This study examines pre-service primary teachers' first engagement with music education at university level in the Republic of Ireland. Data from focus group interviews and coursework present voices from the students in prolematising their learning journeys with music education. These qualitative research methods are used to investigate student…

With a recent research study on a Norwegian arts-in-education programme "The Cultural Rucksack" as its starting point, this article addresses policy changes in the fields of culture and education and possible implications these could have on music education in schools. Familiar debates on the quality of education and the political…

Literature reviews suggest that traditional approaches in folk music education are not necessarily compatible with the conventions of formal music education. Whilst many recent studies have tended to define these non-classical music learning contexts as "informal", the practice of folk transmission music appears to be much more complex…

This qualitative study used action research to provide an insight into how pupils experience and perceive assessment in music education. In collaboration with pupils we constructed an assessment for learning model aimed at involving pupils in the co-development of assessment criteria and in the processes of self and peer assessment. In addition we…

The use of technology in music education is gaining momentum, although very little work has focused on students with disabilities. Our "SoundScape" programme addressed this gap through implementing a technology-based music programme for adolescents and young adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). Programme participants met on a…

The importance of music teachers reflecting on their teaching practise has been discussed for a long time [(Gaunt 2008. "One-to-one Tuition in a Conservatoire: The Perceptions of Instrumental and Vocal Teachers." "Psychology of Music" 36 (2): 215-245; Schön 1987. "Educating the Reflective Practitioner." San…

Seeking to address a gap in the literature, this article reports the development of an instrument to measure Hong Kong primary school music teachers' concerns about inclusive music education. To do so, a 25-item music teachers' Concern of Inclusive Music Teaching (CIMT) scale was constructed and administered to 317 primary schools music teachers…

This article reports a qualitative study that examined students' experiences of creating podcasts within an undergraduate music education course. Future music educators used digital media technology to assemble and share reflections on significant interactions with music throughout their lives, combining spoken narrative and musical excerpts…

Research on the improvement of learning shifted from a focus on the learner as individual to the concept of sociocultural learning in communities of learning, communities of practice or learning cultures during the 1990s. A similar shift in the focus of the development of a single construct of individual musical creativity to socially situated…

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the perceptions of private piano instructors on the role of challenge in teaching and learning the piano and to examine the potential application of catastrophe theory in understanding the role and outcomes of such challenges. A 23-item electronic questionnaire was administered to collect quantitative and…

This study explores music education teaching practice in Greece, collecting data from three university departments: two music departments (M1 and M2) and one primary education department (P) during the academic year 2006-2007. The project was based on data from 84 students (N = 84). Fieldwork in students' teaching practice comprised a selection…

This research explores the possibilities of music education in relation to improved interpersonal and social relationships. The paper focuses mainly on music teachers in primary and secondary schools in Spain. It aims to collect, analyse and provide arguments to defend a musical education that integrates musical diversity and facilitates the…

Folk music programmes have been a major feature of higher education music departments across the Nordic region for several decades. Still, programmes that offer the opportunity to deeply study non-European music (other than jazz) are very rare in most of Europe, and programmes in music "education" that offer such opportunities at…

The purpose of this paper is to suggest that a pragmatic view of music education--one that considers the presence or absence of music instruction in US schools, the quality of that instruction, and the opportunities for professional growth available to music teachers in those schools--is a necessary part of discussions related to social justice…

In English primary schools, provision of musical music lessons is often lacking. This paper focuses on whether a lack of clarity around primary music pedagogy might be a contributing factor. Some comparisons are drawn with the realm of second-language teaching. A small qualitative study is reported in which three teacher-educators with…