In the contemporary creative economy, a large proportion of ‘steady jobs’ (or the employment practices that pass for that in the contemporary music industry) are based on the high-end sector: mass entertainment and the practices involved in high budget productions. How, then, can we provide experiences to students that will enable them to acquire the skills and understanding required to work at that level? The two options are real world work experience and the emulation of those types of working practice in the educational environment. Both have their advantages and disadvantages and it would be the best of all possible worlds if we could provide both. Students could experience the real-world pressures and tensions through work experience but they could also engage with a ‘safe space’ that allows space for hesitation, mistakes and critical reflection. Immersive, experiential projects that provide the latter require staff with industry experience but also the facilities and participant numbers to produce a realistic experience. The work relating to this research problem will produce case studies that are, in part, driven by the resources and affordances available but also by pedagogy-driven decisions made by the organisers. The aim is to explore how a range of potential contributing factors determine the effectiveness of the learning experience. These factors include:

1. The levels and realism of the economic and social pressures involved (e.g. timescale, working hours, budgets etc).
2. The risks of ‘failure’ such as the public nature of the final event or artefact.
3. The levels of specialism required of the participants and the breadth of experience it requires.
4. Critical reflection (including the documentation, review and opportunities for discussion) versus pragmatic effectiveness.
5. The relationships between the participants before they start and the ways in which hierarchies may have to be established.
6. How should the students navigate the narratives of popularity and success in relation to both the event / artefact and the academic assessment? (including financial viability, reputation building, social media and conventional media impact etc).
7. How can (and should) factors like authenticity, sustainability, participant well-being, equality, diversity and inclusion be incorporated in the process?

What are the lessons we can learn from these case studies in terms of organisation, documentation and assessment?