A teacher training framework for music education in the Foundation Phase

Abstract

Transformational changes have swept across the South African educational landscape in the post-apartheid era, and few disciplines have been as severely affected as music education (MusEd). The status of MusEd seems to have diminished while the government continually introduced modifications to national curricula, prompting Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) to scale down their MusEd teacher training operations. The focus on preparing specialist music teachers shifted towards the preparation of multitudes of generalist teachers lacking the required knowledge, skills and confidence to effectively teach MusEd for learners in the Foundation Phase (FP) at primary schools. The aim of the study is to determine how an effective teacher training framework for MusEd in the FP can be developed, and which key elements should be included in this endeavour. The research explores the various forces (contextual, institutional, biographical and programmatic) that influence Higher Education practices and programme content in the preparation of MusEd student teachers. The study achieves this aim through examining the perspectives of current MusEd lecturers on the teaching and learning methods and practical activities in MusEd programmes at their various HEIs, their experiences of push and pull forces in their working environments, and their reactions to transformational directives. Empirical data was obtained through interviews with lecturers and experts, and document analyses. The study finds that teacher training programmes will benefit when MusEd lecturers embrace and apply the principles of transformation and multiculturalism to their own programmes. Elements of the Western Classical approach to MusEd may be retained but indigenous African and global perspectives need to be integrated and advanced, which will promote MusEd as a developer of social cohesion and an agent for redressing imbalances of the political past. Theoretical music knowledge needs to be integrated with practical activities to cultivate a communal sense of students and learners "musicing" together. Recommendations for further studies include investigations into improvements in future MusEd environments, and collaborative efforts to raise the profile of MusEd.