An Australian Study of Transferable Music Skills
The Impact of Instrumental Music Education on Non-Music Employment
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 21489952 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Diana Tolmie (0000-0002-1794-6690, Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, South Brisbane, Australia, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2025 |
| Publication date | 2025-11-27 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Music Education (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0255-7614 • E-ISSN: 1744-795X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/02557614251393873 |
| OpenAlex | W4416765179 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 24 |
The value of music to society has been researched in terms of social good and change, positive economic contribution, and the successful educational impact on young people’s cognitive development. Despite this, the government exhibits variable support for music education. An open and closed question survey resulting in 186 mostly Australian musically educated adults pursuing non-music professions enriches the current instrumental music education value discourse. Irrespective of attained music standard, participants identified their instrumental music education developed the foundational transferable skills used and scaffolded within their non-music professions. Through sustained, active, formal and structured learning of complex instruments their transferable music skills cultivated confident, productive, highly focused, team-oriented professional employees representing excellent role models for their peers. Such transferable skills align with current, and future employment skills requirements as recognised by the World Economic Forum. Methods for data interpretation included using the Global Skills Taxonomy revealing there is scope for revision of many international skills frameworks to accurately represent music skill value. Through the lens of transferable music skills, it is possible to communicate the relevance of instrumental music education, contributing to a future-proofed capable workforce building a stronger economy. This study is the largest of its kind and offers a robust foundation for future international studies that may capture the cultural and historical contexts surrounding skill classifications
Cognitive skill · Music education · Skills management · Transferable skills analysis · Workforce · Cultural Industries and Urban Development · Diverse Music Education Insights · Neuroscience and Music Perception
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The relation between 21st-century skills and digital skills
The value of ‘Soft Skills’ in popular music education in nurturing musical livelihoods
A Review of the Literature on the Relationship of Music Education to the Development of Socio-Emotional Learning
Do employability programmes in higher education improve skills and labour market outcomes? A systematic review of academic literature
Using thematic analysis in psychology
Transferable skills
| Highly cited | No |
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