this act as a business venture, but it also functioned as a learning environment informed by the concepts of Communities of Practice and social capital. Exploring how entrepreneurial qualities were developed, their learning was subsequently captured and distilled into a set of design principles: in this way, a pedagogical approach was developed that can be transferred across the creative industries more broadly. This book will be of interest and value to scholars of music education, as well as those preparing students for the creative industries.