Our experience is that music is something that can support us in different contexts. Music could be seen in preschools as a special educational support, but there is a shortcoming in the relation between special education and music didactics. The purpose of the study is to examine and analyze from a music didactic perspective how special educators view music in preschool. The examination is of qualitative method and consists of semi-structured interviews. We discuss the results based on the issues where we start from previous research. The discussions that arise in a context where music is mentioned, the “external-musical” purpose of music and the organizational, group and individual level. The results of our analysis show that the special educators' focus is on organization and group for the individual, which means that they focus on an overall holistic perspective. The respondents state that their competence in music is not so broad, but they also mention that they see a great importance in using music to support children's learning and development. The results of the survey show that music is alive in preschool activities, but mainly as a means of support in other subjects, such as language development, movement, mathematics but also social skills. Which also leads to a shortage of special educators talking about music.

Syftet med studien är att undersöka i hur stor utsträckning undervisning i improvisation är ett bra verktyg för att uppnå syfte och mål för ämnesplanen i Musik i gymnasieskolan, hur lärare tolkar begreppet improvisation och hur de arbetar med det i klassrummet. Intresset för ämnet ligger i möjligheterna med improvisation som verktyg för att utveckla ett konstnärligt och personligt uttryck. I rollen som lärare upplevs att improvisation som verktyg inte används i den utsträckning som det kanske borde. Tre verksamma gymnasielärare i musik har ur ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv med kvalitativ intervju som metod intervjuats om deras definition av och arbete med improvisation. Resultaten visar att elevers musikaliska utveckling främjas av improvisationsundervisning. Resultaten visar också att lärare har en bred förståelse för begreppet improvisation, att de har insikt i hur det främjar elevernas musikaliska utveckling men att de inte helt och hållet utnyttjar improvisationsundervisningens potential. De vill införa sådan undervisning tidigare i elevernas utbildning men de vet kanske inte riktigt hur de ska gå tillväga. Slutligen diskuteras om improvisationsundervisning bör användas mer, hur undervisningen kan utformas samt när det är lämpligt att börja med improvisationsundervisning. Kopplingen i Skolverkets styrdokument mellan improvisationsundervisning och måluppfyllelse i ämnet diskuteras också. / This study aims to examine to what extent teaching of music improvisation is a good tool for achieving the purpose and objectives of the syllabus of Music in upper secondary school, how teachers interpret the concept of music improvisation and how they apply it in the classroom. The interest in the subject lies in the possibilities of improvisation when being a tool for developing an artistic and personal musical expression. In the role as a teacher improvisation as a tool is perhaps not used to that extent it should. Three music teachers have, from a hermeneutic perspective using qualitative interview as a method, been interviewed on their definition and application of improvisation. The results show that students' musical development is promoted by the teaching of music improvisation. Furthermore, the results show that teachers have a broad understanding of music improvisation and that they have an insight into how it fosters students' musical development. However, they do not fully utilize the potential of improvisation teaching. They want to introduce it earlier in students' education, but they may not quite know how to. Lastly why the teaching of music improvisation should be used more is discussed as well as how it can be designed and when it is suitable to start with. The link between improvisation teaching and attainment in the subject of music in Skolverket's policy documents is also discussed.

Det första musikinstrumentet som hittats är 35 000 år gammalt. Forskningen har visat att musikens funktion på den tid då skriftspråket fortfarande inte fanns, bör ha haft andra funktioner än vad musiken har idag. Samtidigt finns många likheter. Dessa kunskaper berikar vår förståelse för vår samtid. Dock visar denna studie att hälften av de musiklärare på högstadiet som deltagit, svarat att de inte nämner forntidens musik eller musikinstrument alls, eller bara i förbifarten. Orsaken till det skulle vara tidsbrist och egen brist på kunskap i ämnet. Läroplanen hjälper inte läraren att prioritera musikens ursprung och utveckling. / The first musical instrument found is 35 000 years old. Research has shown that music function at the time when the written language still not existed, should have had other functions than the music of today. While there are many similarities. This knowledge enriches our understanding of our times. However, this study shows that half of the music teachers in high school who participated, responded that they don´t mention the ancient music or musical instruments at all, or only in passing. The reason for this would be lack of time and their own lack of knowledge on the subject. The curriculum doesn´t help the teacher to give priority to the music's origin and evolution.

