Assessing informal learning in higher education: Instagram as a tool for a student-centred approach to popular music teaching

The integration of popular music into the Spanish educational system has been facilitated by a rising interest in informal learning strategies in the music classroom. In this article I set out the context in which popular music and informal learning have increased within Spanish education, and I discuss some particularities about assessment and the use of Instagram in the music classroom. The research presented here was carried out with a group of initial teacher education students, who were integrating popular music and informal learning strategies, and aimed to analyse the use of Instagram as a tool for assessment. The thematic analysis of a range of data generated during one semester offers insight into the students’ perceptions of social networks and music practice. The findings show how Instagram enabled them not only to share content but also to improve their own instrumental skills and put peer assessment into practice. Therefore, the use of Instagram in the classroom is suggested to be a useful tool for assessment that can preserve the holistic and emergent nature of informal learning practices.