MUS7260 Research Methods in Music

Victor Wong 15440214

Title:

Music for all: a comparative study of music curriculum frameworks for students aged 11-14

used by schools in Hong Kong

Introduction:

‘Comparing how different countries face common challenges can provide the

evidence to make the most effective [education] policies’ (Economic and Social Research

Council in Lowther 2010, 2); this, together with the advent of Programme for International

Student Assessment (PISA) league tables, governments are under ever increasing scrutiny to

ensure good education standards. To this end, many countries have introduced national

curricula frameworks to guide educators in devising a curriculum; however, it is important

that these are reviewed and developed regularly to incorporate changes in cultural and social

values, advances in pedagogical thinking, and new technologies.

In her comparison of the US and England’s music curriculum frameworks (for all

school ages), Lowther learnt that one of the differences in the frameworks is that the US

tends to focuses more on performance, while England tends focuses on students’ ability to

understand and invoke music expressively (Lowther 2010, 97-98). She therefore advices

practitioners to be mindful and attempt to balance out some of the inherent bias found in

frameworks when creating schemes of work.

Like Lowther, this study will compare different music curriculum frameworks;

however, this study will restrict itself to three curriculum frameworks for students aged 11-

141 that are relevant in Hong Kong: Hong Kong’s own Music Curriculum Guide; England’s

1
This study will refer to students aged 11-14, however, because of a difference in education systems, this age
group corresponds to students aged 12-15 under the Hong Kong curriculum.

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National Curriculum, as many schools in Hong Kong still offer the English system; and the

International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP) Arts Guide, used by a

growing number of international, private and “top” schools (Middleton 2010; International

Baccalaureate Organisation 2015). It will also be interesting to look at the IMBYP Arts

Guide, which encompasses visual art, media, drama, music, and dance, as interdisciplinary

learning is growing ever more prominent in education today; indeed, Finland is already

moving away from traditionally defined subjects in favour of teaching by topic (The Week

2015; Hadjipanayiotou 2015).

The choice of restricting this study to only frameworks affecting students aged

between 11 and 14 is because these are the ages for which music lessons are still mandatory

in the secondary school curriculum. Therefore, this period is crucial in fostering interest in

music and ensuring students are sufficiently prepared academically so that music is a viable

choice for most, if not all, in their post-14 music education; after all, music ‘is for all

students, not just an elite. Writers recognize that there is no such person as an unmusical

child, a child who it is not worth educating in music, just as there is no such person as a child

without previous experience of music’ (Mills 2005, 13). Ensuring that music is chosen by

enough students is also important in order to ensure we have a balanced society and economy

in the future: the UK will have an average of a 10% shortfall in teacher trainees across

subjects in 2015, for music, this figure rises to a 25% shortfall (Boffey and Helm 2015).

There are many reasons for this of course, but one suspects that if there were enough

musicians, the difference between the music shortfall and the average would not be this

drastic. Thus if music education is not adequate at this stage, not only will we will be

denying pupils their right to a good education, we also run the possibility of not having

enough music teachers in the future.

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By comparing curriculum frameworks, we may gain a better perspective into: the

rationale behind music education; the subject content one should include; and approaches to

assessment, in order to better face the ‘common challenge’ of providing a music curriculum

that will realise the potential in all our students.

Body:

Method

 The study will focus on, and compare four aspects of each framework: history and

overview of the frameworks; rationale and aims; subject content; and assessment

methods.

 The study will then discuss possible hidden curricula in each of these aspects.

Hidden curricula can be defined as the unintentional or unformal learning. This

learning can be positive (co-operation, tolerance, etc.) or negative (self-confidence

issues, behaviours such as bullying, etc.). Whilst the hidden curriculum may be in

the interactions between different parties in a school (staff, students, parents,

governors, etc.), or through external sources such as the media, it can also be in

the frameworks. These hidden curricula may be implied through the use of certain

language, or through the omission or emphasis of certain areas. For instance, the

use of ‘Core Subjects’ to describe English, Maths and Science and ‘Foundation

Subjects’ for others in the NC (Department of Education 2014, 5-6), may give the

impression that the Core subjects are superior to the Foundation subjects, or

worse, may lead one to think that Foundation subjects are ‘unimportant’.

