Challenging score-centered norms in Western classical higher music education: an exploratory qualitative study of instructor-led initiatives in the UK and Europe.

Western classical music (WCM) in higher music education (HME) remains anchored in score-centered norms that may constrain interpretative freedom. While innovative pedagogies exist, little is known about how instructors who challenge these norms design and sustain their courses, particularly within conservatoire settings. This exploratory qualitative study examines: (1) the characteristics and aims of such courses, (2) how they challenge WCM norms through their content, (3) instructors' perceptions of course impacts, and (4) the institutional contexts that enable or constrain these initiatives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 15 instructors across seven countries in Europe and the UK, predominantly from conservatoires, with three participants from university music departments. Analysis combined content analysis for course characteristics with inductive thematic analysis using a deductive-inductive framework for norm-challenging approaches, perceived impacts, and institutional contexts. Courses clustered into two broad categories: repertoire-based designs employing historically informed and ahistorical score deviation, and non-repertoire designs centered on improvisation and cross-arts practice. Instructors perceived positive impacts including what they described as reduced performance anxiety and increased student agency, alongside some student reticence toward excessive freedom. Institutional tensions were pervasive, including skepticism from colleagues and examination panels, the primacy of one-to-one instruction, funding pressures, and assessment regimes privileging accuracy. Adoption was facilitated by historical framing strategies, collegial alliances, leadership support, and flexible evaluation frameworks. Instructors expressed cautious optimism regarding long-term employability benefits while doubting immediate gains given prevailing audition and orchestral selection practices. It is important to note that findings represent the perspectives of a purposively sampled group of critically oriented instructors and should not be generalized to indicate prevalence or typicality across HME more broadly. The study contributes depth of understanding regarding how norm-challenging courses operate when they exist, rather than how common such courses are. Implications for curriculum design, assessment practices, and future research directions are discussed, including the need for direct investigation of student experiences and audience impacts.