National Review of School Music Education - Murdoch Research ...

in the submissions and teacher/principal surveys. In particular, the view is relevant to the Arts
Learning Area adopted by all States and Territories.
Teacher education, both pre-service and in-service, is a significant issue that emerged through
the research undertaken by the Review. Time for music in pre-service programmes has in almost
all cases been reduced. In many cases, music has been submerged in the Arts Learning Area. As a
result teachers emerging from these programmes indicate that they lack sufficient knowledge,
understanding and skills and accompanying confidence to teach music.
Similarly, the Review identified deficits in music teaching amongst large numbers of teachers,
particularly generalist classroom teachers currently teaching in primary and middle schools.
Submissions call for both increased professional development for teachers and the alleviation of
this problem by appointment of specialist music teachers in primary and middle schools.
Associated with teacher education, though often considered separately, is tertiary music education
in conservatories and Schools of Music. Many who study to be musicians become teachers,
sometimes in schools. The inclusion of music pedagogy in tertiary music programmes needs to be
specifically addressed.
Overall, Part 3 provided the Review with a variety of perspectives on the concept of a quality
music education. The picture of music education in Australian schools provided in this section
highlights key factors that contribute to a quality music education:
• Participation, equity and engagement;
• Student achievement of music learning outcomes;
• Teacher knowledge, understanding and skills;
• Curriculum articulation;
• Support for teachers and students including that provided by Principals, systems and
sectors;
• Parental and community support; and
• Partnerships with music organisations.
These features were considered in developing the Guidelines for Effective Music Programmes presented
in the next section of this Report and in the issues, challenges and opportunities focused on in Part
5.
Part 4: Guidelines for Effective Music Education
A major focus of the Review process has been the development of Guidelines for Effective Music
Education.
These Guidelines were designed to help inform judgements by the Review team, and have been
redeveloped to provide systems and sectors with a basis for making judgements on the overall
health of school music education. As well, they provide tools for individual schools to review the
health of their own programmes. And they provide parents, communities, music organisations and
others a guide for reviewing their contributions to school music.
These Guidelines as a whole enable us to answer the following questions:
• How will we know if and how well students are learning music?
• How will we know if Australian schools are maximising that music learning?
They build on existing State/Territory and other curriculum statements and are not designed to
replace them.
These Guidelines are based on the two broad assumptions outlined in Part 2.2, the Framework for
undertaking this Review:
• Every Australian child is capable of learning music; and
• Every Australian school is capable of supporting effective learning in music.
These assumptions reinforce a commitment to music as an integral part of a broad, comprehensive
and balanced education that prepares students to participate in the emerging society in which they
live. These assumptions recognise that while some students will make a specialised study of music,
the majority of students learn music as part of a general education. Although some students may
FINAL REPORT xiii