Investigating music teachers' ICT skills and technical possibilities in the field of online music education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

The effectiveness of music education depends on the personal interaction between teachers and students in the pedagogical process. The presence of the music teacher, the initial presentation of music, and the immediate correction are all essential in individual instrumental training and group-based music education [1]. In our study, we examined the ICT skills and technical possibilities which music teachers (N = 352) had at their disposal during the COVID-19 pandemic, compiled the Internet platforms they used in their teaching, and asked whether they produced their own teaching materials. By using factor analysis, we explored music teachers' attitudes towards online education and identified four factors, namely student-centred, digital virtuoso, digitally creative, and difficult-to-adapt factors. The change in the learning environment and in familiar methods presented new challenges to most surveyed music teachers, who were creative in adapting to the situation and in preparing suitable teaching materials for their students.