Secondary School Music Teachers Research Articles

Artistic expression as a property of resonant musical experience: an interview study with upper secondary school music teachers

Background The curriculum for the courses given at the music specialization of the upper secondary school’s aesthetic program in Sweden includes the concept of artistic expression (AE). Being a criterion for assessment, no definition is provided by the National Agency of Education and there exists no consensus of how to interpret artistic expression among music teachers and music teacher students. Methods In order to explore how teachers understand, teach, and assess the concept and phenomenon of artistic expression, twelve qualitative interviews with music teachers were conducted and analyzed through an open coding process. Results The findings show that the concept of artistic expression is multifaceted and evasive. The results focus on two analytic threads: (i) situatedness and (ii) entanglement. (i) AE is situated due to context-specific parameters which underpins the meaning of the concept in this particular educational setting. (ii) Furthermore, the phenomenon of artistic expression is entangled (a) with the ongoing relationship between teacher and student, and (b) in a temporally unfolding and interactive musical event. The phenomenon of artistic expression as entangled is discussed, primarily through Hartmut Rosa’s concept of resonance, which brings into focus the intersubjective character of aesthetic experience. Doing so questions understandings of – and assessment procedures surrounding – artistic expression that relies on skill-based interpretations or reductions of entanglement. One example of such reduction is assessment of recordings of student performances which limits (a) the relational perspective (if assessed by a third person) or (b) the entanglement with the musical event. The perspective of resonance brings forth the teacher’s role during a student performance as characterized by self-efficacy and active listening, thus co-constitutive of artistic expression. Conclusions The article concludes with reflections on how the findings may contribute to the continuous discussion on how scientific grounding and proven experience may inform both the music education at upper secondary school and music teacher education. The concept of resonance provides a possibility to reframe conceptions of artistic competence in art education as being grounded in intersubjective and relational terms, rather than being reified as a set of measurable skills, an understanding which in turn risks replacing learning with criteria compliance.

메타버스 활용 음악 수업에 대한 음악 교사의 경험과 인식 조사

The purpose of this study is to investigate the experiences, perceptions, and effective teaching methods of music teachers utilizing the Metaverse in music classes. A survey was conducted with 88 secondary school music teachers in the Seoul and Gyeonggi regions. The collected data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, frequency analysis, Pearson correlation coefficient, and independent sample t-test. The results are as follows: First, teachers had a basic understanding of the terminology and concepts of the Metaverse and recognized it as a means to engage learners, showing willingness to integrate it into their music class. Second, music teachers who had attended training or had experience with Metaverse-based music classes felt confident in using it for various music activities, understanding the educational goals, and employing it appropriately. Third, teachers perceived that Metaverse-based music activities and class sturctures could include virtual instrument experiences, autonomous learing space navigation, use of diverse visual and three-dimensional learing materials, motivation enhacement, increased immersion, experiential learning, and activities in music appreciation. Fourth, anticipated difficulties included the burden of class preparation and limitations in communication infrastructure and device usage. Teachers identified the need for support and educational content on Metaverse usage for both instructors and learners, as well as sharing of best practices and class design strategies among teachers. This study higlights the deucational potential of the Metaverse in music education and provides foundational data for the direction of teacher trainging in digital media utilization.

Identification of bottlenecks and solutions for secondary school music teachers’ career development in Jiangxi Province based on data mining

Identification of bottlenecks and solutions for secondary school music teachers’ career development in Jiangxi Province based on data mining

Five years in: a case study of an Australian early-career secondary school music teacher

Abstract Early-career secondary school music teachers navigate many challenges as they settle into the profession. These include consolidating their knowledge of subject content, gaining classroom confidence and honing skills in classroom management. In addition, their sense of belonging can be enhanced by working at collegial relationships within their faculty, across the school and feeling a part of the wider school community. These factors can elicit a ‘make or break’ response for continuing in the profession. This paper reports on a case study of an Australian early-career secondary school music teacher, in her fifth year in the profession. The case study, as a part of a larger study, sequenced quantitative and qualitative research methods, allowing insight into the music teacher’s working life and enabled the researcher to understand factors that impact daily practice. Themes explored in the study include motivation, perception of value, stress and the difficulties of securing permanent employment. The music teacher presented a positive approach to her work through her development of resilience and shared her future goals and dreams. This research offers suggestions on how schools and education authorities can best support early-career secondary school music teachers to enable them to become resilient, confident and valued practitioners for the future.

