Mapping the field

McPhail, Graham; Thorpe, Vicki; Wise, Stuart

doi:10.4324/9781315109602-1

Cited by 4 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 0 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…My twenty years of teaching coincided with the advent of postmodernism and major changes in Aotearoa, New Zealand's cultural and educational landscape (McPhail, Thorpe, and Wise 2018), and by the time I had completed my twenty-one years as a secondary school teacher, I was teaching very little of the content that had been part of my education. A narrow Western art music agenda had been replaced with a focus on student's own music learning trajectories via performance and composition.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Critiquing the Critique: Postcolonialism, Moral Concerns, and Epistemology: An essay review of The Routledge Handbook to Sociology of Music Education, Part I

McPHAIL

2023

ACT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In this review essay response to Part 1 of The Routledge Handbook to Sociology of Music Education, I explore the entanglement of moral and epistemological concerns that surround the discourses of postcolonialism. Postcolonialism critiques Western hegemonies and raises questions not only about politics and morality but also ontology and epistemology that go to the very heart of the educational endeavour. I attempt to tease out some dimensions not often included in this literature-epistemological arguments about knowledge itself. I also raise the issue of how to ensure that criticality maintains a constant reflexive edge within the academic community to avoid simply utilising the moral high ground as justification for changes to education. I recount the principles of Social Realism as a possible means to resolve the vexed questions about what and whose knowledge counts in education.

show abstract

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Critiquing the Critique: Postcolonialism, Moral Concerns, and Epistemology: An essay review of The Routledge Handbook to Sociology of Music Education, Part I

McPHAIL

2023

ACT

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Music education in New Zealand secondary school classrooms was recently described as digital music education because of the tools and resources being used (McPhail, 2018a).…”

Section: Educational Contextmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fundamentally, the NZC differs significantly from the national curriculum of most other countries for two reasons. Firstly, it is not connected to a nationally-devised syllabus or officially sanctioned music textbook(s) for teachers or students to use (McPhail, Thorpe, et al, 2018a). Scholars have discussed the barriers syllabus and texts can impose on music teachers (Elliott & Silverman, 2015a;Humberstone, 2017b).…”

Section: The New Zealand Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Secondly, the NZC is focused on a process-based experience of music which is supported by an inherent flexibility in the national assessment framework (NCEA) (McPhail, Thorpe, et al, 2018a). The NZC is centred on key competencies that each subject area shares, not specific skills or demonstratable actions.…”

Section: The New Zealand Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The shift seeks to improve student engagement and educational achievement, and ultimately society as a whole (Philpott, 2010). The decisions made by music teachers in New Zealand about which content and concepts are included in their curriculum has been impacted by the teacher to student centred transition (McPhail, Thorpe, et al, 2018a). In implementing a student-centred curriculum in New Zealand, each school is encouraged to draw on the national curriculum to develop a school-based curriculum appropriate for their unique context and students (Wylie, 2012).…”

Section: A Student-centred Curriculummentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

No longer optional: The Infusion of Digital Technology in Praxical Secondary School Music Education