Syftet med föreliggande studie är att beskriva hur en lärare i ämnet Allmän musikdidaktik på en musikhögskolaser på sitt ämne. Studiens vetenskapsteoretiska ansats är kvalitativ och den teoretiska ramen bygger på ett hermeneutiskt perspektiv. Datamaterialet har insamlats genom ostrukturerade och semistrukturerade intervjuer med en lärare i ämnet Allmän musikdidaktik på en musikhögskola. Intervjuerna har transkriberats och bearbetats med hjälp av ett narrativt analyssätt. I resultatet presenteras teman som kretsar kring vägen fram till didaktiklärartjänsten, synen på ämnet allmän musikdidaktik och en föränderlig undervisningsmodell. Resultatet visar på hur ett flertal engagerade personer påverkade de val läraren gjorde som ledde fram till didaktiklärartjänsten. Vidare presenterar resultatet en syn på ämnet som en bro mellan praktiska, metodiska kurser och övergripande pedagogiska kurser och vikten av professionell reflektion. Därefter redovisas lärarens sätt att utveckla ämnet Allmän musikdidaktik genom erfarenhet, litteratur samt utbyte med kollegor och studenter. I diskussionen lyfts tre sammanfattande teman fram vilka är synen på och undervisning i ämnet, ett praktiknära förhållningssätt samt att göra intryck på studenter. / The purpose of this study is to describe how a teacher in the subject of Music Didactics at a music college views his own subject. The scientific theory of the study is qualitative and the theoretical framework is based on a hermeneutic perspective. The data has been generated through unstructured and semistructured interviews with a teacher in the subject of Music Didactics at a music college. The interviews have been transcribed and processed using a narrative analysis method. The results present themes that tells about the road that lead to becoming a teacher in the subject, the view on the subject of general music didactics and the evolving of his teaching model. The results show how a number of committed individuals influenced the choices made by the teacher leading to the didactics teacher position. Furthermore, the result presents a view on the subject as a bridge between the practical, methodological courses and the theoretic, pedagogical courses. Lastly, the teacher's way of developing the subject of Music Didactics is presented through experience, literature and exchanges with colleagues and students. In the discussion, three summary themes are highlighted, which are the views on teaching the subject, a practical approach and the impression on students.

The purpose of this study is to contribute with knowledge of preschool teachers’ perceptions of music and aesthetic learning processes in relation to the Swedish National Agency for Education’s reformulation of the preschool curriculum 2018. By using a phenomenographic methodology and qualitative interviews, the study has been conducted with six preschool teachers from different preschools in one municipality where the ambition has been to get a variety of different perceptions. The result of the study shows that the preschool teachers’ perceptions of giving the children the conditions in music that are given in the curriculum, vary widely. A preschool teacher describes how the music gets an embodied or emotionally intrinsic value. In the case of aesthetic learning processes in teaching, preschool teachers proved to have good perception of what aesthetic is, the perception of learning process was however varied. The preschool teachers considered in general that they lacked materiel to deepen the music education, some also considered that they needed additional knowledge in music and aesthetic learning processes. The reformulation of the aesthetic objective in Lpfö 18 showed that half of the preschool teachers considered it clearer and that it is placing a higher demand on them, while the others experienced the rewording as less demanding. The result of the study shows that the Swedish National Agency for Education’s formulation can be interpreted in different ways. One conclusion from the study is that the Nation Agency for Education has not been sufficiently clear about the reformulation of music and learning processes in Lpfö 18. Another conclusion is that the preschool teachers who have some form of musical education have a greater understanding and awareness of what the music does with the child. Also, how preschool teachers can teach by using different didactical forms of music for learning and how children can experience the music’s own magic world. / Syftet med studien är att bidra med kunskap om förskollärares uppfattningar av musik och estetiska lärprocesser i förhållande till Skolverkets omformulering av förskolans läroplan 2018. Genom att använda en fenomenografisk metodansats och kvalitativa intervjuer har studien genomförts med ett urval av sex förskollärare från olika förskolor i en kommun, där strävan har varit att få en variation av olika uppfattningar. Resultatet av undersökningen visar att förskollärarnas uppfattningar av att ge barnen de förutsättningar i musik som läroplanen lyfter, varierar mycket. En förskollärare beskriver hur musiken får ett förkroppsligat eller känslomässigt intrinsikalt värde. I fråga om estetiska lärprocesser i undervisningen visade sig förskollärarna ha goda uppfattningar om vad estetik är, uppfattningen av lärprocess var dock splittrad. Förskollärarna ansåg överlag att de saknade materiel för att fördjupa musikundervisningen, några ansåg även att de var i behov av kunskapsutveckling inom musik och estetiska lärprocesser. Omformuleringen gällande det estetiska målet i Lpfö 18 visade att hälften av förskollärarna ansåg att det blev tydligare och ställer ett högre krav på dem, medan de andra upplevde omformuleringen som mindre kravfull. Resultatet visar därmed att Skolverkets formulering kan tolkas på olika sätt. En slutsats från studien är att Skolverket inte varit tillräckligt tydliga med omformuleringen av musik och estetiska lärprocesser i Lpfö 18. En annan slutsats är att de förskollärare som har någon form av musikalisk utbildning har en större förståelse och medvetenhet av vad musiken gör med barnet. Även hur förskollärare kan undervisa didaktiskt i musikens olika lärandeformer och hur barnen kan få uppleva musikens egna magiska värld.