A Study on the Construction and Enhancement Strategies of Primary and Secondary School Music Teachers’ Core Literacy under the “Double Reduction” Programmer

The “Double Reduction” policy is an important education reform initiative to be fully implemented by the state in 2022, which is an important policy to better promote the development of educational equity. With the gradual implementation of the “double reduction” policy, the requirements for the core qualities of primary and secondary school music teachers are also getting higher and higher, and the review of the current situation reveals that there are many problems with the core qualities of primary and secondary school music teachers.

Artistic expression as a property of resonant musical experience: an interview study with upper secondary school music teachers

Background The concept of artistic expression is present in the curriculum for upper secondary school music program in Sweden. Being a criterion for assessment, no definition is provided by the National Agency of Education and there exists no consensus of how to interpret artistic expression among music teachers and music teacher students. Methods In order to explore how teachers understand, teach, and assess the concept and phenomenon of artistic expression, twelve qualitative interviews with music teachers were conducted and analyzed through an open coding process. Results The findings show that the concept of artistic expression is multifaceted and evasive. The results focus on two analytic threads: (i) situatedness and (ii) entanglement. (i) AE is situated due to context-specific parameters which underpins the meaning of the concept in this particular educational setting. (ii) Furthermore, the phenomenon of artistic expression is entangled (a) with the ongoing relationship between teacher and student, and (b) in a temporally unfolding and interactive musical event. The phenomenon of artistic expression as entangled is discussed, primarily through Hartmut Rosa’s concept of resonance, which brings into focus the intersubjective character of aesthetic experience. Doing so questions understandings of – and assessment procedures surrounding – artistic expression that relies on skill-based interpretations or reductions of entanglement. One example of such reduction is assessment of recordings of student performances which limits the (a) relational perspective (if assessed by a third person) or (b) the entanglement with the musical event. The perspective of resonance brings forth the teacher’s role during a student performance as characterized by self-efficacy and active listening, thus co-constitutive of artistic expression. Conclusions The article concludes with reflections on how the findings may contribute to the continuous discussion on how scientific grounding and proven experience may inform both the music education at upper secondary school and music teacher education. The concept of resonance provides a possibility to reframe conceptions of artistic competence in art education as being grounded in intersubjective and relational terms, rather than being reified as a set of measurable skills, an understanding which in turn risks replacing learning with criteria compliance.

중등학교 가창 제재곡과 지도방법에 관한 실태 분석

In recent music classes in secondary schools, singing activities are not well performed, and the proportion of classes is decreasing. The purpose of this study is to understand the reasons and issues related to this trend and explore solutions by analyzing the current state, perceptions, and demands of vocal repertoire and teaching methods in secondary schools singing education. To achieve this goal, various literatures on singing class vocal repertoire and teaching methods were reviewed, and based on this, a survey tool was developed to find out the actual condition and demand of singing class vocal repertoire and teaching methods, and a survey was conducted on middle and high school music teachers nationwide, and statistics on the responses of 67 respondents were analyzed.
 As a result of the analysis, secondary school music teachers were strongly aware of the necessity of singing education. However, in actual music classes, singing classes were allocated as the third priority after instrumental and listening classes, resulting in a decrease in singing education. As singing class vocal repertoire, both art songs and popular music were used in the same ratio, but there was a preference for Korean art songs in the art song category and Korean popular songs in the popular music category. The main contents dealt with when teaching art songs were vocalization and breathing, but in the case of popular music, the focus was on the content of the lyrics and background knowledge.

