Tímarit um menntarannsóknir - 01.01.2008, Side 77

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Tímarit um menntarannsóknir, 5. árgangur 2008
This study included all Icelandic schools
teaching grades 1 through 10. Data were
collected through phone interviews with 9 out
of 10 school principals and a questionnaire
sent to 19 active music teachers. Findings
indicated that 79% of Icelandic schools were
offering music taught by a music specialist in
2004-2005, which was a marked improvement
from 59% in 1981-1982. According to this
study, music was most often taught as a subject
in grades 1 - 5. The teaching of music was less
common in grades 6 - 8 and rare in grades
9 - 10.
Interestingly, school principals without
general music programs were not pleased to
report that their schools were without music
teachers. They attributed failure to hire music
teachers more often to a shortage of music
teachers rather than circumstances in their
schools or for other reasons. Nevertheless,
most of the schools without music teachers
were severely lacking in appropriate equipment
and facilities for teaching music.
Schools in rural areas and towns were less
likely to have a music specialist and music
as a school subject than schools in Reykjavik
and its neighbouring communities. The former
provided music classes in approximately 75%
of schools and the latter had music in 85 – 90%
of schools. However, in rural areas it was more
common than in Reykjavik to find the schools
without music specialists co-operating with
the community music schools, e.g. by sharing
premises and through pull-out programs
subsidized by the local municipality.
Of all schools where music was in place as
a subject taught by a specialist only 62% had
a special music classroom. In Reykjavik and
surrounding areas, where schools are relatively
large, the proportion of schools with music
classrooms was close to 80 percent.
The music teachers in this study were
rather content with their facilities and working
environment. According to the data, many
of the music classrooms in Icelandic schools
were well equipped with instruments and
fulfilled modern standards for such facilities.
Still, the music teachers in this study were
most concerned with improving equipment for
teaching music when asked for improvement
suggestions. Other suggestions included
smaller group sizes, continuing education
for music teachers, and renewed teaching
material.
The study concluded that music in Icelandic
schools was in a better state than previously
thought. The point was made that music has
been developing as a subject in the curriculum
and according to evidence the implementation
has been in a positive direction. Suggestions for
improvement include changes in the practice
of hiring only one music teacher per school
and increased emphasis on teaching music in
the higher grades. Finally, music education
advocates should be encouraged to re-evaluate
the tenets of music in compulsory education.
Music, as all other subjects, needs to establish
its place as an integrated part of children’s
education in order to grow towards the future.
Heimildaskrá
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Aðalnámskrá grunnskóla – Tónmennt. (1989).
Reykjavík: Menntamálaráðuneytið.
Aðalnámskrá grunnskóla – listgreinar. (1999).
Reykjavík: Menntamálaráðuneytið.
Bergþóra Jónsdóttir. (2002). Tónlistarnám í
tómarúmi. Morgunblaðið, 26. maí.
Guðfinna Dóra Ólafsdóttir, Njáll Sigurðsson,
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(1990). Skýrsla starfshóps um útgáfu
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almennur hverfisgrunnskóli í Reykjavík
verið tónlistargrunnskóli? Óbirt
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Útbreiðsla tónmenntakennslu, aðstæður og viðhorf