This study aims to provide new insights on the nature of the embodied and collaborative processes related to the emergence of new musical ideas that occur when children are composing in groups.

Data was obtained by participant observation of the teacher/researcher and by ten videotaped one-hour musical sessions dedicated to the development of a music composition by two groups of children, all of whom were eight years old.

It was found that when composing in groups a) children use embodied processes to transform what they experience on diverse realms of their existence into musical ideas, and that b) while creating music, children engage in several improvisatory moments where new ideas emerge through the diverse ways they enact the surroundings where the activity is occurring. Findings suggest a conception of music composing as a multidimensional phenomenon that entails cognitive processes that are distributed across and beyond the physical body. Findings also suggest that composing music in collaboration with others nurtures a set of creative possibilities that would otherwise, not occur. Considerations for music education theory and practice are addressed in the last section of the article.

This article describes three projects organised by the Royal Opera House Education Department between 1985 and 1997. Following the descriptions each project is analysed in terms of students, artists and teachers with a view to placing the work within an overall conceptual framework suggesting that arts education provides an interface between the professional work of artists and educational settings. It proposes that arts education can be most effective when students are encouraged to see themselves ‘as artists’ and by creating their own work they can then engage with the work of other artists, both living and from other generations.

The canon forming the backbone of most conceptions of Western music has been a feature of musical culture for decades, exerting an influence upon musical study in educational settings. In English school contexts, the once perceived superiority of classical music in educational terms has been substantially revised and reconsidered, opening up school curricula to other musical traditions and styles on an increasingly equal basis. However, reforms to GCSE and A-levels (examinations taken aged 16 and 18 respectively), which have taken place from 2010 onwards, have refocused attention on canonic knowledge rather than skills-based learning. In musical terms, this has reinforced the value of ‘prescribed works’ in A-level music specifications.

Thus far, little attention has been paid to the extent to which a kind of scholastic canon is maintained in the Western European Art Music section of the listening and appraising units in current A-level music specifications. Though directed in part by guidance from Ofqual (Office of Qualifications and Examinations Regulation, the regulatory body for qualifications in England), there is evidence of a broader cultural trend at work. The present article seeks to compare the historical evidence presented in Robert Legg's 2012 article with current A-level specifications. Such a comparison establishes points of change and similarity in the canon of composers selected for close study in current A-levels, raising questions about the purpose and function of such qualifications.

Research on teachers’ assessments of students’ playing within music lessons has mainly focused on verbal (spoken) evaluations of their learning. However, closer exploration of these interactions shows that embodied assessments, that is, those that also include non-verbal, multi-modal features as part of the interaction, are found to be particularly relevant when making assessments in performing domains such as music. The study's aim was to examine the different types of assessments made by teachers of their students’ playing, how they were responded to by the student, and the function they served in opening up the learning dialogue. 18 video recordings from one-to-one conservatoire music lessons were analysed and two types of assessments were identified: (1) Explicit, definite assessments that provided a clear statement of the students’ playing (e.g., ‘excellent’, ‘very good’) that resulted in closing down the learning dialogue; and (2) Performative, instructive assessments that were more complex evaluations of the students’ playing (e.g., ‘that's closer’, ‘it's too top heavy’) that necessitated further work, thus leading to a more detailed pedagogic interaction. Findings highlight the importance of looking at embodied assessments as essential components to the learning dialogue in music, as well as discussing the implications that the different types of assessments have for opening up and closing learning interaction.

This paper examines Kelly's Personal Construct Theory (PCT) as a means of researching the development of the aesthetic response to the perception of music. It takes the techniques of association and construct elicitation derived from PCT as a means of investigating pupil responses, and attempts to shed some light both on the way pupils perceive their peer groups' compositions and on the role of the teacher/researcher in the assessment process.