중등학교 가창 제재곡과 지도방법에 관한 실태 분석

In recent music classes in secondary schools, singing activities are not well performed, and the proportion of classes is decreasing. The purpose of this study is to understand the reasons and issues related to this trend and explore solutions by analyzing the current state, perceptions, and demands of vocal repertoire and teaching methods in secondary schools singing education. To achieve this goal, various literatures on singing class vocal repertoire and teaching methods were reviewed, and based on this, a survey tool was developed to find out the actual condition and demand of singing class vocal repertoire and teaching methods, and a survey was conducted on middle and high school music teachers nationwide, and statistics on the responses of 67 respondents were analyzed.
 As a result of the analysis, secondary school music teachers were strongly aware of the necessity of singing education. However, in actual music classes, singing classes were allocated as the third priority after instrumental and listening classes, resulting in a decrease in singing education. As singing class vocal repertoire, both art songs and popular music were used in the same ratio, but there was a preference for Korean art songs in the art song category and Korean popular songs in the popular music category. The main contents dealt with when teaching art songs were vocalization and breathing, but in the case of popular music, the focus was on the content of the lyrics and background knowledge.

Jazz and improvising: experiences, attitudes and beliefs of United Kingdom (UK) secondary school music teachers: listening for gender

Jazz and improvising: experiences, attitudes and beliefs of United Kingdom (UK) secondary school music teachers: listening for gender

Polyartistic Approach in Music Education: A Tool for Teaching and Developing Creative and Critical Thinking

The article presents two models for introducing a polyartistic approach in Bachelor’s and Master’s training. The study emphasizes the need to integrate art and art education into the educational process as a factor in the development of creative and critical thinking, communicative and sociocultural competencies of future music teachers. The first model, known as the linear one, implies the inclusion of polyartistic disciplines and tracks in the educational program. This model allows students to choose electives that meet their interests and professional qualifications. This approach provides students with flexibility in planning their academic path and learning issues related to polyartistic education more comprehensively. The second model, the concentric one, is used in the Master’s degree programs. This model enables students to expand their knowledge and skills in the polyartistic component based on the knowledge gained during their Bachelor studies. Students study polyartistic subjects and thus expand their theoretical, methodological, and performing skills. These two models can be used for training secondary school music teachers and teachers of institutions of supplementary art education. The introduction of a polyartistic approach into the discussed models helps to better understand and apply art as a tool for teaching and contributes to the development of creative and critical thinking, communicative and sociocultural competencies of future music teachers. This article suggests new approaches to the formation of the professional identity of music teachers, the development of students’ creative abilities, and the use of modern technologies in polyartistic education. The conclusions of this article can serve as a basis for further research and development of practical aspects of introducing a polyartistic approach into the process of training music teachers.

Relationship between the Use of ICT in Secondary Education Music Teaching and Teachers’ Beliefs

The use of ICT in teaching has ostensibly increased over the last few years, especially due to distance teaching imposed during the pandemic. Our study aims to understand how Music teachers use ICT and how it relates to their beliefs regarding its pedagogical value for teaching and learning. We adopt a quantitative methodology based on a survey-type design first and an ex post facto design in the second stage. The results show limited use of ICT among secondary school Music teachers generally, and how its degree of use (high, medium, low) correlates with their beliefs regarding their pedagogical value, i.e., higher value leads to more frequent use. Therefore, ICT use should be promoted to reach broader acceptance and integration in Music teaching.

Chinese Music Teachers’ Perceptions of Context Issues and Transmission Modes in World Music Teaching

Based on his academic background in multicultural music education and ethnomusicology, Huib Schippers developed the Seven-Continuum Transmission Model (SCTM) in 2004 to describe the teaching situations of world music. The current study adopted the SCTM as a framework to investigate Chinese music teachers’ perceptions of context issues (tradition, authenticity, and context) and transmission modes (analytic/holistic, notation based/aural, and tangible/intangible) in world music teaching. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted using a qualitative methodology with nine primary and secondary school music teachers from different provinces in China. This study found that Chinese music teachers’ perceptions of context issues and transmission modes in world music teaching were more inclined to the formal, institutional settings rather than the informal, often community-based process. In addition, the music teachers were also influenced more by the “Eurocentrism” values; however, their perceptions were less affected by ethnomusicology that interprets human music from a cultural perspective and by multicultural music education.

