Journal articles on the topic 'Assessment in teacher training for music education'

Teaching and learning are complex processes and evaluating the work of music teachers is neither obvious nor simple. The outcomes of educational transactions may not be completely or immediately apparent. Furthermore, the contexts in which musical skills and understanding are acquired are multiple, going well beyond the formal categories of ‘general’ class music teacher or the ‘private’ instrumental and vocal teacher. In many of these alternative settings, standardised student assessment or teacher evaluation processes may be inappropriate. In this paper, an approach to evaluating teaching and learning draws on Swanwick's three principles for music educators. To these three principles is added the need to understand the educational and social context in which a teacher works. These criteria help to identify the ‘good-enough’ teacher's contribution to students' musical development. The concept of the ‘good-enough’ teacher is exemplified, not in the context of conventional formal teaching settings but in a third, much less defined role, that of music leader. The extent to which music leaders contribute to their musical environment is evaluated in a study of their continuing professional development. This evaluation was initiated by Youth Music, a UK organisation working alongside the formal and community-based sectors to support music-making and training.

AbstractThis article, written at the time it was taking place, discusses the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic is having on music education in schools, focusing on the UK. It discusses how schools and teachers have had to make a sudden shift to a largely on-line modality, and the effects of these on teaching and learning in music. It asks questions of curriculum and assessment, especially with regard to the fact that classroom teachers in England are having to use their professional judgment to provide grades for external examinations, where hitherto these would have come from examination boards. It questions the ways in which teachers have been inadequately prepared and supported for this, by years of neoliberal undermining of confidence. It goes on to question accountability, and teacher training, raising issues which, at the time of writing, are of significant concern or music education.

This article reports on a retrospective study of Finnish pre-service elementary teachers' assessments of their musical experiences in nursery school and elementary and secondary school and real-time study of their experiences in teacher training. The participants (N = 590) had received musical instruction in five age groups (4–6 years, 7–12 years, 13–15 years, 16–19 years, 20–25 years). The assessments were most positive in the 4–6 years group and thereafter declined until puberty in the 13–15 years group. A change in a positive direction was perceived in the 16–19 years group and also in the 20–25 years group (during teacher training). Gender differences were statistically significant except during upper secondary school. The most enjoyable activities in formal music education were singing and playing; music theory was experienced most negatively.

This paper presents some possibilities of distance learning in music teacher education. The research presented two teacher training programs at Kazan Federal University. The distance learning tools allowed to realize some important subject-oriented principles include self-education, self-realization, and creative approach. The result data were collected from tests results and analysis of self-assessment and questionnaires by quantitative and qualitative experimental methods. The results of the level of musical knowledge and creative activity were increased in the second distance learning group, but not in the first traditional group. Based on the experimental research work, the authors concluded that distance learning environment is a perspective way for develop education system. A distance tool allows us to reflect modern society changes where online format became the priority way for getting new competencies including professional skills in music teacher education.

This project outlines a design for, and presents an evaluation and validation of, an information and communication technology (ICT) training course on an initial teacher education programme for pre-service music teachers at a Spanish University. The primary objective was to improve initial teacher education in music technology through a course design with two key components: (1) constructivist learning through collaborative projects (PBL) and (2) the technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) integration framework. The course saw students carry out four real-life projects, three of which involved the elaboration of educational material through the exclusive use of musical technology, and one of which involved an ICT research project. Results were obtained through an end-product evaluation and a self-assessment questionnaire and indicated that the course was well received and highly valued by the participants. In their self-assessment responses, students spoke of the academic value of the course, a confidence in their own skills, their willingness to use ICTs in future teaching contexts, the importance of ICTs in their degree programme, the fact that the course surpassed their expectations in terms of achievement (a fact corroborated through data triangulation in the end-product evaluation) and the transferability of the knowledge acquired to the music classroom. Finally, they provided suggestions for potential improvements to the course.

The article presents the results of the diagnosis of acmeological culture of future music teachers in the process of singing. Based on the developed system of criteria and indicators of the structural components of the studied phenomenon (motivational-value, cognitive-developmental, communicative-heuristic and creative-projective), the contents of the phased diagnostic technique of the ascertaining experiment, which consists of pedagogical conversations, oral questioning, questioning, testing, essay – annotations, creative tasks, typical types of conducting and choral activities, expert assessments, mathematical methods of data processing. The levels of formation of the acmeological culture of future music teachers are determined, their substantive characteristics are formulated. Ukraine's accession to a single European educational space declares new requirements for professional training of music teachers. Increasingly, it is becoming necessary to focus higher education on the training of professionals capable of professional mobility, rapid adaptation to new educational conditions, self-realization and self-improvement throughout life – individuals with high levels of acmeological culture. According to the results of the ascertainment experiment, the calculation of the arithmetic mean of quantitative indicators by certain structural components was performed: motivational-value, cognitive-developmental, communicative-heuristic and creative-design. Of particular importance is the problem of formation of acmeological culture in the singing activity of future music teachers. It is the high professionalism of vocal-choral activity of the music teacher that not only enhances the prestige of the teacher's profession, but also provides a peculiarity of personal influence of the teacher-professional on the spiritual development of students by means of vocal-choral art.

Reykjavík College of Music offers a unique course of instruction for piano teachers. An important feature of this three-year course is the opportunities it gives for students to work with pupils of all abilities: from beginners to the higher grades. Students teach their pupils under supervision of professors of the College, and assessment includes practical teaching and the presentation of concerts by the students' pupils. The author describes the course, its contents and examination procedures, and stresses the need to develop individuality and open-mindedness in those wishing to make their careers as piano teachers.

