Uppeldi og menntun - 01.07.2013, Qupperneq 52

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 22(2) 201352
tÓnmenntakennsla í íslenskUm grUnnskÓlUm
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UM HÖfUnDinn
Helga Rut Guðmundsdóttir (helgarut@hi.is) er lektor í tónmennt við Menntavísindasvið
Háskóla Íslands. Hún lauk B.Ed.-prófi frá Kennaraháskóla Íslands 1992 með tón-
mennt sem valgrein. Meistaraprófi í tónlistarmenntunarfræðum lauk hún frá McGill
háskóla í Montreal, Kanada árið 1997 og doktorsprófi frá sama háskóla 2003. Rann-
sóknir Helgu Rutar hafa verið á sviði tónskynjunar og tónlistarmenntunar.
Current practice in music education in
Icelandic schools (grades 1−10)
abstract
The aim of this study was to document current practices in music education within
the compulsory school system in Iceland (grades 1−10). For that purpose twelve
randomly selected music teachers were visited, interviewed and observed during
teaching. Little is known about the content and methods used in Icelandic music class-
es. Previous study of exceptionally successful music teachers suggested that the key to
success was the teachers’ ability to build on their own personal strengths in creating
a unique music program (Kristín Valsdóttir, 2009). However, less is known about the
strategies of music teachers in general.
Although music is a subject in the majority of Iceland’s compulsory schools, it is
usually not taught at all grade levels (Helga Rut Guðmundsdóttir, 2008). Most often
music is taught by a music educator in the first 5−7 grades which is in contrast to prac-
tices in nearby countries where music teachers more often teach older children and at
the high-school level (Mills, 2005; Olsen and Hovdenak, 2007; Straub, 2000).
Music educators in schools often have much freedom in their applications of
methods and curricular aims (Campbell and Scott-Kassner, 1995; Olsen and Hovde-
nak, 2007). Therefore, interviews and observations are important tools for acquiring
knowledge of current practices in music education.