Music Teachers’ Perceptions of the Authenticity Issues Towards World Music Teaching in China

The purpose of this study is to investigate Chinese primary and secondary school music teachers' perceptions towards “authenticity”-related issues in world music teaching. Using a qualitative methodology, the researchers conducted in-depth semi-structured interviews with nine primary and secondary school music teachers in different provinces of China. The results show that the teachers have different views on whether “authenticity” is often emphasized in the teaching of world music, whether world music in textbooks is represented authentically, whether absolute “authenticity” could be achieved in the teaching of world music, and the role of culture bearers in the transmission of music culture in the classroom. On the whole, to ensure that music teachers can objectively treat authenticity in world music teaching, the teachers should be clear about the purpose of world music teaching and transcend the dilemma of the authentic/inauthentic dichotomy.

Research‐informed teaching: The case of Musical Futures

AbstractDrawing on descriptions of research‐into‐practice initiatives, this article presents a new framework to aid understanding of how research findings influence educational practice at scale. The framework focuses upon five areas: trustworthiness of the findings and generalisability; implications and instructions for practice; support for implementation; fidelity of the implementation; and accountability. Green's informal learning model for music education is focused upon as one example of how research findings influence classroom practice, explored through the lens of the framework. The empirical research was conducted in two phases: (1) semi‐structured interviews were conducted with key figures relating to the initiative; (2) four case studies were undertaken, involving secondary school music teachers and their pupils. The research examined the extent to which research‐informed teaching was evident in the schools, and what factors might influence this. Methods used within the case studies included observation, interviews and document sources. Data was analysed thematically. It was found that Green's model was evident in the case study schools to some extent, but there was a gap identified between Green's underpinning research and its implementation. Furthermore, data showed that the five aspects proposed in the framework influenced the success and longevity of the approach. It is therefore proposed that the findings of this study might inform future research‐into‐practice initiatives in education—by informing researchers of key considerations to be made when aiming to develop research‐informed teaching.

A Survey on Chinese Music Teachers’ Attitudes towards World Music Teaching

This study used a questionnaire as a research instrument to investigate the attitudes of 1 368 Chinese primary and secondary school music teachers towards world music teaching. The questionnaire includes single- and multiple-choice questions. It was used to examine the music teachers’ definitions of ethnomusicology and world music, their understanding of the major rationales for world music teaching, the world view of music, and the purpose of world music education, teaching approaches, and effective teaching activities as they perceived, and the challenges faced by Chinese music teachers in world music teaching. The results showed that Chinese music teachers did not have a clear and profound understanding of the aspects examined above. Instead, the teachers are more influenced by Western centralist values. They are less affected by ethnomusicology, which interprets human music from a cultural perspective, and multicultural music education. In general, the music teachers lacked confidence in teaching world music.

OPINIONS OF SECONDARY SCHOOL MUSIC TEACHERS ON THE USE OF EBA (EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION NETWORK): SAMPLES OF ŞANLIURFA

With this research, it is aimed to determine the opinions of secondary school music teachers about the use of EBA. In line with the purpose of the research, the opinions of secondary school music teachers were taken by using the scanning model. The study group of the research consists of 22 music teachers working in ġanlıurfa in the 2021-2021 academic year. In order to collect data in the research, a semi-structured interview form was applied to the teachers. The data obtained as a result of the application were processed and descriptive analysis was made. As a result of the research, teachers related to EBA; They frequently use 'Live Lessons', 'Lessons' and 'My Page' modules, EBA contributes to them and the students, they do not have access problems to EBA, but students have access problems, they prefer 'Mobile Application' when using EBA, ' It was concluded that they performed the 'Live Lesson' module over the 'Zoom' application and did not record it, that they did not find the music lesson contents in the EBA sufficient, that they produced content and made the contents produced outside of the EBA accessible to the students. Keywords: Education Information Network, Distance Learning, Music Lesson

The music teacher in ‘on-the-spot’ musical interactions: A practitioner research study