This is an analysis of how specialist music teachers sing and teach how to sing, based on data collected from six case studies carried out in Spanish primary schools. The study aimed at understanding classroom singing practices, and in particular the provision or absence of vocal instruction in relation with teachers’ singing models. The findings support claims for thorough vocal training in the preparation of music teachers to enable them to face the challenges of the profession. Also suggested is the need to provide them with a coherent theoretical framework about the teaching and learning of singing.

In June 2015, the British government presented ‘the social justice case for an academic curriculum’ as the justification for recent radical changes to educational policy. However, this justification failed to account for both the key changes in the newly-revised National Curriculum for Music and the place of music in the National Curriculum as a whole.

Through a critical evaluation of the National Curriculum for Music, this study will propose how the place of music could successfully be justified within an education system wholly committed to ‘social justice’. Using the ‘habit concept’ of classical philosophical pragmatism, it will assess how and why music's educational value should be understood not through its ‘academic rigour’ but through its distinctive, inherently destabilising nature.

Music education in Scotland has a long-standing tradition of community singing, originally taught using the sol-fa method. Virtually every Scottish secondary school possesses cupboards full of dusty piles of Burns song books and Hebridean folk tunes with the sol-fa and the rhythm printed underneath. Some may still be in use! Sol-fa is not nearly so prevalent in schools as it was twenty years ago, but for the majority of Scottish schools singing still forms the backbone of music classes. After all, there are definite advantages of ‘singing’ as opposed to ‘music’ classes; large numbers of children can be taught together, there is probably less preparation or effort involved for the teacher, and other staff, parents, and the pupils themselves may readily accept that music in school is singing.

In this paper the role of spirituality in learning music for North American adult students is explored by examining the case of shakuhachi music. One distinctive character of engaging in music through the shakuhachi is that it facilitates the attainment of an ‘optimal relationship’ between the practitioners’ musical pursuit and self-cultivation through a ‘simple’ media, such as a single tone. The findings indicate that spirituality could be experienced regardless of one's musical skills or the level of outward expression. A second characteristic is that both experienced players and beginners could experience what the spirituality of music means through certain forms of music practice, including the shakuhachi practice, which followed the principle of ‘less is more’.

In autumn of 1985, the Music Department of the Institute of Education, London University initiated an enquiry into music in schools. During 1986 the Gulbenkian Foundation generously supported the project, facilitating the appointment of a research assistant. The aim was to map out the current context and practice of music teaching in a wide range of school classrooms and examine the role of music within the wider school community. This article is a distillation of the published Report on the research.1

The purpose of this investigation is to evaluate whether or not the allocation of time proposed in the Music Study Guide, adapted from the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) guidelines, is consistent and adequate for students with minimal musical knowledge. The report takes into account the importance of students’ previous knowledge and the relation this has to the time and effort expended by students in acquiring appropriate knowledge and skills. This is related also to the adequacy of the course specification to meet the demands of university study and the labour market. Results show that those students who enrolled at university without any previous musical knowledge are likely to experience significant difficulty in the acquisition of certain musical and professional competences. This highlights a need to reinforce the music curriculum, or establish zero-level courses, in order to enable such students to succeed in the subject.

A multicultural imperative has emerged in American educational philosophy and practices of the last decade. Never before has there been such an emphasis on multicultural understanding in the school curriculum. The changing philosophy of education as expressed in the literature suggests that the melting-pot theory is outdated; instead, the various ethnic groups present a rich tapestry of American national culture while maintaining their distinct identity. In this article Dr Shehan examines the relationship between these developing educational attitudes and the music teacher's task in helping to expand students' musical understanding and taste.

This article investigates some of the properties and capabilities of electronic keyboards which now dominate so many British music departments, especially in secondary schools. Their strengths and limitations are discussed and questions are raised over whether the prevailing practice in lessons always supports worthwhile musical objectives. It is argued that the emphases placed upon musical literacy and assessment do not necessarily enhance pupils' musical experiences or promote gains in sensitivity and awareness. An example of good practice is described, and it is suggested that more stress might be placed on defining that which constitutes a musical lesson so that keyboards can be used to support genuinely musical outcomes.