Emo

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

In the last 30 years, digital technology has changed music making. These changes have been studied in the context of music education. The majority of the research predates the major technological shifts that have occurred in the last five years (e.g. browser-based Digital Audio Workstations) and the impact of online teaching through the Covid-19 pandemic. Studies have focused on the relationships between teacher beliefs at the introductory or integration phase of digital technology. It has not been determined how secondary school classroom music teachers in New Zealand conceptualize music education in light of the country's unique curriculum and assessment framework. Neither is there any recent empirical research internationally that provides insights into the relationship and influence of teacher beliefs with their experience and practice of digital technologies in the classroom. Additionally, previous empirical studies with digital technology have been limited by being narrow in their sample size, only sampling advanced users of digital technology or with pre-service teachers.This thesis explores the landscape of music education in the digital age, focusing on the examining of the experience, practices, and beliefs of secondary school music teachers in New Zealand with the goal of attaining the essence of their experience as a combined cohort. The methodological approach uses a transcendental phenomenology lens, drawing on Husserlian phenomenology. The two-part mixed methods study includes the administering of a new Music Education Digital Technology (MEDT) survey tool nationwide to an estimated 40% of the secondary school music teaching cohort followed by six case studies. The research outcomes reveal three key findings that contribute to the understanding of the experience of secondary school music teachers with digital technology into music education.The first research outcome highlights that the participating teachers are praxicalists, the most recent iteration of the education theory of praxialism, as developed by Regelski. Contrary to expectations of curriculum incoherence, the findings illustrate a coherent approach through the interconnected pillars of praxicalism, namely techné, poiesis, phronēsis, and theoria. The study identifies the flexibility of the national curriculum (NZC) and assessment framework (NCEA) in New Zealand in providing autonomy for teachers in their curriculum decisions. The second research outcome emphasizes how the classroom reflects current music praxis. In making their curriculum decisions, the music teachers strive to incorporate a pluralistic approach to what music genres are included, challenging the dichotomy between Western Art Music (WAM) and popular/contemporary or electronic music that is present in previous studies. Within the context of how genres are included, the study reveals that teachers are informed by how musicians create music, and seek to primarily draw from students' experiences, minimizing the boundary between in-school and out-of-school music. This approach addresses the longstanding problem of a mismatch between school music and external music praxis. Additionally, the study highlights the significance of recognizing students as already knowledgeable contributors to music praxes outside the classroom.The third research outcome identifies teachers as teaching experts rather than knowledge or digital technology experts. The participating teachers, despite lacking expertise in specific musical genres or digital technology, confidently integrate diverse music praxes into their curricula. The interaction between techné and phronesis underpins their decision-making, enabling a student-centred curriculum design.Overarching across these three outcomes, is how digital technology is infused in music, and this requires a different way of thinking about music education. The identification of infusion of digital technology in music making is a major finding not currently present in the empirical research internationally.The study proposes six areas for future research, including future use of the MEDT survey tool in New Zealand and overseas, exploration of the impact of ongoing curriculum and assessment changes, investigation into teachers' perceptions of negative effects of digital technology, examination of the relationship between self-efficacy and mindset, consideration of students' perspectives, and a global perspective on the study findings.While acknowledging limitations such as a small sample size and geographical context, this study has implications for both music teachers and policymakers. It advocates for a student-centred approach, emphasizing the importance of strong curriculum-making skills and maintaining trust and autonomy for teachers in the digital age. The study's implications extend beyond New Zealand, offering insights for policymakers in other nations undergoing curriculum and assessment revisions.

show abstract

Secondary school arts teachers’ practice autonomy perceptions in New Zealand and England

Thorpe

Kinsella

2020

Journal of Curriculum Studies

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

is a senior lecturer in education, specialising in secondary school music education and initial teacher education. A former secondary school teacher and in-service teacher-educator, her research interests include secondary school curriculum, the relationship between creativity and assessment, and teacher identity.Dr Victoria Kinsella is senior research fellow in education researching arts education and creativity. She has worked on a number of creative arts research projects in various contexts including schools, prisons, galleries, arts centres and with educational agencies. Her research interests include creativity, partnership and assessment. Secondary school arts teachers' perceptions of their practice autonomy in New Zealand and England.New Zealand has its educational roots in 19 th and 20 th century British educational systems with close similarities between English and New Zealand secondary school education structures. In the last two decades, however, secondary school education in both countries has experienced multiple and sometimes radical reforms. Educational policy has diverged markedly at times. In this article, we present the findings of research into the professional autonomy of 15 secondary school music, art and drama teachers from England and New Zealand. The aim was to explore whether educational policy impacts arts teaching practice, and to what extent teachers in both countries believe themselves to be professionally autonomous. Findings suggest despite similarities between jurisdictions, England teachers report a highly performative regime that restricts, governs and isolates them and the subject in school. This contrasts a progressive, even permissive, professional environment where the New Zealand teachers believe their students' needs come first and feel primarily accountable to their local and disciplinary communities.

show abstract

Mapping the field

Cited by 4 publications

References 0 publications

Critiquing the Critique: Postcolonialism, Moral Concerns, and Epistemology: An essay review of The Routledge Handbook to Sociology of Music Education, Part I

Critiquing the Critique: Postcolonialism, Moral Concerns, and Epistemology: An essay review of The Routledge Handbook to Sociology of Music Education, Part I

No longer optional: The Infusion of Digital Technology in Praxical Secondary School Music Education

Secondary school arts teachers’ practice autonomy perceptions in New Zealand and England

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About