Why teach curriculum music to children in primary school? An exploration of primary teachers’ perceptions of music in the school curriculum

Abstract

Research has identified that music can be considered a difficult subject to teach in primary schools because of the specificity of musical expertise (Rogers et al., 2008). A range of individual factors have been found to impact on the teaching practices of primary teachers including, for example, musical background (Holden and Button, 2006; Wiggins and Wiggins, 2008), engagement in music making (Hallam et al., 2009) and access to appropriate resources (de Vries, 2013). Recommendations to improve the quality of music teaching by generalist teachers have included offering longer music subject courses as part of primary teacher education and increasing the amount of music professional development offered to teachers after they are qualified. However, current and historical contextual data shows that the situation remains unimproved. Researchers (Rogers et al., 2008; Wiggins and Wiggins, 2008; de Vries, 2015) suggest that research has not sufficiently considered the voices of primary teachers or their sense of agency in framing the discussion about quality primary music education. The complexities of teaching music as expressed by the teachers themselves i.e. what they believe and their self-efficacy, is unexplored in the research literature. This case study captures the individual voices of the teachers of one primary school with regard to the teaching of music: their perceptions of the subject from both professional and personal standpoints. An interpretivist approach based on social constructionism, emphasising the subjective meanings and interpretations that individuals construct through their experiences and social interactions, was used to frame and discuss teacher perceptions. Data was collected through questionnaires and semi-structured interviews across two terms. This exploration of the teachers’ thoughts, attitudes and practice – their understandings and interpretations - suggests that they feel a need to widen the music curriculum to include the ‘use’ of music in everyday life, offering a curriculum which is more appropriate and relevant to the children in today’s society. They talk about teaching the children how music is used for emotional regulation and mood improvement, for physical and mental well-being (including relaxation and improved focus) and for self-expression and for social connection, as part of the taught curriculum. In this way music holds a unique position and purpose in the curriculum. Evidence from this data suggests that teachers can be empowered and stimulated to teach music without the need for additional training.