Tertiary music students show patterns of playing-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs) similar to professionals, indicating the need for effective education in management and prevention during student years. When problems occur, music students are most likely to seek advice from their instrumental teachers; therefore, it is important for teachers to be involved in ensuring education programs are relevant to the occupational and artistic needs of both student and professional musicians. Musicians have previously reported improvements in outcomes associated with PRMDs and performance quality following Alexander Technique (AT) classes. In this study, 12 university music students and eight of their teachers evaluated video-recordings filmed before and after a semester of weekly, purpose-designed AT classes. Positive changes were observed in muscle tension, posture, tonal resonance, breathing, instrumental technique, and movement quality. Noted improvements were consistent with student participants’ subjective experiences, reported previously from questionnaire data. The results suggest that AT training at the instrument may have a direct positive impact on key factors associated with PRMDs as well as playing quality. Use of video assessments as a component of controlled, mixed-method studies with larger populations is recommended to establish the potential value of AT for inclusion in music training.

The article are given the scientific and methodological conditions for the production and progress of distance learning courses for future teachers of music through the competencebased, system, action approaches. The author identifies the components that are formed on the basis of the content of the course are and portion of the structure of the competence hierarchy of future music teacher. Materials of research are founded on the experience of education in the course of distance learning of Basic Musical Instrument (piano). The study considers the principal components of development and design of a distance learning course, including theoretical, practical, individual work, and control. The author grounds the specifics methods of distance learning for future teachers of music, in specific their instrumental training and the effectiveness of this training, differentiating the following main methods: of collecting information and using technologies of communication , such us multimedia and method of project . The criteria for control of information and skills were developed. The research was portion of educational experiment involving 52 bachelor students, Music Specialization. According to the results of the study, the study of the subject Basic Musical Instrument (Piano) using the Moodle learning environment contains a number of advantages, which are primarily manifested in higher assessment results of students’ learning. The motivational, musical instrumental and cognitive abilities of these students were approximately 10% higher than students who studied according to traditional methods. The opinion characterize the results of implementation and effectiveness of experimental study on the use of distance learning courses for the progressof instrumental performance competence of future teachers of music. The influence of different methods of distance learning on learner performance is also determined

IntroductionSelf-regulation (the ability to regulate emotion, attention, cognition and behaviour) is an integral part of early learning competence in the years prior to school. Self-regulation skills are critical to ongoing learning behaviours, achievement and well-being. Emerging neurological evidence suggests coordinated music and movement participation could support self-regulation development for all children. A pilot study in 2016 introduced a coordinated music and movement programme designed to boost self-regulation skills in children in disadvantaged communities, delivered by visiting specialists, with promising findings. The intervention is based on the neuroscience of beat synchronisation, rhythmic entrainment and the cognitive benefits of music therapy and music education—and is called Rhythm and Movement for Self-Regulation (RAMSR). This study builds on the pilot by training regular teachers to deliver RAMSR in their classrooms (rather than visiting specialists). The study aims to establish the effectiveness of RAMSR, which is designed to translate the cognitive benefits that accrue from rhythm participation to address self-regulation for children who do not typically access high-quality music programmes.Methods and analysisWe will recruit 237 children from up to eight kindergartens in low socioeconomic areas. Intervention: teachers will be trained to deliver the RAMSR intervention during group time in kindergartens, daily for 8 weeks. Control: usual practice kindergarten programme. Follow-up: end of intervention using child assessments and teacher report; 12 months postbaseline using school teacher reports following school transition. Primary outcomes: executive function and self-regulation. Secondary outcomes: school readiness; visual-motor integration; teacher-reported behaviour problems, school transition and academic competency; teacher knowledge, confidence, practice and attitudes related to self-regulation, rhythm and movement; fidelity of intervention implementation.Ethics and disseminationQueensland University of Technology Human Research Ethics Committee, approval 1900000566. Findings dissemination: in-field workshops to service providers, conference presentations, journal and professional publications.Trial registration numberACTRN12619001342101; Pre-results (30 September 2019).

<p>The article deals with the attitude of music school teachers (N=367) towards music innovations and their dissemination. This analysis grounds on a significant research of attitudes of music pedagogues working in schools in Lithuania; this research aims at diagnosing how current music education changes/remains unchanged in the context of paradigm change, under the impact of manifestation of professional attitudes of pedagogues. Obtained results of the empirical research provided valuable information on delivered music education and possible innovations in its various fields. Therefore, the present article will present a relevant part of the mentioned research – pedagogues’ attitudes towards innovations selected and suggested by researchers, hypothetically postulating that they are the most lacking in current music education. The research found out that pedagogues were quite favourable towards dissemination of innovations. Education of people with disabilities and training of adults were supported the most, whereas the least approval was expressed towards the change of the assessment system and possibilities for organisation of group learning. Pedagogues treat new disciplines, such as improvisation, ensemble, accompaniment, reading notes, performing music aurally, as important.</p>

Here is lack of clarity in documentation regarding music performers’ training in Lithuania and internationally. Here is lack of information and research-based knowledge regarding strategies, methods, philosophies, competencies and etc., regarding music performers’ training. So why it seems for society as “for granted” and that is based on personal talents that are heritage. Also here is lack of documents on requirements for teachers, who prepare the music performers. The aim of the study is to discuss the issue of music performers’ training and education regarding orientations, directions, characteristics and other peculiarities with the focus on a current training and education situation. The study is based on document analysis. Documents on musicians’ training, which exist in Lithuania and internationally, they lack precision, clarity, specificity in terms of specializations, instruments, levels of achievement(s), specifications for performance assessment, and levels of professionalism achieved. Most of the documents are generic, politicized, and their content is deliberative about how it must be, what shows that documents do not rely on empirical research evidence within the practical reality, and are not oriented to realistic ways, how to achieve the specific results that reflect the quality of musical performance.

