Musicians as instrumental music teachers: Issues from an Australian perspective

Abstract

Instrumental music teaching occupies a significant portion of the protean career of a musician. Musicians teach their instrument in schools, conservatoires and in private studios. The aim of this paper is to identify educational opportunities available for the education of musicians as instrumental music teachers, to discuss issues associated with their participation in these activities, and the challenges they face as practising teachers in schools and/or the private studio. In Australia, there are a variety of professional learning activities and training courses that the professional musician can undertake to expand her/his skills and knowledge as an instrumental music teacher. Not all of these educational opportunities are recognized as approved teacher education qualifications by the teacher registration boards in Australia. All instrumental music teachers in Australian schools must be registered with the teacher registration authority in the state or territory where they wish to work before they can seek employment. A discussion is presented in this paper on the issues associated with registration. The final section of this paper is devoted to a consideration of the different work environments and cultures in schools that may be experienced by professional musicians.