EDF5167 - Music education in the secondary years 2A

This unit introduces students to some major music teaching and learning methods and a breadth of ideas useful in contemporary music education. The unit develops an understanding of the knowledge, skills and capacities required to establish and manage school music departments. In particular, the unit addresses the knowledge and skills that underpin the work of an effective school music educator and the application of these skills to the teaching, conducting and management of school performance ensembles. The unit considers the support that must be provided for all music teaching and learning in educational environments including that offered by instrumental specialist teachers. It focuses on the interrelationships and inter-dependencies between school music classroom teaching and learning and music performance practices. As part of this process, the students explore the Alexander technique, performance anxiety, and Yamaha and Suzuki methodologies. The unit practical work repositions students as novice learners of unfamiliar instruments such as guitar and keyboard, to explore effective teaching and learning and to develop recognition of the importance of the vital connections between theory and practice. Students also position themselves as instrumental experts as they prepare for and teach a lesson about their specialist instrumental area, thereby transferring knowledge, skills and ideas to others. Students plan for and undertake research related to their practicum experience and gather data related to classroom music ensemble to support an evaluative research-based piece.