Study projects are an important part of university studies. They are involved not only for estimating separate study subjects but also for estimating an overall study quality, final study outcomes. The article examines final projects of music pedagogy which are prepared at Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences: peculiarities, educational importance and possibilities to strengthen practical training of future music teachers, by developing project and research activities competencies at university. The abilities of development are being presented in the context of study quality, final study outcomes. The aim of the research. To analyze music pedagogy projects defended in Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences and to determine the peculiarities of achieved project and research activity competencies (study outcomes). Methods of the research. Analysis of scientific sources, document analysis, expert method, content analysis. Results. Conclusions of the results reveal that competencies of project and research activities most often are only partially achieved by a music pedagogy students. The level of achievement of these competencies – study outcomes – is not the same: the easiest activities for bachelor’s students are to plan and organize independently the investigations of professional activities, to implement education projects; whereas, the most difficult ones are to formulate a research problem, to analyze and interpret research data, to prepare research report. The worst acquired abilities of project activities (study outcomes) are: to determine relevant problems of music education, to validate a project under the appropriate methods, to formulate a scientific report. Within research activities (study outcomes) group the graduates find most difficult tasks, such as: to choose a particular research strategy, to select or compose research instruments, to describe properly results of data analysis, research conclusions and recommendations. The research reveals essential factors, which caused the difficulties in preparing (writing) Bachelor’s projects (paper) on music pedagogy: the lack of various literacy and research skills. These competencies (study outcomes) ought to be improved both individually and during the modules of university studies, which particularly focusing on research skills and action research (projects).

The aim of this paper is to provide insights into the appropriateness of teaching-learning and evaluation processes using rubrics, for student self-assessments. We studied students enrolled on the Master’s in Secondary Education Teaching—Music Specialism course. In the Spanish secondary education system, music is seen as increasing equity and improving student performance in line with the Agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goals. The training of new teachers and the ongoing professional development of the current teaching force are critical for improving the quality of education. We adopted an action-research approach and obtained feedback from the Masters’ students via questionnaires administered at the start and end of the process (pre- and post-test). Our results show that using rubrics as formative and shared assessment tools has a positive influence on students’ perceptions of their acquisition of both transversal and specific competencies, as well as demonstrating the utility of rubrics for their future professional practice. However, rubrics on their own are not sufficient to increase the facility for learning and awareness among students.

It is the great honor for us to edit proceedings of “10th World Conference on Learning, Teaching and Educational Leadership (WCLTA-2019)” held on 01-03 November, at the Novotel Conference Center Athens –Greece. This privileged scientific event has contributed to the field of educational sciences and research for ten years. As the guest editors of this issue, we are glad to see variety of articles focusing on the Active Learning, Administration of Education, Adult Education, Affective Learning, Arts Teaching, Asynchronous Learning, Behaviorist Learning, Biology Education, Blended Learning, Chemistry Education, Classroom Assessment, Classroom Management, Classroom Teacher Education, Collaborative Learning, College and Higher Education, Constructivist Learning, Content Development, Counseling Underperformers, Course and Programme Evaluation, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving Development, Curriculum and Instruction, Democracy Education, Desktop Sharing, Developmental Psychology, Digital Content, Creation, Preservation and Delivery, Distance Learning, E-administration, E-assessment, Education and Culture, Educational Administration, Educational Technology, E-learning, E-Learning Strategies, E-Library and Learning Resources, Embedding Soft Skills in Curriculum Development, Enhancing and Integrating Employability, Environmental Education, ESL Education, E-teaching, Evaluation of e- Learning Technologies, Evaluation of Student Satisfaction, Faculty Development and Support, Future Learning Trends and Globalization, Gaming, Simulation and, Virtual Worlds, Guiding and Counseling, Healthy Education, High School Teacher Education, History Education, Human Resources in Education, Human Resources Management, Human Rights Education, Humanistic Learning, Information Literacy Support for Teaching, Learning and Assessment, Innovation and Changing in Education, Innovations in e-Assessment, Innovative Teaching Strategies, Institutional Audit and Quality Assurance, Institutional Performance, Instructional Design, Instructional Design,, Knowledge Management in Education, Language Learning and Teaching, Language Teacher Education, Learner Centered Strategies, Learners Diversity, Inclusiveness and Inequality, Learning and Teaching Research Methods, Learning Assessment and Evaluation, Learning Disabilities, Learning Psychology, Learning Skills, Learning Theories, Lifelong Learning Strategies, Mathematics Learning and Teaching, Measurement and Evaluation in Education, Middle School Teacher Education, Mobile Learning, Multi-cultural Education, Multiple Intelligences, Music Learning and Teaching, New Learning Environments, New Learning Web Technologies, Nursery Education, Outcome-based Education, Performance Assessment, Physics Education, Portfolio Assessment, Pre-school Education, Primary School Education, Professional Development, School Administration, Science Education, Science Teaching, Social Networking and Interactive, Participatory Applications and Services, Social Sciences Teaching, Special Education, Sport and Physical Education, Strategic Alliances, Collaborations and Partnerships, Student Diversity, Student Motivation, Supporting Students Experience, Table of Specifications, Teacher skills, Teacher Training, Technology and the Learning Environment, Virtual Classroom Management, Vocational Education, Web Conferencing and etc. Furthermore, the conference is getting more international each year, which is an indicator that it is getting worldwide known and recognized. Scholars from all over the world contributed to the conference. Special thanks are to all the reviewers, the members of the international editorial board, the publisher, and those involved in technical processes. We would like to thank all who contributed to in every process to make this issue actualized. A total of 82 full papers or abstracts were submitted for this conference and each paper has been peer reviewed by the reviewers specialized in the related field. At the end of the review process, a total of 26 high quality research papers were selected and accepted for publication. I hope that you will enjoy reading the papers. Guest Editors Prof. Dr. Jesús Garcia Laborda, University of Alcala, Spain Editorial Assistant Zeynep Genc, Phd. Istanbul Aydin University, Istanbul, Turkey

