Primary Music Curriculum Frameworks - A Critical Comparison of the International Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and the NSW Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy

This article compares and evaluates the music components of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the NSW Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus. Bernstein’s (1971) concepts of classification and frame guide the analysis, alongside Jeanneret and Stevens-Ballenger’s (2013) two levels of best practice in primary music education. Adoption of the PYP has expanded across Australia, yet local research on its music implications remains limited.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages11

Reading Time28 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Background

Music in the IB PYP

Music in the NSW Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus

Revisiting video data to research children’s involvement a u s t r a l i a n ~~ ~~ a s o c i e t y s f o r m u s i c Primary Music Curriculum Frameworks: e d u c amt i o ne A Critical Comparison of the International i n c o r p o r a t e d Baccalaureate Primary Years Programme and the NSW Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus Timothy David Norman Burgmann Anglican School Abstract This article compares and evaluates the music components of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the NSW Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus. To guide the analysis, this article employs Bernstein’s (1971) concepts of classification and frame, and the two levels of ‘best practice’ in primary music education proposed by Jeanneret and Stevens-Ballenger (2013). Adoption of the PYP by schools has increased significantly throughout the past decade to the extent that it is now the most widely implemented of the four IB programs currently available in Australia (Kidson, Odhiambo, & Wilson, 2018). However, despite its growth in popularity, little research within Australia has focused on the PYP and even fewer, if any, studies have explored its implications for music education practice both nationally and internationally. Key words: Primary music education, curriculum frameworks, International Baccalaureate (IB), Primary Years Programme (PYP), Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus, best practice, Bernstein, classification, frame Introduction The purpose of this article is to critically compare the music components of both the International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the New South Wales (NSW) Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus (CAK6S). I have selected these two curriculum frameworks because I have experience teaching both as a primary music specialist. Initially, I taught the NSW CAK6S (Board of Studies [BOS] NSW, 2006) in Australia and then later, the IB PYP (International Baccalaureate Organization [IBO], 2009a, 2009b) when I moved overseas to take upa position in an international school in the Middle East. These two differing experiences revealed a number of strengths and limitations present in each curriculum framework. These will be discussed in relation to the academic literature and my own professional experiences. As the purpose of this article is to critically compare two curriculum frameworks, I have termedit a comparative curricular study. Phillips and Schweisfurth (2014) rightly note that comparison“is a fundamental aspect of intellectual inquiry” and that it “is indispensable to our thought processes”(p. 30). Recognising the complexities in trying to form a widely accepted definition of a ‘discipline’like comparative education, they tentatively propose the following: “The study of any aspects of educational phenomena in two or more different national or regional settings in which attempts are made to draw conclusions from a systematic comparison of the phenomena in question”(p. 41). These conclusions are not as simple as either-or, but are nuanced and context specific. Thus, the purpose of this article is not to conclude that oneof the two curriculum frameworks is necessarily more successful or effective than the other, if such a conclusion is even possible, but rather through the act of comparing illuminate various strengthsand limitations present within each. Phillips and Schweisfurth note, that in addition to researchers,“education generalists and practitioners have an important role to play in grounding comparisonsin classroom realities”(p. 18). This article aims todo this, by not only analysing each curriculum framework’s formal documents, but by also drawing on my professional experiences teaching as a primary music specialist both in Australia and internationally. The structure of this article will proceed as follows. First, the music components ofthe IB PYP (IBO, 2009a, 2009b) and the BOS NSW (2006) CAK6Swill be introduced. Second, literature exploring what constitutes ‘best practice’ i

FAQs

What is the main purpose of the article?

The article critically compares the music components of the IB Primary Years Programme (PYP) and the NSW Creative Arts K-6 Syllabus (CAK6S).

Which analytical concepts and frameworks guide the comparison?

Bernstein’s (1971) concepts of classification and frame guide the analysis, together with Jeanneret and Stevens-Ballenger’s (2013) best-practice levels in primary music education.

Why does the author focus on the PYP in Australia?

Although the PYP has expanded significantly in Australia, the article notes that little research has examined the PYP and even fewer studies have explored its implications for music education practice nationally and internationally.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Franzy