BAMER

General Information

From the 'Introduction' by Robin Stevens to the BAMER Database of Music Education Theses. (Perth: CIRCME, 1996)

The BAMER (Bibliography of Australian Music Education) Project owes its origins-at least in part-to a former colleague of mine who suggested to me that music education was not really an academic discipline at all, but merely a sub-discipline either of music or of education. One of the reasons put forward in support of this contention was that music education, particularly in Australia, lacked a sufficient body of research to warrant its recognition as a discrete academic discipline. Believing this to be incorrect, I decided to set up a database of music education research studies and thereby establish that there was in fact a significant body of research which has been and is being undertaken in music education in this country.

In 1989, as a delegate to the National Council of the Australian Society for Music Education, I expressed concern at the lack of a complete and comprehensive listing of music education research in Australia and suggested that, with assistance from the State Chapters of ASME, information on research could be gathered and that the resulting bibliography could be published in The Australian Journal of Music Education. A listing of BAMER entries for the period 1964-1989 was subsequently published in the AJME 1990, no.1, and regular updates have been published as supplementary bibliographies in the 'Research News' section of this journal annually. Funding for the BAMER project has been provided by a series of research grants from the then Research and Graduate Studies Committee of the Faculty of Education at Deakin University-this funding has supported the development of what is now a fairly extensive database.

The present edition of the BAMER Database of Music Education Thesis includes entries for 190 'completed' theses / research papers and 44 'in progress' theses / research papers (note that research studies undertaken by Australians at overseas universities have also been included in the database). Of the 190 research studies, it is noteworthy that 21 are PhD theses undertaken at Australian universities and six are doctoral research studies undertaken overseas. On the basis, at least, of the quantum of research studies, it can now be irrefutably argued that music education has come of age as an academic discipline in Australia.

Despite my best efforts, the present database will inevitably be incomplete. There are not only research studies being undertaken which have not yet been identified but, by the time of publication, some of the 'in progress' studies will have been submitted, examined and accepted for the award of a higher degree. I would therefore be grateful if individual researchers could submit details of their research studies to me for inclusion in the next edition (see information for submission in 'Disclaimer and Additional Notes'). With the re-activation of a network of Research Officers from the various State Chapters of ASME during 1996, the BAMER Database will be updated annually and it is planned that new editions of the present database package will be produced bi-annually.

The present database includes all information that has been obtained from a series of information verification questionnaires and demographic / subject classification surveys. Aside from the name of the researcher, the title of the research study, and other standard bibliographic information, other available data such as details for contact with the researchers, descriptors based on various research categories, and demographic information have been included wherever possible. Basic search and printout facilities have been provided within the HyperCard environment but it is hoped to expand these in future editions.
As well as data provided by individual researchers through BAMER questionnaires (which represent the principle source of data for the BAMER Project), the following are acknowledged as sources of preliminary information for research studies undertaken prior to 1990: - lists of theses in music education 'accepted' and 'in progress' by Australian universities published in Studies in Music (University of Western Australia Press); - lists of theses in music education ('accepted' and 'in progress') published in the 'Research News' section of the first series of The Australian Journal of Music Education; - a list of theses and research articles in W. Lett, 'Research in Australian Music Education' in Report of the Seventh National Conference of the Association of Music Education Lecturers , ed. by E. Gifford (AMEL, Launceston, Tasmania, 1984); - the Australian Directory of Music Research , ed. by P.J. Drummond (Australia Music Centre Ltd., Sydney, 1978); and - annual publications (since 1978) of the Bibliography of Education Theses in Australia (Australian Council for Educational Research, Hawthorn).

Aside from the original intention of the BAMER Project to document what has proven to be a respectable quantum of research in music education in Australia, the project has also aimed to be of practical assistance to researchers -- both 'professional' researchers (university academics) and students undertaking research for higher degrees -- by providing information on previous research studies undertaken in their particular areas of interest. This 'service' aspect has always been an important consideration in the development of the BAMER Project. Accordingly it is hoped that the publication of the BAMER Database in its present form will not only continue to fulfill the objective of making research findings available to music education researchers per se but also to the wider music education profession. It is becoming increasingly important, I believe, for local research findings to be readily accessible to music education practitioners. Particularly in the current environment where teachers are expected to be more personally accountable both for their teaching and for the curriculum they implement, music education research is one of the most important means of informing and therefore improving music education practice.

Pages designed, constructed and maintained by Robin Stevens: rstevens@deakin.edu.au .