This study explores ways to develop focused musical listening skills with six- to eight-year-olds. Groups of children listened to short musical extracts and decided upon a best-fit match from a selection of patterns, colours and textures. At all times their ‘expert’ status was emphasised to keep self-esteem as high as possible and maximise response levels. In requiring children to make an ‘expert judgement’ it was hoped that concentrated listening could be better sustained and actively fostered. Results suggest that listening skills were developed, musical self-esteem enhanced and verbal responses scaffolded. The greatest measurable progress was made by the less able musicians and those with low self-esteem.

Every year on the pre-service teacher education course with which I am associated in England, we have something we have come to refer to as ‘the notation argument’. When this happens varies, but it normally occurs fairly near the beginning of the course. In essence, what happens is that a divide opens up between those pre-service teachers who believe they need to teach western classical stave notation in isolation from other aspects of music, and that this needs to be done in advance of other musical activities, as preparation for them. The other group of pre-service trainee teachers counter this with the case that there should be some sort of a need for this knowledge, and that acquiring it in isolation is unlikely to happen anyway. This notation argument can rage, on and off, for a good proportion of the first term, depending on how the issues are dealt with, and how passionate the various advocates are.

This article describes the aims, structure, content and activities of the innovatory project in ‘Music Performance and Communication Skills’ at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. It outlines the skills, attitudes and outlook needed by musicians if they are to respond to the rapidly changing needs of society. Having analysed the response of students to the Project, it shows the ways in which the conservatoire can reach out into the community. It is hoped that the article will make a positive contribution towards the thinking underlying the reform of the education and training of professional musicians.

This paper explores the concept of instrumental/vocal learning when studying the same instrument or voice with more than one concurrent teacher. In this context, teachers may be working as a team, or one or both teachers may not know of the other's contribution to a student's learning. Qualitative data from music students and teachers at the University of York sheds some light on this often hidden learning context. This paper examines students’ reasons for studying with more than one teacher; their views on negotiating teacher demands; teacher–student–teacher dynamics; and assessment of the success of this context for learning. Teachers’ views are considered through discussion of their attitudes to this context, and their evaluation of its effect on their teaching. Findings suggest that although there may be problems for students regarding issues of teacher loyalty and dealing with conflicting advice, there are also many benefits including exposure to a greater range of musical and technical ideas and added pedagogical insight. There are also potential benefits for teachers if they are working as a team.

The role of the subject leader, or co-ordinator, in the primary school has evolved considerably over recent years. Ultimately, responsibility for individual subjects remains with the headteacher and governors, but much work has been increasingly devolved, at least theoretically, to subject leaders. In this role they need to demonstrate the ability to be both leaders and managers. Whilst some aspects of leadership and management are generic, others may be specific to the subject and type of school. Through interviews with three subject leaders in schools where music is judged to be successful, this article examines their roles from a leadership and management perspective within the context of the existing primary school (3–11 years) structure. The tentative conclusion is that music is different and may need special considerations in equipping subject leaders to work effectively within this type of school.

This study is the result of a two-year experimental collaboration with children from my piano class. Together, the children and I designed a method that uses visual expression as a starting point for composing and visualising music-theoretical concepts. In this method various dimensions of musicality such as listening, creating, noting down and performing are interrelated. The article goes on to compare this method with other piano methods in which visual expression is part of the learning process. The findings indicate that, by using their visual capacity, children can acquire a deeper insight of what music means as structured material and a better understanding of the music terminology.

This article examines the debate over issues of musical intelligence, largely in a Scottish context, although it draws on recent international research in its discussion. It examines different perceptions of musical gift, and will relate these to factors which either release it, or constrict the release in different ways. Musical intelligence is then examined within the context of the multiple intelligences proposed by Howard Gardner, and is related to practical aspects of musical education.