The development of the creative potential of individuals is considered to be one of the requirements of modern education. As in all areas, the development of students’ creative potential is also among the objectives of education programs in music education. The ability of music teachers to achieve this objective and create creative learning environments for their own students’ creative potential, is dependent on their training in such a learning environment.In this regard, one aim of this research is to develop a scale which can assess the creativity based learning environment for Major Instrument courses carried out within faculties of Education, Fine Arts Education, Music Education programs. The second aim is to evaluate using this scale, the creativity based learning environment for the Major Instrument courses carried out in the Buca Faculty of Education, Department of Music Education.The scale was developed as 5 point Likert scale and was applied to 528 students who were studying in the Faculty of Education, Fine Arts Education, Music Education Department in several universities during the 2012–2013 academic year. The data was analyzed with SPSS 16.0. Additionally, the LISREL 8.8 program was used for confirmatory factor analyses.After items distorting the factor structure were removed, the scale was left with 12 items. The scale’s Cronbach Alpha value was determined as .928. At the end of the confirmatory factor analysis the level of fit criteria were found to be; : 4.0; RMSEA: .07; NNFI: .98; CFI: .98; GFI: .94. The data show that the scale in general has an improved fit.The scale was applied to 72 students studying at the Buca Faculty of Education, Fine Arts Education, Music Education Department in the 2014–2015 academic year with the aim of determining the Major Instrument courses’ learning environments. The scale’s Cronbach Alpha value was determined as .948.Responses by students taking Major Instrument courses showed that lessons were carried out in creativity based ( =3.95) and positive learning environments ( =4.25) in which the students’ creativity was supported ( =3.73). With regard to the creativity based learning environment, Major Instrument Guitar courses presented the highest level ( =4.55) and Major Instrument Baglama course, the lowest ( =2.95).

The development of modern styles of elite music education played a crucial role in entrenching Werktreue as the dominant practice within classical music performance. Focusing on Germany’s first conservatory, the Leipzig conservatory, which was founded in 1843, this article analyzes how Werktreue, understood as a set of tacit competencies and sensibilities that must be learned by musicians, was produced at a single historical site. Archival documents of the institution, as well as the correspondence and writings of teachers and students like Felix Mendelssohn, William Rockstro, and Ethel Smyth, show that the central objective of musical pedagogy was the faithful interpretation of musical works. Isolated as a discrete subject of training, performing musical works also functioned as the principal mode of student assessment through semesterly examinations. To transmit the necessary skills for this paradigm of performance, pupils’ bodily capacities (Technik) and ability to understand and interpret canonic compositions (Vortrag) became essential targets of conservatory pedagogy. Ubiquitous visibility among students, and the intense competition that this visibility engendered, went hand in hand with institutionalizing styles of musical expertise that continue to this day. In exploring these developments, this article asks how the productive power of modern conservatory training contributed not only to Werktreue’s rise over a wide geography, but also to the remarkable stability with which it has pervaded performance practice across multiple generations.

Modern society is increasingly acquiring features of a ‘knowledge society’ as it develops based on the processes of production, distribution and use of scientific knowledge that allow to construct a new social reality, its economic and mental structures, a new way of life. This context makes relevant the issues of changing the socio-cultural status, functions and new tasks of the Institute of Higher Education as one of the main producers and disseminators of scientific knowledge. Much attention at the present stage of development of higher education is paid to the problem of transferring it to a musical innovative basis, i.e. considering such musical innovative elements in the training that would ensure an appropriate level of competitiveness of domestic education in the globalization of art. The article aims to substantiate and develop the methodological approach to the analysis of accordion art of Serbia in the context of the introduction of musical innovations. The research develops and substantiates a methodological approach to the analysis of accordion art, the main essential features of which are the assessment of each individual art component of experimental training, generalization of results and implementation of measures to improve the quality of professional communicative competence. It specifies indicators based on sustainable art components. To determine the intervals for assessing the quality of performance of future music teachers in the process of teaching accordion, the author proposes a corresponding scale.

From time to time the standard and content of musical education in Danish Teacher Training Colleges has been the subject of strong criticism. It has been argued that the courses are out of date; that they should be modernised, and that the quality of instruction should be improved. Yet the criticism is often imprecise – possibly because those who make it are not themselves sufficiently well-informed about the details of the existing courses and the problems faced by those who have to teach and administer them. The author, a very experienced musician, author of numerous music-education publications, and himself a Lecturer at a Teachers College, discusses the principles and problems of organising music as a specialist area of the teacher-education programme.

The content of music teacher education study programmes is conditioned by the needs of the market economy and information society, higher education as a mass phenomenon, penetration of humanist ideas into the curricula and many other factors. The aim of these study programmes is to respond to the needs of society, develop the competencies of teacher education and establish the right conditions for successful implementation and to achieve the intended learning outcomes. The training of music teachers in China requires overall improvement in the level of music teacher training. The Ministry of National Education provides the curriculum for music teacher education as well as the guidelines for teaching compulsory courses for music teachers at general institutions and prestigious universities in China. This profession is important in professional courses and in the field of pedagogy; therefore, integrating the content of elective courses into professional courses could be more prolific and comprehensive. Keywords: Music teacher education, study programme, music education.

