Music Activities Delivered by Primary School Generalist Teachers in Victoria - Informing Teaching Practice

Oct 15, 2026

The paper examines how three primary school generalist teachers in Victoria, Australia, include and deliver music education experiences for children aged six to eleven, focusing on content, pedagogy, planning, and the classroom placement of music activities. It identifies a literature gap about everyday music facilitation by teachers and highlights teacher-practice evidence for teacher education. The discussion emphasizes pedagogical approaches that support deep integration of music across other curriculum learning areas, informing both in-service and pre-service generalists, especially those lacking confidence.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Music experiences and teacher education challenges

Content and Pedagogy for Music Activities in the Generalist Classroom

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 43
Issue 5 Australian & New Zealand Association for
Research in Music Education | Article 4 | | --- | --- | | 2018
Music Activities Delivered by Primary School Generalist Teachers in Victoria: Informing Teaching Practice
Fiona King
RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia, [s3458146@student.rmit.edu.au](s3458146@student.rmit.edu.au) | | Recommended Citation King, F. (2018). Music Activities Delivered by Primary School Generalist Teachers in Victoria: Informing Teaching Practice. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43 (5). [http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n4.10](http://dx.doi.org/10.14221/ajte.2018v43n4.10) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss5/4](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss5/4) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Music Activities Delivered by Primary School Generalist Teachers in Victoria: Informing Teaching Practice Fiona King RMIT University Abstract: The purpose of this paper is to share teacher practice in the inclusion and delivery of music education experiences for children, to inform teacher education and to guide professional learning. It draws on a larger investigation into the music activities delivered by three primary school classroom (generalist) teachers in Victoria, Australia. There is a gap in the literature regarding the music activities and experiences facilitated by teachers in day-to-day classroom learning. The case study investigation inquired into the content, pedagogy, planning and the place of music activities provided to children aged six to eleven. Teacher education is addressed in this paper primarily through the sharing of teacher practice evident in the findings of the investigation. The discussion highlights specific pedagogical approaches that support the positive and in-depth integration of music into other key learning areas (disciplines) in the curriculum. The investigation findings are relevant for in-service or pre-service generalists, in Australia and internationally; particularly those who experience a lack of confidence in delivering music education. The use of the integrated music pedagogical approach, and the participants’ reflections about the important place of music education experiences in daily teaching, provide a valuable snapshot of music as an essential part of primary school learning. Introduction Primary school generalist teachers have a vital role in the facilitation of music experiences as part of day-to-day teaching (Jeanneret & Stevens-Ballenger, 2013; Parliament of Victoria, 2013; Roy et al., 2015; Russell-Bowie, 2012) . Music engagement has many potential intrinsic and transferable benefits for children (ASME, 1999; Dinham, 2014; Ewing, 2010; Jeanneret & Stevens-Ballenger, 2013) . Unfortunately, due to a range offactors impacting teacher practice, not all children receive consistent and in-depth music education experiences during their primary school years. The situation is not new (Comte & Forrest, 2012; DEST, 2005; Jeanneret, 2006; Parliament of Victoria, 2013) and is not just the case in Victoria (Ewing, 2011) or Australia (Russell-Bowie, 2009b; Wiggins & Wiggins, 2008) . As such, the practice of Victorian teachers represented in this paper, has relevance for educatorsin a global context. The inconsistency of music education offerings in primary school classrooms relates to a range of issues. Minimal pre-service teacher training or experiences in music (Jeanneret & Stevens-Ballenger, 2013; Parliament of Victoria, 2013) is an issue directly relating to teacher education about delivering music. A study from 2009 of “preservice teacher training courses for primary classroom teachers across Australia found that, on average, approximately 17 hours was devoted to music within the degree program”(Parliament of Victoria, 2013, p. 126) . Other issues for teachers include time constraint

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the paper?

To share teacher practice on including and delivering music education experiences for children, informing teacher education and guiding professional learning.

What age group and teaching context does the study focus on?

The case study investigates music activities provided to children aged six to eleven in primary school classroom settings taught by generalist teachers in Victoria, Australia.

What key teaching issues does the introduction highlight?

Inconsistent music offerings are linked to limited pre-service music training, time pressures from a crowded curriculum, high-stakes testing, and limited understanding of music’s value by educators and school leadership.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by 4398046744996