What impact does teaching music informally in the classroom have on teachers, and their pedagogy?

ABSTRACT

The aim of this research was to explore the impact of the adoption of the Musical Futures (MF) approach on secondary school music teachers working in MF Champion schools. The research took place over 3 years in 3 phases with 28 teachers completing questionnaires exploring the impact on their confidence, skills and pedagogy and 30 being interviewed individually. Data from the interviews provided greater insights into the questionnaire responses. Most teachers reported that MF had helped them to become a more effective teacher, more confident in teaching music and had increased their enjoyment. MF changed the nature of teaching and learning with a more student-led approach being adopted. Managing this workshop approach on a daily basis, for some teachers, was exhausting and stressful. Overall, the adoption of the MF approach had a wide range of benefits for teachers but there were issues relating to the logistics of managing small group work.

KEYWORDS:

• Learning
• teaching
• effects of music
• instrumental music
• lifelong learning
• psychology

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Susan Hallam

Professor Susan Hallam studied the violin at the Royal Academy of Music prior to becoming Principal 2nd violin in the BBC Midland Light Orchestra and Deputy Leader of Orchestra da Camera. She studied BA in Psychology externally with London University and her MSc in the Psychology of Education and her PhD at the Institute of Education, University of London. She is currently Professor of Education and Music Psychology at University College London, Institute of Education. She is past editor of Psychology of Music, Psychology of Education Review and Learning Matters and current joint editor of Music Performance Research. She is the author, co-author and editor of numerous books, including Instrumental Teaching: A Practical Guide to Better Teaching and Learning (1998), Music Psychology in Education (2005), Music Education in the 21st Century in the United Kingdom: Achievements, Analysis and Aspirations (2010), Preparing for Success: A Practical Guide for Young Musicians (2012), Active Ageing with Music (2014), The Power of Music: A Research Synthesis (2015); and the Oxford Handbook of Psychology of Music (2009, 2015).

Andrea Creech

Dr Andrea Creech is Reader in Education at University College London Institute of Education. Following an international career in music performance and teaching, Andrea Creech completed her PhD in Psychology in Music Education. Since then she has been Principal Investigator, co-director and consultant for funded research and evaluation in the areas of musical development, lifelong learning, ageing and well-being. Her special research interests include issues relating to musical development across the life-span, music and well-being, psychology of ageing and later-life learning.

Hilary McQueen

Dr Hilary McQueen studied music at Edinburgh University and trained as a teacher at St Luke’s College of Education, Exeter. She completed a degree in psychology at the Open University and her PhD at King’s College, London. She has been head of psychology in two institutions, taught child development of the Open University and now combines teaching and research. Her academic interests include the social sciences, education, music, philosophy and language.