Background. The modern practice of teaching and training the specialists of higher education, in particular, choral performance specialists, introduces new requirements to the content of education and organization of the educational process, emphasizing the importance and necessity of using the independent work of students in nowadays conditions. In this connection, there is a need to determine the directions of the independent work of students and to systematize this type of work in the educational process. Objectives. The purpose of the article is to define and theoretically substantiate all aspects of the independent work of students in the process of the vocal education for the further formation of their professional skills. Methods. To solve this task, the following methods were used: studying the state of the problem in the practice of the present (analysis of curricula content and educational and methodical literature); the analysis of academic progress and performing activity of the vocal students; the research and generalization of pedagogical experience. Results. In the vocal training, the independent work of students involves organizing their educational activities both during practice in the classroom and in the process of working outside the classroom in such a way as to get the intended result. Planning the independent work on solo singing allows finding the concrete ways of the development of vocal skills and criteria for evaluation in the professional training of a specialist. The essence of organization of the independent work of students in the process of learning singing is concluded in the creation and implementation of a specific system of tasks, which takes in account general didactic principles and the interdisciplinary interactions arising in the educational process in the formation of vocal abilities and skills. The planning of this work is carried out on the basis of both the focused activity of the teacher, who poses the necessary tasks and controls the results of their implementation, as well as the organization of the student’s own extra-curricular work, containing moments of introspection and self-assessment of the achieved results. So, the organization of the independent work of students in the process of singing education should be carried out necessarily taking into account the person-oriented approach. The independent work on solo singing is considered as a specific form of the educational activity of the student and is characterized by a number of the following psychological and pedagogical peculiarities. First, it is a continuation and extension of the vocal-performing activity in classroom organized expediently by the teacher, which stimulates students to the further professional work in the lessons-free time. In this case, the educational and cognitive activity of the student during his/her individual classes is called to act as a kind of the algorithm for the independent work on the preparation of the vocal concert program. Secondly, the student’s independent work on solo singing should be understood by him/her as a chosen and internally motivated activity, which includes: a) the awareness of the goals of his/her activities; b) the adoption or setting of a vocal-performing or vocal-methodical task; c) the self-organization in the distribution of the educational load in time; d) the adjustment of own work on the basis of self-control and self-esteem. Thirdly, the students’ independent work on solo singing should be a highly organized form of the educational activity, and the methods of its execution should be conditioned by the level of development a number of student’s personal qualities. These include: self-regulation, which involves a certain level of the self-awareness; an adequate self-esteem; active thinking; independence; time management skills; purposefulness; the complex of will qualities, as well as the so-called substantive self-regulation. An important indicator of the formation of the student’s substantive self-regulation is the availability of skills related to the definition of the goal and the final results of the proposed tasks. In determining the tasks for the independent work of students, it is necessary to cover several aspects: the complexity on theoretical and practical levels; the necessity to include tasks with increasing complexity, as well as use of interdisciplinary connections. The tasks for self-mastering of material should adhere to the following principles: 1) the principle of minimizing the level of the complexity and amount of scientific information, vocal exercises and compositions; 2) the principle of coherence of the content of the educational material for the independent work with the previously presented scientific information, studied vocal material during individual classes; the reflection in the content of essential information on the topic being studied, interdisciplinary connections, stylistic diversity of the vocal music; 3) the principle of the correspondence of the volume and the complexity of the selected vocal material to the real possibilities and individual characteristics of the students and to the time interval allocated in accordance with the curriculum; 4) the principle of the content-technological continuity between the forms and methods of independent study of the material by the students, the self-examination of vocal knowledge, skills and abilities. Also, the article deals with: a) the ways of organizing the independent work of students on solo singing; b) the plan of the independent work on a vocal composition; and c) the conditions for the effectiveness of the students’ independent work. Conclusion. So, the independent work on solo singing is considered as a specific form of the educational work of the student and is characterized as an activity that is purposeful, internally motivated, structured and adjusted by the student himself/herself. Its implementation involves a sufficient level of self-awareness, self-discipline, personal responsibility, and creativity of the learner, which allows one to consider the independent activities of students as a process of self-improvement and self-knowledge. Independent work is a necessary component of the vocational training of the singer and a specific form of his educational activity, which is characterized by certain psychological and pedagogical features, namely: - it organically complements and continues the vocal and performing activity during the individual lessons in the classroom, contributing to the unveiling of the student’s creative potential and its formation as a thinking artistic personality; - independent work should be perceived by a student as a chosen and internally motivated activity, since the development of the motivational sphere stimulates the growth of his professional interest in vocal performance and nurtures his/her ability to develop strategies for forming a system of vocal skills, hence, the strategies of success.

This study determined the implementation of learning management used by teachers in improving student achievement. The data collection methods are observation, interview and documentation, then checking the validity of the data by comparing the information provided by the informant and the observation data with the results of the interview, then the data is analyzed qualitatively. From the results of the study, it was found that: 1) the implementation of learning management by teachers in improving student achievement was carried out by identifying, objectives, benefits, planning steps, planning stages, including indicators or quality targets to be achieved as a process of increasing learning achievement students in order to realize the quality of education; 2) the inhibiting factor for the implementation of learning management at SDN in Babat Toman Subdistrict, Musi Banyuasin Regency, namely the lack of awareness of teachers to compile lesson plans, many students are passive in implementing learning even though they have been given a stimulus by the teacher and the lack of variation in assessments carried out by the teacher and too many students so the time allocation for conducting the assessment is insufficient or difficult; 3) a solution to overcoming obstacles, namely by conducting trainings on how to compile a good syllabus and lesson plans applying learning strategies that are evaluated by varying assessment techniques.

Research about the delivery of music teacher education programs indicates a number of areas which should be addressed. The report below describes innovative practice in an advanced elementary methods course at the University of Victoria, British Columbia. In Music Education 306, theory and practice were connected through student-directed discussions of foundation issues; the development of personal musical competencies; observation, teaching in the schools, and reflection on practice; the challenge to examine issues critically; and student involvement in the planning of their own learning and assessment. Excerpts from student reflections illustrate some of the learning which occurred.

The articles in this Issue of the BJME are all focused on the education of music teachers, though from different parts of the world. Betty Hanley, writing from Canada, is concerned especially with students' involvement in their own learning and with the development of student competencies and the ability to be critical; while another Canadian colleague, Hugh Johnston, investigates the importance of feedback and peer-assessment in teacher education, with special reference to acquiring the skills of rehearsing and directing performance groups.

