The music department without walls: Lessons from Marshall McLuhan

Abstract

In the technological age, the print-based culture of the previous century and the current practice of the bureaucratization of higher education (HE) influence how we manage physical spaces, curricula, and teaching and learning.   This article presents possible future scenarios for music in HE in the context of the classroom without walls, based on McLuhan’s (1964) predictions for the future of education in the technological age. The research provides an analysis of relevant academic texts and is followed by a discussion that explores thinking differently, strategically, and creatively about possible future scenarios for music departments.  The findings suggest that music departments redefine their core business to craft a different future.