published_or_final_version / Education / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

Present research provides strong support for the use of creative activities in school music programmes based on evidence that learning music is more effective when students are exposed to authentic, experiential learning activities, rather than verbal descriptions and explanations by the teacher. Based on this background the purpose of this study was to address the need to train music teachers with the confidence and skills necessary to incorporate creative music making in their classroom teaching. The study was divided into two phases. Phase I included a questionnaire survey that investigated the current situation of music teaching in Hong Kong secondary schools. To extend this survey three composers and three curriculum planners were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews in order to survey their opinions and suggestions on creative music making. Based on the literature review and findings from Phase I, Phase II focused on the design of a teacher education programme that would prepare teachers to undertake creative activities in their classroom music teaching. The programme was trialled twice with two groups of in-service music teachers studying at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The trainees were asked to design their own creative projects that were taught during a four-week Teaching Practice session. Findings reveal that the most effective creative projects possessed a logical teaching sequence, addressed students???? musical preferences, and integrated listening and performing activities with the creative task. Findings suggest that Hong Kong music teachers should adopt the techniques proposed in this study when designing and implementing their teaching programmes in order to nurture the musical creativity of their students. Music teacher education programmes in Hong Kong should also consider revising their modules so that they provide more balance between theory and practice, and integrate subject-based knowledge with pedagogical skills. A major conclusion of the study is that music teaching in Hong Kong secondary schools would benefited from a balance between creating, performing and listening activities where teachers apply a student-centred approach to expose their students to active, experiential and reflective learning environments in which creative musical expression is fostered at all levels of student development.

Present research provides strong support for the use of creative activities in school music programmes based on evidence that learning music is more effective when students are exposed to authentic, experiential learning activities, rather than verbal descriptions and explanations by the teacher. Based on this background the purpose of this study was to address the need to train music teachers with the confidence and skills necessary to incorporate creative music making in their classroom teaching. The study was divided into two phases. Phase I included a questionnaire survey that investigated the current situation of music teaching in Hong Kong secondary schools. To extend this survey three composers and three curriculum planners were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews in order to survey their opinions and suggestions on creative music making. Based on the literature review and findings from Phase I, Phase II focused on the design of a teacher education programme that would prepare teachers to undertake creative activities in their classroom music teaching. The programme was trialled twice with two groups of in-service music teachers studying at the Hong Kong Institute of Education. The trainees were asked to design their own creative projects that were taught during a four-week Teaching Practice session. Findings reveal that the most effective creative projects possessed a logical teaching sequence, addressed students???? musical preferences, and integrated listening and performing activities with the creative task. Findings suggest that Hong Kong music teachers should adopt the techniques proposed in this study when designing and implementing their teaching programmes in order to nurture the musical creativity of their students. Music teacher education programmes in Hong Kong should also consider revising their modules so that they provide more balance between theory and practice, and integrate subject-based knowledge with pedagogical skills. A major conclusion of the study is that music teaching in Hong Kong secondary schools would benefited from a balance between creating, performing and listening activities where teachers apply a student-centred approach to expose their students to active, experiential and reflective learning environments in which creative musical expression is fostered at all levels of student development.

published_or_final_version / Curriculum Studies / Doctoral / Doctor of Philosophy

The aim of this study was to document the expressed beliefs and observed practices of elementary school teachers involved in music instruction in Vancouver and Hong Kong. It is important to understand beliefs and value systems of teachers since they form the basis for their educational practices. These beliefs are shaped by various contextual factors in a society. The music of a society is one such factor that constitutes both cultural and educational practices in that society. Therefore a cross-cultural, comparative study concerned with music education was undertaken so as to better understand the underlying contextual factors that shape teachers' overall understandings and practices of teaching music in the elementary schools. The present investigation is the only study of this kind to date. This study was designed as a qualitative multiple-case study, including five cases in Vancouver and five cases in Hong Kong. The tools for data collection were in-depth interviews and repeated classroom observations. The results of this study suggest that teachers' expressed beliefs and their classroom practices about music education are informed by the following major factors: (1) teachers' personal experiences, (2) social and cultural factors of the societies in which they live, and (3) the music curriculum as set by the school systems. Furthermore, these results shed light on ways in which music education is implemented in these two cosmopolitan cities and demonstrate interesting interplay of various cultural influences. The findings of this study add to the knowledge of Western and Chinese ideas, especially educational thoughts and music education, through presentations and analysis of beliefs and classroom practices of teachers from these two cultures.

The aim of this study was to document the expressed beliefs and observed practices of elementary school teachers involved in music instruction in Vancouver and Hong Kong. It is important to understand beliefs and value systems of teachers since they form the basis for their educational practices. These beliefs are shaped by various contextual factors in a society. The music of a society is one such factor that constitutes both cultural and educational practices in that society. Therefore a cross-cultural, comparative study concerned with music education was undertaken so as to better understand the underlying contextual factors that shape teachers' overall understandings and practices of teaching music in the elementary schools. The present investigation is the only study of this kind to date. This study was designed as a qualitative multiple-case study, including five cases in Vancouver and five cases in Hong Kong. The tools for data collection were in-depth interviews and repeated classroom observations. The results of this study suggest that teachers' expressed beliefs and their classroom practices about music education are informed by the following major factors: (1) teachers' personal experiences, (2) social and cultural factors of the societies in which they live, and (3) the music curriculum as set by the school systems. Furthermore, these results shed light on ways in which music education is implemented in these two cosmopolitan cities and demonstrate interesting interplay of various cultural influences. The findings of this study add to the knowledge of Western and Chinese ideas, especially educational thoughts and music education, through presentations and analysis of beliefs and classroom practices of teachers from these two cultures. / Education, Faculty of / Curriculum and Pedagogy (EDCP), Department of / Graduate