Educational conditions reflect society’s cultural traditions and political system, in turn affecting society’s development. The development of the younger generation is guided by way of education, for which reason working out educational policy requires the participation of society’s various interest groups. This article analyses changes in the teaching of history in the transitional period from the Soviet era to restored independent statehood. The development of subject content, the complicated role of the history teacher, the training of history teachers, and the start of the renewal of textbooks and educational literature are examined. The aim is to ascertain in retrospect the developments that took place prior to the restoration of Estonia’s independence, in other words the first steps that laid the foundation for today’s educational system. Legislation, documents, publications, and media reports preserved in the archives of the Ministry of Education and Research and the Archival Museum of Estonian Pedagogics were drawn upon in writing this article, along with the recollections of teachers who worked in schools in that complicated period. These recollections were gathered by way of interviews (10) and questionnaires (127). Electronic correspondence has been conducted with key persons who participated in changes in education in order to clarify information, facts, conditions and circumstances. The discussion in education began with a congress of teachers in 1987, where the excessive regulation of education was criticised, along with school subjects with outdated content, and the curriculum that was in effect for the entire Soviet Union. The resolution of the congress presented the task of building a national and independent Estonian school system. The congress provided an impetus for increasing social activeness. An abundance of associations and unions of teachers and schools emerged in the course of the educational reform of the subsequent years. After the congress, the Minister of Education, Elsa Gretškina, initiated a series of expert consultations at the Republic-wide Institute for In-service Training of Teachers (VÕT) for reorganising general education. The pedagogical experience of Estonia and other countries was analysed, new curricula were drawn up and evaluated, and new programmes were designed for school subjects. The solution was seen in democratising education: in shaping the distinctive character of schools, taking into account specific local peculiarities, establishing alternative schools, differentiating study, increasing awareness and the relative proportion of humanities subjects and foreign language study, better integrating school subjects, and ethical upbringing. The problems of schools where Russian was the language of instruction were also discussed. The Ministry of Education announced a competition for school programmes in 1988 to find innovative ideas for carrying out educational reform. The winning programme prescribed compulsory basic education until the end of the 9th grade, and opportunities for specialisation starting in the second year of study in secondary school, that is starting in the 11th grade. Additionally, the programme prescribed a transition to a 12-grade system of study. Schools where Russian was the language of instruction were to operate separately, but were obliged to teach the Estonian language and Estonian literature, history, music and other subjects. Hitherto devised innovative ideas for developing Estonian education were summed up in the education platform, which is a consensual document that was approved at the end of 1988 at the conference of Estonian educators and in 1989 by the board of the ESSR State Education Committee. The constant reorganisation of institutions hindered development in educational conditions. The activity of the Education Committee, which had been formed in 1988 and brought together different spheres of educational policy, was terminated at the end of 1989, when the tasks of the committee were once again transferred to the Ministry of Education. The Republic-wide Institute for In-service Training of Teachers, the ESSR Scientific-Methodical Cabinet for Higher and Secondary Education, the ESSR Teaching Methodology Cabinet, the ESSR Preschool Upbringing Methodology Cabinet, and the ESSR Vocational Education Teaching and Methodology Cabinet were all closed down in 1989. The Estonian Centre for the Development of Education was formed in July of 1989 in place of the institutions that were closed down. The Institute for Pedagogical Research was founded on 1 April 1991 as a structural subunit of the Tallinn Pedagogical Institute, and was given the task of developing study programmes for general education schools. The Institute for the Scientific Research of Pedagogy (PTUI) was also closed down as part of the same reorganisation. The work of history and social studies teachers was considered particularly complicated and responsible in that period. The salary rate of history teachers working in secondary schools was raised in 1988 by 15% over that of teachers of other subjects, since their workload was greater than that of teachers of other subjects – the renewal of teaching materials did not catch up with the changes that were taking place in society and teachers themselves had to draw up pertinent teaching materials in place of Soviet era textbooks. Articles published in the press, newer viewpoints found in the media, published collections of documents, national radio broadcasts, historical literature and school textbooks from before the Second World War, and writings of notable historians, including those that were published in the press throughout the Soviet Union, were used for this purpose. Teachers had extensive freedom in deciding on the content of their subject matter, since initially there were no definite arrangements in that regard. A history programme group consisting of volunteer enthusiasts took shape at a brainstorming session held after the teachers’ congress. This group started renewing subject matter content and working out a new programme. The PTUI had already launched developmental work. There in the PTUI, Silvia Õispuu coordinated the development of history subject matter content (this work continued until 1993, when this activity became the task of the National Bureau of Schools). The curriculum for 1988 still remained based on history programmes that were in effect throughout the Soviet Union. The greatest change was the teaching of history as a unified course in world history together with themes from the history of the Estonian SSR. The first new curriculum was approved in the spring of 1989, according to which the academic year was divided up into three trimesters. The school week was already a five-day week by then, which ensured 175 days of study per year. The teaching of history began in the 5th grade and it was taught two hours per week until the end of basic school (grades 5 – 9). Compulsory teaching of history was specified for everyone in the 10th grade in secondary school, so-called basic education for two hours a week. The general and humanities educational branches had to study history three hours a week while the sciences branch only had to study history for two hours a week. Students were left to decide on optional subjects and elective subjects based on their own preferences and on what the school was able to offer. The new conception of teaching history envisaged that students learn to know the past through teaching both in the form of a general overview as well as on the basis of events and phenomena that most characterise the particular era under consideration. The teacher was responsible for choosing how in-depth the treatment of the subject matter would be. The new programmes were implemented in their entirety in the academic year of 1990/1991. At the same time, work continued on improving subject programmes. After ideological treatments were discarded, the aim became to make teaching practice learner-oriented. The new curriculum was optional for schools where the language of instruction was Russian. Recommendations for working with renewed subject content regarding Estonian themes in particular were conveyed by way of translated materials. These schools mostly continued to work on the basis of the structure and subject content that was in effect in the Soviet Union, teaching only the history of the Soviet Union and general history. Certain themes from Estonian history were considered in parallel with and on the basis of the course on the history of the Soviet Union. The number of lessons teaching the national official language (Estonian) was increased in the academic year of 1989/1990 and a year later, subjects from the Estonian curriculum started being taught, including Estonian history. The national curriculum for Estonian basic education and secondary education was finally unified once and for all in Estonia’s educational system in 1996. During the Soviet era, the authorities attempted to make the teaching profession attractive by offering long summer breaks, pension insurance, subsidised heating and electricity for teachers in the countryside, and apartments free of charge. This did not compensate the lack of professional freedom – teachers worked under the supervision of inspectors since the Soviet system required history teachers to justify Soviet ideology. The effectiveness of each teacher’s work was assessed on the basis of social activeness and the grades of their students. The content and form of Sovietera teacher training were the object of criticism. They were assessed as not meeting the requirements of the times and the needs of schools. Changes took place in the curricula of teacher training in 1990/1991. Teachers had to reassess and expand their knowledge of history during the transitional period. Participation in social movements such as the cultural heritage preservation movement also shaped their mentality. The key question was educational literature. The government launched competitions and scholarships in order to speed up the completion of educational literature. A teaching aid for secondary school Estonian history was published in 1989 with the participation of 18 authors. Its aim was set as the presentation of historical facts that are as truthful as possible from the standpoint of the Estonian people. Eesti ajalugu (The History of Estonia) is more of a teacher’s handbook filled with facts that lacks a methodical part, and does not include maps, explanations of terms or illustrations meant for students. The compendious treatment of Estonian history Kodulugu I and II (History of our Homeland) by Mart Laar, Lauri Vahtre and Heiki Valk that was published in the Loomingu Raamatukogu series was also used as a textbook in 1989. It was not possible to publish all planned textbooks during the transitional period. The first round of textbooks with renewed content reached schools by 1994. Since the authors had no prior experience and it was difficult to obtain original material, the authors of the first textbooks were primarily academic historians and the textbooks had a scholarly slant. They were voluminous and filled with facts, and their wording was complicated, which their weak methodical part did not compensate. Here and there the effect of the Soviet era could still be felt in both assessments and the use of terminology. There were also problems with textbook design and their printing quality. Changes in education did not take place overnight. Both Soviet era tradition that had become ingrained over decades as well as innovative ideas could be encountered simultaneously in the transitional period. The problem that the teaching of history faced in the period that has been analysed here was the wording of the focus and objectives of teaching the subject, and the balancing of knowledge of history, skills, values and attitudes in the subject syllabus. First of all, Soviet rhetoric and the viewpoint centring on the Soviet Union were abandoned. The so-called blank gaps in Estonian history were restored in the content of teaching history since it was not possible to study the history of the independent Republic of Estonia during the Soviet era or to gain an overview of deportations and the different regimes that occupied Estonia. Subject content initially occupied a central position, yet numerous principles that have remained topical to this day made their way into the subject syllabus, such as the development of critical thinking in students and other such principles. It is noteworthy that programmes for teaching history changed before the restoration of Estonia’s independence, when society, including education, still operated according to Soviet laws. A great deal of work was done over the course of a couple of years. The subsequent development of the teaching of history has been affected by social processes as well as by the didactic development of the teaching of the subject. The school reform that was implemented in 1987–1989 achieved relative independence from the Soviet Union’s educational institutions, and the opportunity emerged for self-determination on the basis of curricula and the organisation of education.

