Fostering musical creativity in pre-service teacher education: Challenges and possibilities

Abstract

Research regarding music teaching in primary school reveals generalist teachers' and student teachers' low musical abilities and low confidence in teaching Music, and even more, in including creative activities in music teaching. This article reports on a study which sought to create a fruitful and supportive environment that would allow 64 primary school student teachers participating in a sound stories' project, to unearth their creative skills and abilities, through active participation and direct experimentation with sound and music. The study focused on the exploration of the formation of student teachers' beliefs regarding the concept of musical creativity, as well as possible educational implications stemming from the processes, experiences and emotions student teachers went through during the project.

The Emotional Dimension in Becoming a Teacher

“…Emotions may intensify the resistance to change, but at the same time constitute potential levers to modify or replace beliefs. Working with student teachers for primary school, Stavrou ( 2012 ), for example, reports on a collaborative creative music training project that was designed to understand and change student teachers' beliefs in relation to musical creativity. More in particular the project was motivated by the well-documented fi nding that generalist teachers tend to have little confi dence in their own musical capabilities as well as in their ability to teach music to children (Stavrou, 2012 , p. 48).…”

Music and Social Skills for Young Children with Autism: A Survey of Early Childhood Educators

“…Specifically, current studies have shown that Greek early childhood educators seem to have limited knowledge on the use of music as a teaching tool in their classrooms and they may end up feeling unprepared or insecure when implementing music in the school's daily routines (Chrysostomou et al, 2007;Koutsoupidou, 2010). Similarly, studies that investigated Greek and Cypriot pre-service teachers' academic music training in relation to their levels of confidence for teaching music in their classrooms, reported that pre-service teachers lack practical experience and adequate preparation in teaching music, which may affect their levels of selfefficacy, enthusiasm, and creativity for implementing music activities in their classrooms (Economidou-Stavrou, 2013;Koutsoupidou, 2010).…”

“…The aforementioned disconnection between beliefs and practices may be a reflection of the need for more training and support on how to use music in a variety of situations for young children with autism. Literature on teacher preparation highlights the needs for experiential learning and well-structured practicum to assist teachers in implementing music in their classrooms (Economidou, 2013). Early childhood educators typically attend courses and training about specific music approaches (such as Suzuki, Orff, and Dalcroze) but they do not feel confident about their training and practicum experience when implementing music activities in the classroom (Economidou & Telemachou, 2006;Telemachou, 2007).…”

“…Although, this is a well-documented need for early childhood educators in Greek settings (i.e. Koutsoupidou, 2010;Economidou, 2013), future research may look into aspects of professional training (such as the implementation of active music making, familiarity with differentiated instructions through music) in relation to the diverse learning needs of young children in inclusive settings.…”

Student perceptions of the classroom environment, student characteristics, and motivation for music lessons at secondary school

“…The results of previous research with primary and secondary school students in Cyprus suggest that there was no alignment between student preferences and what was taught in the music classroom (Economidou Stavrou, 2004, 2006; Teklos, 2011), revealing a negative attitude toward music as a school subject (Economidou Stavrou, 2004, 2006; Forari, 2005; Teklos, 2011). Following the publication of this research, Cyprus undertook a wide educational reform, including the design and development of a new national curriculum for all school subjects (MOEC, 2010, 2016).…”