Storying music and the arts education: the generalist teacher voice

For students in Years 1–10 in Queensland, Australia, The Arts (hereafter referred to as ‘arts’) is one of eight Key Learning Areas in the core curriculum. Yet, while arts – comprising five strands including music – is a mandatory component of the curriculum, implementation varies widely. This occurs...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inBritish journal of music education Vol. 29; no. 1; pp. 107 - 123
Main Authors Garvis, Susanne, Pendergast, Donna
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Cambridge, UK Cambridge University Press 01.03.2012
Subjects
Art Education
Australia
Beginning Teachers
Case Studies
Core Curriculum
Curriculum Implementation
Educational Policy
Elementary Secondary Education
Foreign Countries
Music Education
Physical Education
Preservice Teacher Education
Principals
School Administration
Skill Development
Student Teachers
Teachers
Australia
Queensland Australia
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Summary:For students in Years 1–10 in Queensland, Australia, The Arts (hereafter referred to as ‘arts’) is one of eight Key Learning Areas in the core curriculum. Yet, while arts – comprising five strands including music – is a mandatory component of the curriculum, implementation varies widely. This occurs for a range of reasons, one of which is the common practice that generalist teachers are allocated delivery of the arts programme in their teaching load. Furthermore, research reveals that music and the arts are frequently considered to be the ‘frills subject’ in a school's timetable, often the first to be removed from the timetable when time is short and the first to feel the impact of budget cuts, including the engagement of specialist arts educators (Russell-Bowie, 2004). This study highlights the gap between policy rhetoric for music and the arts and the pedagogical reality in generalist classrooms. Using a narrative informed case study methodology, a story constellation derived from a beginning generalist teacher and a school principal is revealed. The discussion which follows provides a focus, through the generation of key values statements derived from the data, on the tensions this beginning teacher has experienced in his practice as a teacher responsible for teaching music and the arts, juxtaposed with a similar narrative of the school principal.
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ISSN:0265-0517
1469-2104
DOI:10.1017/S0265051711000386