Each profession has its own characteristics, and the profession of a music teacher has its own secrets and requirements. The uniqueness of the professional competencies of the future teacher is reflected in the fact that they are aimed at enriching the inner world of students in the music sphere with spiritual values and content that are reflected in the works of musical art. Professional spiritual competences reflect the specificity and spiritual nature of the practice of musical pedagogy. Their formation is one of the most pressing problems inherent in the modern system of music education, and is a prerequisite for determining the effectiveness of the professional activity of a music teacher and his educational work with children.

AbstractHuman capital represents for Moldova the basic resource for long-term development. The quality of human resources is largely ensured by the education system. The lack of a systemic approach to changes in education is identified in the National Development Strategy “Moldova 2030” as a causal factor in guaranteeing quality education for all. Artificial separation of training (teaching of academic content) from education is still ongoing. In the context of sustainable development, current topics are taught rather mechanically than practiced. Extensively new and often optional curricula are added, instead of integrating these topics into core disciplines and used as a basis for reviewing barriers between disciplines and applied strategies, so that they become more interactive and more targeted. towards the development of transversal competences.There are imperative models / projects of education oriented towards the attainment of the transdisciplinary and transversal competences, oriented towards a graduate endowed with transdisciplinary competences, formed through the prism of all the studied school disciplines and that allow him the active participation in the social and economic life. Promoting curricular approaches through one-day cross-disciplinary activities (recommended in the national curriculum) requires the extension of the competence of the teachers in the field of interdisciplinary learning. Required: collaborative planning (between teachers from different disciplines / curricular areas / domains), models of educational approach that use Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Mathematics (STEAM) as access points for guidance in the learning process, in the context of real life, through transdisciplinarity.In the article are: (a) described the practices of integrating the arts in STEAM education in the USA, (b) identified the prospects for integrating the school disciplines in the curricular arts area into the STEAM education in the primary education level in the Republic of Moldova. STEAM education is an innovative initiative in learning, which supports the development and practice of the skills of students and young people of the century. XXI, considered one of the main trends in world education, practiced in the US and over 10 countries in the EU. The integration of STEAM education models into the Moldovan education system (starting with early education and primary education) can contribute to the effective implementation of educational policies through the regulatory function (targeted by the teleological component) and the strategic function targeted by the content and process components.

There has long been concern about the confidence and performance of the so-called non-specialist teacher of Music in the primary school. Although much research has focused on the long-term solution of educating student teachers, it is important that practising teachers are not forgotten. Many forms of training are available which attempt to help these teachers develop their current practice. This article looks at the effectiveness of this provision by examining a survey of teacher opinion, and suggests ways in which this may inform future practice in this vital area of teacher development.

This article examines the difference between the systems of education in Northern Ireland and on the mainland. For student teachers preparing for the Secondary phase, the isolation of Northern Ireland needs to be counterbalanced. Assisting students to adopt a curriculum philosophy very different from that which underpins their own recent school experiences requires both careful preparation and the support of appropriate classroom experiences. In preparing Primary school teachers to use music in their classroom two issues need to be addressed: the development of musical understanding in students with minimal practical musical skill, and the preparation of specialists to adopt the role of Music Co-ordinator in their schools. Account needs to be taken in the training of all teachers of the cross-curricular themes of Education for Mutual Understanding, Cultural Heritage and Information Technology. Finally, the author proposes a strategy for musical support and development of classroom teachers serving in primary schools.