The purpose of this degree project is to describe and analyze how pre-school teacher´s didactically arrange different music activities in the work. To gain understanding and the importance of music didactics in preschool. The study was conducted using qualitative interviews through phenomenographical methodology in which six preschool teachers were interviewed. The theoretical background is based on music didactics, musicking and variation theory. The music activities in preschool rarely follow any form of didactic planning, focus is usually on another subject area, mostly language and the subject of music end on second place. There is a vision that the music subject should end in the first place, and that it requires a greater commitment and prioritization of time from the preschool teachers. The dreams and visions that exist for the music activities are about having access to a room like a studio where material in different forms of musical instruments is available. Another dream among preschool teachers is to gain more competence development and inspiration. Another vision is that the children should be challenged more and have the opportunity to explore the music subject further. Preschool teachers have different deductions for different subjects and usually it is in the staff that has the most musical skills that are responsible for the music activities. / Syftet med detta examensarbete är att beskriva och kartlägga hur pedagogerna didaktiskt tänker kring olika musikaktiviteter i verksamheten. För att åka förståelse och betydelsen kring musikdidaktiken i förskolan. Undersökningen genomfördes med hjälp av kvalitativa intervjuer genom fenomenografisk metodansats där sex stycken förskollärare intervjuades. Den teoretiska bakgrunden utgår ifrån musikdidaktik, musicking och variationsteorin.Undersökningens resultat visar att musikaktiviteterna i förskolan sällan följer någon form av didaktisk planering då fokus vanligen är på ett annat ämnesområde som mestadels är språk och musikämnet hamnar i andra hand. Det finns en vision om att musikämnet ska hamna i första hand och att det då krävs ett större engagemang och prioritering av tid hos förskollärarna. De drömmar och visioner som finns för musikaktiviteterna handlar om att ha tillgång till ett rum likt en studio där material i olika former utav musikinstrument finns tillgängligt. En annan dröm hos förskollärarna är att få mer kompetensutbildning och inspiration. En vision som finns är att barnen ska utmanas mer och få chans att utforska musikämnet vidare. Förskollärarna har olika engagemang för olika ämnesområden och vanligen är det den i personalstyrkan som har mest musikalisk kompetens som får ansvaret för musikaktiviteterna.

Previous research shows that collegial conversations and co-assessment can contribute to increased equivalence in assessment and grading. The purpose of the present study is to investigate how music teachers who are active in upper secondary schools express themselves about their experiences of equal assessment and grading and how they believe that the collegial knowledge among subject teachers in music affects them in their work with equal assessment and grading. To investigate this, a qualitative study has been done with e-mail interviews as a data collection method. Four music teachers aged 27–33 years participated in the study. The results show that all music teachers in one way or another take part in collegiate conversations or joint assessment. There are differences between the teachers about how they can share the thoughts and experiences of other music colleagues. For some of the teachers, there are opportunities for collegial conversations and joint assessment at the school, as well as opportunities for subject meetings in the municipality. For one of the participants in the study, there are no organized meetings for music teachers to meet and talk.

