Indie 100 India 2019

Research Background Prior to the digital era, higher education’s role was to prepare graduates for the local and regional economies, but now with a click of a mouse, the local workforce has become global. While Higher Education music and creative industries courses are acknowledging the shifting requirements for graduates entering creative careers, there are few studies offering international, project-based learning, which addresses the gap for how to build international processes in the curriculum. Research contribution This project builds on the success of a QUT-funded project called the Indie 100 (2009-2015) – recording and promotion of independent artists in a week-long publicly visible event. For both QUT and Indian students, the project serves as an intensive ‘classroom’ for students and brings them in contact with the intensity of a commercial production environment. Over a two-week period, students curate four live shows featuring Australia-India musical collaborations. They coordinate and capture the Indie100 recording event, working in assistant recording-producer roles and as session musicians. Music business students are responsible for the promotion and digital release of the album. Research significance The project is founded on the belief that the future of music education in the H.E Sector relies on a system of experiential facilitations that lead to the development of sustainable communities of practice among teachers, students, local musicians and industry. The collaboration exposes musicians to new practices, new audiences and new knowledge, and the high intensity environment gives students a real-world experience that will hopefully make them work-ready, entrepreneurial and resilient.