Uppeldi og menntun - 01.07.2013, Page 53

Uppeldi og menntUn/icelandic JoUrnal of edUcation 22(2) 2013 53
Helga rUt gUðmUndsdÓttir
The music educators interviewed were seven males and five females with an aver-
age teaching experience of 15 years, ranging from 1 to 33 years. Each of them was the
only music teacher hired at his/her school. Besides teaching music as a subject, it was
common for music teachers to have other musical responsibilities at the school and
they were often depended on for preserving and nurturing the musical culture of their
school. Many schools have a weekly plenum singing session for which they depend
on the leadership of the music teacher who often serves also as the accompanist, using
either a piano or a guitar. In fact, accompanying skills seem highly valued in music
teachers and are put to use during different festivities and parents’ nights where
students perform. Other obligations included choirs and rehearsing musicals.
Asked about the most important aspects of music education, the majority men-
tioned singing as very important. In fact, all but one said they would choose singing
if they had to choose only one element from the music education curriculum to teach.
The consensus was not as clear when asked which element in the curriculum they
would omit if they were forced to prioritize. Music theory and notation was men-
tioned by most as something to omit. Others suggested music history and composer
biographies could be omitted, or movement to music. However, there were contra-
dicting opinions as other teachers deemed music theory and history as the pillars of
their music classes. Although popular music has entered Icelandic music classrooms,
it does not constitute the main music material as has become the trend in other Scandi-
navian countries. This may be due to the fact that music is mostly taught in the lower
grades in Icelandic schools, but less in the teenage years as is more common practice
in other parts of Scandinavia.
Teaching methods mentioned and observed were predominantly teacher directed
methods. Most lessons involved some singing, some rhythmic games, some music
listening and some movement to music. Only a few used the recorder as a teaching
tool and then only with a particular age group. Teaching settings were either at tradi-
tional forward facing desks and chairs or in a circle on an empty floor space.
Most of the music teachers claimed to be interested in more cooperation with other
teachers at their school. Those who had most experience in working with other teach-
ers had done so in connection with rehearsals of musicals or as part of theme projects
lead by classroom teachers. Some expressed concerns that too often the music teach-
er is not involved in the initial planning of theme projects and only asked to come
and rescue the musical aspect at the last minute. They pointed out the importance of
respecting the integrity of music as a subject and as a valid part of the curriculum,
emphasizing that music should be integrated into theme projects with other school
subjects on equal terms.
The music teachers were not very concerned about the selection of Icelandic teach-
ing materials for the music classroom. They were resourceful in using available mater-
ial and in making their own. Some even used foreign textbooks as a basis for their own
invented material. Furthermore, most of them used the internet to acquire song lyrics
for classroom use. Therefore, it is clear that the published Icelandic teaching material
is not sufficient, in and of itself, for meeting the needs of the music teachers.