This study examined popular music in preservice music teacher training programmes in the United States. The researchers explored types of courses and programmes offered in undergraduate music education programmes to prepare future music teachers to teach popular music. Quantitative data revealed trends in the inclusion of popular music within undergraduate music education programmes, determined music teacher educators’ perceptions of their students’ attitudes towards using popular music in the general music classroom, and examined the types of popular music pedagogy needed for preservice music educators. Qualitative data ascertained perceived confidence levels of graduates to utilize popular music. Results revealed that western classical music is the focus for the majority of music educators’ undergraduate degree programmes and that often music teacher preparation programmes ignore popular music study. Bridging the gap between western classical and popular music would help prepare teachers to include and value all types of music in K-12 music education.

The purpose of this study was to identify and describe high-stakes assessment practices in the field of music teacher education. Furthermore, I sought to compare institutional capstone assessment practices with state licensure requirements. Research questions involved the status of high-stakes assessments of general, content, and pedagogical knowledge, as well as high-stakes teacher performance assessments (e.g., edTPA). Participants in this study included faculty representatives ( N = 274) from National Association of Schools of Music–accredited music teacher education programs across all 50 states. The majority of participants indicated that preservice candidates were required to pass a test of general knowledge as a gatekeeper to acceptance into the music teacher licensure program, as well as a variety of other examinations prior to graduation. More than one half of participants reported that their institution required music teacher candidates to complete a teacher performance assessment (e.g., edTPA). Alignment between state and institution requirements was varied.

Professional training of music teacher is a versatile and creative process. It includes numerous areas, such as instrumental and vocal training, studying pedagogical technologies for working with children, studying masterpieces of world music art, and, certainly, studying digital resources and technologies. Digital education space is a digital environment integrating opportunities of digital education resources, computer-aided music technologies and tools, which is the basis in training music teacher. The importance of skills of setting as interactive accompaniment and basic user accompaniment in the form of phonogram is also stipulated by the specificity of accompaniment activity of music teacher as one of the major constituents of professional readiness. Imagination of music teacher as a concertmaster (accompanist of children singing) exerts the influence on whether he would be able by means of expressive playing and keyboard technique to underline and to support the temper of children singing, to present clearly and to reproduce instrument features by piano. That is, a music teacher should be aware of organology, know features of instrument sounding and peculiarities of various instruments. This is sufficiently aided by sequencer software with embedded banks of virtual tunes on synthesizer. In digital education space, video is presented as teaching aid for transfer of learning information, that is, it is considered as video aid, video device used for organization of education. Under existing conditions of distance learning, the interaction between teacher–choirmaster, teacher–vocalist, concertmaster, and students is supported by information and communication technologies. Therefore, mastering means and resources of digital education space is aimed at improved of professional training of future music teacher being the basis of formation of personal capabilities and skills of student.

The article examines pedagogical activity as a way of social and cultural practice of the individual, which implements the tasks of preserving national traditions, adapting and regulating the process of professional development of a future teacher. The modernization of the educational system of Ukraine is determined by the tendencies of European integration, which can be considered an essential lever of success not only for the economic and political transformation of society, but also for strategic changes in the educational policy of Ukraine. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the practical importance of media education, taking into account modern trends in the modernization of the educational system in Ukraine in the era of globalization of the world educational space. To achieve this goal, the following tasks were set: to consider the role of media education in the professional activities of future music education specialists, to substantiate media education as a component of general education, and media literacy and media competence as a component of the professional and general culture of a modern music teacher; identify ways to solve the problem of the need for media education in the professional activity of a future musician teacher; to reveal and analyze promising directions for increasing the level of media educational training of future music teachers in social relations, new dimensions of his self-realization; substantiate the conclusions and directions for further consideration of the selected problem. The main methods used in the study are comparative, analytical, systemic and structural. Conclusions. We consider media education as a component of ICT, which includes, on the one hand, knowledge, skills and abilities of their application, on the other hand, media literacy, media competence and media culture. We associate the training of future teachers of musical disciplines using ICT tools with the need to improve the state educational standard by introducing new specialties, the need for which is dictated by the current state of art education and culture. The practical implementation of media education requires a change in scientific views on the need to introduce media education as a component of general education, and media literacy and media competence as an integral part of the professional and general culture of a modern music teacher. The solution to the problem posed also depends on the understanding of the value of professional activity, which occurs only through the actualization of the processes of self-awareness by future teachers-musicians, revealing themselves in the search for the meaning of artistic values. Key words: media education, modernization of professional training, musical and pedagogical activity, information and communication technologies, future teacher-musician.

This paper assessed the impact of two teacher training degrees in Physical Education, one focusing on primary school teaching and the other one concerning secondary school teaching. Data from students of both degrees were statistically compared and contrasted taking into account four training scopes from the Questionnaire of Perception of Teaching Skills in Physical Education. A three-stage analysis was carried out: (i) a descriptive stage, (ii) an invariance analysis, and (iii) a comparison of latent means across the degrees. The results show significant statistical differences between the two degrees regarding the training impact on developing skills for physical and motor development basics, contents for learning, and physical activity promoting health; however, no statistically significant differences were found regarding the learning and teaching processes in Physical Education. Moreover, in both degrees, the training proved to be insufficient for developing the skill in inclusive education.

Within the framework of the 'Education Innovation - Modernisation of the training structure, methods and content in higher education, enhancement of its labour market relevance', we conducted a course material development project for the length of two terms at the Institute of Education and Social Sciences, Apáczai Csere János Faculty of Humanities, Széchenyi István University. We devised course material to be applied in e-learning and in a place-based studying environment (VR course material). The aim of the project was to create support material that assists teacher candidates in processing and acquiring the material of primary school music education. Its necessity and timeliness are justified by the insufficient level of music skills of newly admitted teacher candidates. The present paper is intended to display a summary and short-term evaluation of the project.