This practitioner research, conducted by a secondary school music teacher, deals with two complementary questions: the conceptual question how one could define the ‘artistry’ of a music teacher in the context of his teaching practice, and the empirical question in how far the music teacher’s actions can determine the quality of the musical interactions with his students. The paper elaborately describes the institutional context for this (doctoral) practitioner research study, and integrates two premises, one regarding the negative image of the school subject music, and another about the vagueness and the ongoing discussions about the required competences of a ‘good’ music teacher. The first question is dealt with in a theoretical way, resulting in a working definition for a music teacher’s ‘artistry’: ‘a music teacher’s “artistry” lies within the extent to which he can apply his musical competences in “immediate” teaching situations’. The second question is studied empirically using a set of qualitative data sources, derived from the practitioner researcher’s teaching practice, that were analysed by means of a self-developed ‘three-dimensional matrix of the music teacher’s real-time teaching actions’. This results in a set of 10 categories in which the music teacher clearly demonstrates ‘unprepared non-routinised musical actions’.

An analysis of four instructional strategies used by secondary school music teachers in Uganda

This paper provides an analysis of how secondary school music teachers (N = 10) in Uganda apply instructional strategies (peer teaching, practical music-making, modeling, and feedback) in their music lessons. Analysis was undertaken to establish if there were any similarities or differences amongst the urban, suburban, and rural music teachers and between experienced and inexperienced teachers in ways they employed instructional strategies. Data were gathered through videotaped classroom observations and analyzed via SCRIBE (Simple Computer Recording Interface for Behavioral Evaluation). Results showed that practical music-making was the most observed strategy while negative feedback (disapprovals) was the least observed strategy. Experienced teachers provided more feedback in form of approval and engaged their students more in practical music-making activities. Results from the study are discussed in terms of implications for improved teacher preparation. The strategies discussed in this study should be encouraged through teacher professional development, and through greater emphasis in teacher preparation courses.

So many expectations: A study of Australian early-career secondary school music teachers

Early-career music teachers are described in the literature as being in the first few years of the profession. This research explores the motivation, sense of value, and areas of stress affecting early-career music teachers in Australian secondary high schools. The research is a part of a larger qualitative study which contains a national survey ( n = 263) and interviews ( n = 41) of secondary school music teachers across a number of career stages. This article reports on the survey responses ( n = 59) and interviews ( n = 11) of teachers in the early-career stage (0–5 years). The findings revealed that, while the majority of early-career teachers were motivated to teach, being valued by the school led to a stronger commitment to the workplace. Motivating aspects of work included seeing students grow musically, lesson planning, and providing performance opportunities. While stressors were identified, the early-career music teachers had developed a number of effective strategies to cope with the demands of the profession. This article provides a national snapshot of the influences on the working lives of Australian early-career secondary school music teachers and provides suggestions to school communities and education authorities in ways to support them.

Investigating Secondary School Music Teachers' Views about Online Music Lessons During the COVID-19 Pandemic

In education systems, learning/teaching activities designed based on a specific curriculum for a specific age group are carried out following a work schedule. As long as conditions permit, the work schedule continues without interruption. However, crises such as pandemics disrupt this schedule and lead to problems in the planning and timely-execution of educational processes. The present study aimed to investigate secondary school music teachers' views about online music lessons during the COVID-19 pandemic and to offer outputs that will contribute to the implementation of distance education activities, which are expected to be more widespread in the future. The study employed the general screening model. The study group comprised 24 music teachers working in the central district of Kastamonu, a city in the north-west of Turkey. An interview form was developed to obtain the music teachers' views about the conduct of online lessons. Necessary permissions were obtained, and the interview form was distributed to the participants via e-mail. The data obtained from the interview forms were tried to be interpreted within theme tables by taking the opinions of the experts. The study employed the content analysis method, one of the qualitative data analysis methods. The study found that the majority of secondary school music teachers thought that distance education was not suitable for music lessons. It was also determined that most of the participants had no prior experience with distance education, had difficulty using instruments in online lessons, and had synchronization problems in all music activities. Furthermore, internet connection problems, low motivation on the student side, the inefficiency of online lessons, digital fatigue, and the risk of children being exposed to harmful content on the internet emerged as other problems encountered by the participants.