MUS8021 - Introduction to Music Education: International Perspectives
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Julia Partington
- Owning School: The School of Arts and Cultures
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
- Capacity limit: 100 student places
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| Total Credits: | 20.0 |
Aims
Introduction to Music Education is designed to provide students with foundational, theoretical knowledge and skills relating to the implementation of curricula and practical delivery of music education in a range of intercultural contexts.
The module encourages students to examine and evaluate the efficacy of music curricula, policy and pedagogy and the impacts of these on pupils’ music learning journeys in different international contexts. A combination of theoretical study with practical work in music pedagogy facilitates a broad understanding of music’s place in a holistic education and how overarching policy can affect what happens in the field in terms of pedagogy and assessment.
Introduction to Music Education will equip students with a practical ‘toolkit’ of repertoire and music activity suitable for a range of learning stages and educational settings, along with frameworks for creating their own repertoire and resources that they can develop for use in relevant modules and in their future careers. In short, the module aims to provide foundational knowledge and insight into music education policy, pedagogy and practice in a range of diverse global contexts
Outline Of Syllabus
The syllabus may include the following topics:
- Music in the curriculum
- Key educational ideologies
- Dominant methodologies in formal music teaching and learning
- Musical development and developmental psychology as it relates to music teaching and learning
- Progression in music education
- Case studies of practice
- Common modes of assessment in music education
- Global initiatives in music education
- Challenges, issues and debates in music education
- Careers in music education – identifying further/additional training and continuing professional development
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 10 | 02:00 | 20:00 |
Present in person lectures |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Seminar | 5 | 1:00 | 05:00 | Present in person small group discussion |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshop | 5 | 2:00 | 10:00 | Present in person practical work |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Drop-in surgeries |
| Guided Independent Study | Distance Learning Advance Preparation | 11 | 3:00 | 33:00 | Online preparation materials |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 1 | 70:00 | 70:00 | Preparation and completion of assessment |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 1 | 60:00 | 60:00 | Reading and other research, reflective learning activity |
| Total | 200:00 | N/A | |||
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Present-in-person and non-synchronous lecture materials work together to introduce students to policy, philosophy, and practice relating to formal music education (early years/nursery age to end of secondary schooling, 3-18 years (K1, K2).
Present-in-person small-group seminar teaching consolidates learning from the lecture materials and will support students to question and debate the theory, issues and challenges introduced in the lectures. The small group discussions will also encourage students from a range of international contexts to compare and contrast their own experiences of music education and the policy and practices in play in their own context (K1, K2, K3, K4).
Present-in-person workshops will further complement and consolidate lecture materials, introducing a range of music pedagogies with practical, hands-on opportunities to help students to gain a broad understanding of different approaches and to try them out from the perspectives of both pedagogue and pupil (K2, S2, S3).
Non-synchronous materials will include directed and/or student led learning materials such as engagement with set readings, viewing video content and evaluating materials reading to pedagogy and repertoire. There will also be exploration of international government issued documentation such as curriculum papers, music teaching guidance, guidance on assessment in music education, policy paperwork, relevant inspectorate reports and materials. Other non-synchronous materials will be relevant to the different types of final assessment and to reflective practice in music education (K1, K2, S3).
The drop-in sessions provide opportunities for students to seek individual guidance from the module leader on module content, assessment completion and practical work along with supporting students to judge the reliability and significance of evidence to form academically rigorous arguments and conclusions for assessed work as they progress through Introduction to Music Education (S2, S3).
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/