This study presents an analysis of hidden elitism in music education through the free choice argument -- that individuals are fundamentally free to choose to study music -- as a meritocratic power structure. Qualitative Soft Systems Methodology (SSM) is applied to understand music education as a social system with a special structure in which its…

In this article, we report an instrumental case study of extracurricular music education as an arena and means for securing the capability for self-determination among Finland's Indigenous Sámi population. Finland's egalitarian approach to education is rooted in complex, and at times contradictory, colonial legacies, raising questions as to…

This study examined Finnish first-and second-year music education major students and primary education students who participate 25-credits minor subject studies in music, childhood and adolescent musical experiences and musical paths. The participants (N = 30) were asked to write an essay on the topic 'Music and Me'. Using holistic content…

This article reveals the results of a comparative study of Estonian and Finnish general music education. The aim was to find out what music teaching practices and approaches/methods were mostly used, what music education perspectives supported those practices. The data were collected using questionnaires and the results of 107 Estonian and 50…

As in many other countries, Finnish primary school teacher education has reduced substantially the amount of music studies during recent decades. From the perspective of the National Core Curriculum, there is a reason to reflect on teacher education and primary school student teachers' skills to teach music. The present study investigates 392…

The present study investigated the role of music education in early childhood education and care (ECEC) in relation to the daily activities of children ages one to three, i.e. "toddlers" (N = 918) in Finnish ECEC units (N = 327). A total of 23,142 random observations were conducted. The observations focused on children's involvement,…

Learning how to actively theorise music is a complex process which is challenging to observe and describe for teachers, students and researchers. In this study, we explore the potential of a mixed-methods research design for understanding how theorising is developed and how the different methodological approaches used in the study can improve our…

The claim of whether music education can create social benefits in the school environment was tested in 10 Finnish schools with an extended music curricular class and control classes. The quality of school life (QSL) was assessed by a representative sample ("N" = 735) of pupils at years 3 and 6 (9- and 12-years-olds). The results showed…

The processes of individual and group-level regulation are important mechanisms of all collaborative learning, and we argue that recognising group-level regulatory processes would aid music educators when they guide students in collaborative settings. In music education, there is extensive research on group music-making, whereas the interest…

The aim of this article is to explore how immigrant students experience and enact musical agency inside and outside the music lessons in three Nordic lower secondary schools. The research was designed as a multi-sited ethnographic study and the data were collected in Helsinki, Stockholm and Oslo through classroom observations and interviews with…

Societal and technological progresses have created a multitude of new ways for people to engage with music, and as a result music can nowadays be learned from an ever-expanding variety of sources. In this article, we engage in a theoretical exploration of the underpinning societal forces that have enabled this expansion, as well as its…

In numerous countries, primary school class teachers have problems regarding music teaching. It has been reported that there is a lack of both confidence and musical skills. However, the question often relates not only to a lack of self-efficacy beliefs but also to the organisation of the studies. This research looks for sources influencing the…

Entrepreneurship mostly occurs in business studies after general education. This study considers how the informant, Anna, first identified herself as a young music hobbyist, then as a musician and music teacher, and finally as an entrepreneur in music. The main question driving this narrative study is, 'How might identity formation processes as a…

Neoliberal education policies -- viewing students' life as human capital, economic investment for the labour market and consumer power -- may increase students' workload in higher education. In this mixed methods study, we examined music students' experiences of workload in Finland and the United Kingdom in connection with stress and livelihoods.…

In Finland, teachers' have extensive autonomy, that is freedom from control by others over their professional actions in the classroom, and it is considered a strength of Finnish education. At the same time, national assessment of learning outcomes has been constructed to examine the learner's progress and achievements in relation to the criteria…