Following research into music education delivery in schools across Armidale and nationally, lecturers Dr Inga Brasche and Dr Benjamin Thorn are extending the project Surplus and Deficits: Music Education Programs in Armidale and Beyond in order to further examine the role of teacher confidence in the music classroom.
Research findings to date have indicated that music education programs have declined significantly in Australian schools in the last few decades. This locks students out of the academic and social benefits which have been demonstrated to follow quality music education programs.
One of the major reasons for a decline in music education delivery in schools across Australia is the issue of teacher confidence. Pre-service training has dropped alarmingly, with education students now receiving an average of 15 hours in music education as part of their degree, compared to 153 hours of music education instruction in 1951.
In an attempt to address the issue of teacher confidence in music education, Dr Brasche and Dr Thorn are offering a series of free professional development workshops in music education to primary teachers, education and music university students in Armidale. These five 90 minute workshops will cover singing, composing and listening as they relate to the current curriculum. The workshops will take place at the University of New England. Details as follows:
Time: 2:30 – 4pm
Dates:
- 14 September
- 21 September
- 12 October
- 19 October
- 26 October
Venue: Music Education Building (C14), UNE
For further information, please contact Dr Inga Brasche at the University of New England (ibrasche@une.edu.au).