Musikundervisning i förskolan tenderar att främst handla om sång av reproducerande karaktär. Dessutom fokuseras oftast ett utommusikaliskt syfte, som exempelvis språkutveckling eller socialisering.  Denna studie handlar om att undersöka och analysera barns musikskapande inom förskolans praktik och med den vill jag bidra till att bredda förståelsen för vad musikundervisning i förskolan kan handla om. Genom en kvalitativ metod genomförs studien som ett studentinitierat utvecklingsarbete. Sju undervisningsstunder analyseras ur ett musikdidaktiskt perspektiv där innehållet i undervisningsstunderna kategoriseras utifrån tre huvudsakliga fokusområden: Sång och melodiskapande, utforskande av begreppet rytm samt utforskande av begreppet tonhöjd. I studien deltar tio barn i 5 - års åldern, på en svensk förskola. I studiens resultat beskrivs hur musikens olika dimensioner görs synliga i musikskapandet utifrån Nielsens musikdidaktiska teori (2006). Tre olika aspekter av musikundervisningen blir också synliga: den vetenskapliga-, hantverksmässiga- och den konstnärliga dimensionen. I resultatet framgår också vad som kan känneteckna analogt respektive digitalt musikskapande och på vilket sätt de båda undervisningsmetoderna befruktar varandra.

The way in which music teachers choose and use the subject content in ensemble and music theory in the upper secondary school is focused in this study. The point of interest is the everyday classroom teaching of music teachers. The intentions that music teachers have with their teaching is also studied. This thesis is a study of music teaching and is a subject-didactic investigation, inspired by variation theory. The overarching aim of the thesis is to study how music teachers in upper secondary school choose teaching content when teaching ensemble and music theory. The teachers’ use of the teaching content implies that they choose to focus and teach certain parts in their teaching. This choice of con- tent and how it is used is in focus in this study. The research questions are: How do music teachers choose teaching content when teaching ensemble and music theory in upper secondary school? How do music teachers use the teaching con- tent in their teaching? The data collection includes video-documented lessons and qualitative inter- views with five music teachers in upper secondary school in 2004. The analysis reveals two different choices of content. When the teachers have music and theory as the content of their teaching, it is the content that guides the teaching methods, where the teacher uses a fixed content, which is then presented in different ways; this was mainly in music theory. When the content is music activities, the music teachers adjust the activity-based content in accordance with the level of the pupils’ skills in ensemble. The differences that occur in the varia- tion theory results are closely related to the teaching content. The foundations of the two different choices of content that are made by the music teachers, as well as the significance of the learning objects, are finally discussed.

This study investigates how teachers of the subject ensemble in Swedish upper secondary school talk about their choices of subject content in light of their background as musicians and/or music teachers? According to current regulations and curricula (Läroplan för de frivilliga skolformerna, Lpf 94; Programmål för Estetiska programmet, ES 2000:05) the Swedish upper secondary school system can be described as goal-centered, which implies that the goals of the education are in focus and that methods and material to achieve those goals can show great variances. The aim of this study is to investigate how music teacher talk about their choices of content in relation to several background factors like music teacher education and experience and their experience as professional performers. Research questions are: * How do musicteachers talk in groupinterviews regarding choices of content in ensemble in upper secondary school? * What do musicteachers perceive as essential contents in music teaching in the subject ensemble? The conceptual framework in this study is inspired by Berger and Luckmann’s (1966/1979) theories of the construction of reality. This means that a non-essentialist approach is taken and that subject matter, content and curricula all are understood as constructs in relation to a context, historically and cultural specific (Burr, 2003). This explains the focus on the interviewees professional backgrounds in relation to choice of content. Furthermore it relies on discourse psychology (Potter & Wetherell, 1987) where interpretative repertoires is used as an analytical tool. By focus group-interviews (Wibeck, 2000; Morgan, 1998) data has been collected and then analyzed. The interviewees are both professional musicians and music teachers, and they are all working as music teachers in upper secondary schools. The results of the study indicates that the teachers’ talk about choices of content is constructed mainly through their experiences of performing and professional musicianship and that didactical constructions highly relies on those experiences. This means that music as a subject (cf. Nielsen, 1998) is often seen as a product, as in a concert or a recording, and that the music teachers’ professional experiences of making music is an important ground for accomplishing that task. This raises further questions about how music teaching should be carried out and what implications the focus on a product has on musical learning from a democratic as well as a pedagogical perspective.