Walking Carefully Towards Bridging the Gap - Exploring Australian Music Educator Voices About Teaching Indigenous Music

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kurz

Facilitating an inclusive pedagogy to close the gap that exists within the teaching of Indigenous Knowledge in Australia is a tall order for many teachers. This paper draws on responses to a national study and explores how music educators include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music and culture into their practice. An online survey (December 2022–February 2023, N=109) informed the findings. Using thematic analysis, two themes—teaching challenges and opportunities, and bridging the gap—are discussed with key recommendations.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages21

Reading Time53 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Inclusion and inclusive pedagogy

Music education and the study focus

Research questions and terminology

Australian Journal of Teacher Education Volume 48 Issue 7 Article 6 2023 Walking Carefully Towards Bridging the Gap: Exploring Australian Music Educator Voices About Teaching Indigenous Music Dawn Joseph Deakin University Bradley Merrick University of Melbourne Follow this and additional works at: [https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte) Part of the Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education Commons, Curriculum and Instruction Commons, Junior High, Intermediate, Middle School Education and Teaching Commons, Music Education Commons, Music Pedagogy Commons, Music Practice Commons, Other Languages, Societies, and Cultures Commons, Other Music Commons, and the Other Teacher Education and Professional Development Commons Recommended Citation Joseph, D., & Merrick, B. (2023) . Walking Carefully Towards Bridging the Gap: Exploring Australian Music Educator Voices About Teaching Indigenous Music. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 48(7) . [https://doi.org/10.14221/1835-517X.6457](https://doi.org/10.14221/1835-517X.6457) [This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[ ](This Journal Article is posted at Research Online.)[https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol48/iss7/6](https://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol48/iss7/6) Walking Carefully Towards Bridging the Gap: Exploring Australian Music Educator Voices About Teaching Indigenous Music Dawn Joseph Deakin University Brad Merrick University of Melbourne Abstract: Facilitating an inclusive pedagogy to close the gap that exists within the teaching of Indigenous Knowledge in Australia is a tall order for many teachers. This paper draws on responses to a national study and explores how music educators include Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander music and culture into their practice. An online survey (December 2022-February 2023, N=109) informed the findings. Using thematic analysis, two themes (teaching challenges and opportunities, and bridging the gap) are discussed and key recommendations offered. Findings suggest that walking carefully towards bridging the gap is an opportunity for educational change in contemporary Australian classrooms. Keywords: Australian curriculum, Aboriginal music, music education, pedagogy, technology, teacher support. Introduction Drawing on the notion of ‘Education for All’, the word inclusion is problematised and debatable and does not have a clear cut definition (UNESCO 2000) . In education settings, inclusion means celebrating diversity, so students feel a sense of belonging by “providing equitable access and opportunity to all” by “removing discrimination and other barriers”.(New South Wales Government, 2024) . Curriculum design facilitates and supports diverse learners from different backgrounds and abilities through the development of teaching and learning opportunities that are fair and equitable for all (Krischler, et al., 2019) . In saying this, schools and teachers cannot always meet the needs of all students (Fautley & Daubney 2018). An inclusive pedagogy for teaching and learning is one that “supports teachers to respond to individual differences between learners but avoids the marginalisation that can occur when some students are treated differently”(Cantarelli Vita & Campbell, 2021, p.119) . While it is beyond the scope of this paper to discuss how inclusion is enacted in classrooms, Van Steen and Wilson (2020) found that many studies have been undertaken in relation to teachers attitudes towards inclusion, encompassing studies that have investigated the role that culture plays in teacher beliefs towards inclusion. The focus of this paper investigates how music education and music teaching incorporates “a wide range of musical styles, cultures and genres” including “the study of the people, places, and cultures”(NAfME, 2024) . Tertiary music educator Burnard (2008) points out that teachers are challenged in how they integra

FAQs

What is the main focus of the paper?

The paper investigates the current status of Australian music educators’ practice regarding the inclusion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander histories and cultures in teaching.

How were the findings generated?

Findings were informed by an online survey conducted from December 2022 to February 2023 with N=109 participants, analyzed through thematic analysis.

What themes are discussed in the analysis?

Two themes are discussed: teaching challenges and opportunities, and bridging the gap.

Oct 15, 2026

Upload by Kurz