 As a relatively newly trained secondary school teacher, the author will also

venture a personal opinion on the practicality of implementing the frameworks for

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someone new to the profession. As music departments can be as small as just one

teacher, the practicality of each document is very important.

o Definition of rationale and aims

 This is the rationale, aims or objectives as set out in each

document.

o Definition of subject content

 This is the subject knowledge that each framework expects the

teaching practitioner to cover.

 Subject knowledge in music can be divided into the four main

categories: Performance, Composition, Listening and

Knowledge/Theory (although this last category is expected to be

covered within the contexts of Performance, Composition and

Listening in the NC, one can expect there to be still practitioners of

the ‘chalk and talk’ method of teaching music)

o Definition of assessment methods

 This will include assessment frameworks (if any) set out in the

documents, and differences in expectations of achievement

between the different frameworks.

Brief history and overview of the three music curriculum frameworks

 Hong Kong (Curriculum Guide or CG):

o Hong Kong’s Music Curriculum Guide (The Curriculum Development

Council 2003) sets out the music framework and was last updated in 2003.

Prior to this, the framework was last revised in 1987 for primary schools and

1983 for secondary schools (Yeh 1998, 4-5).

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o The document contains statutory information regarding the curriculum as well

as the music framework for students aged 6 to 15, from primary 1 to

secondary 3. As noted above, because of the difference in education systems,

students the first three years of secondary school will be 12-15 years of age

instead of 11-14.

o The document numbers 168 pages including references.

 England (National Curriculum or NC):

o England’s National Curriculum (Department of Education 2013) sets out the

frameworks for all subjects and was last updated in 2014. Prior to this, the

framework was last revised in 2007 (Department for Children Schools and

Families and Qualifications and Curriculum Authority 2007).

o The document contains statutory information regarding the curriculum as well

as all the subject frameworks for students aged 11-14 in Key Stage 3 (KS3)

and aged 15-16 in Key Stage 4 (KS4).

o Disregarding the frameworks for all subjects save music, the document is 14

pages long.

o Although the documents purports to set out KS3 and KS4 frameworks, only

the KS3 framework is published for music. This may be because content in

KS4 may vary wildly, depending on whether the school decides to offer a

Business and Technology Council (BTEC) certificate course or one of the

General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE) qualification courses

offered by three different exam boards: AQA, Edexcel and OCR.

 International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IBMYP):

o The IBMYP Arts Guide (International Baccalaureate Organization 2014a) sets

out the framework for the Arts: Visual art, Media, Drama, Music and Dance,

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and was last updated in 2014. Prior to this, the framework was last revised in

2008, amended in 2010 in preparation for the new framework.

o The IBMYP is a five-year programme for students aged 11-16. However,

students will be able to focus on certain subjects by dropping others after three

years (aged 14).

o The IBMYP stipulates that all students must study at least one Visual Art

(visual art or media) and at least one Performing Art (music, dance or drama)

in the first three years of the programme, after which, at last one Arts subject

must be pursued.

o The document is 61 pages long including references and should be used in

conjunction with MYP: From Principles into Practice (International

Baccalaureate Organization 2014b), which sets out more information about the

structure of the Middle Years Programme as a whole.

 Summary:

o Of all the curriculum documents, the CG is the oldest and does not seem to be

updated regularly compared with the other two frameworks. Indeed, even in

1998, the 1987 primary and 1983 secondary frameworks were ‘now well

overdue to be revised and updated’ (Yeh 1998, 5). With CG now in its

thirteenth year, and especially with the rapid changes in technology, one can

surmise that it is again ‘well overdue’ for another revision. Both NC and

IBMYP are less than three years old and therefore more likely to be current in

terms of subject content and pedagogical thinking.

o The CG is also the longest of all three documents. A cursory glance through

shows that a lot is devoted to pedagogical concepts such as how to plan a

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curriculum, teach and assess. All aspects of teaching that should be covered in

any teaching textbook and training.

o This may be because the long gap between revisions means that the workforce

needs to be effectively retrained in their pedagogical thinking. However, this

makes the document extremely unwieldy, especially if one is new to the

document. If this is the reason, then there are should have been two

documents: the framework, and the support for implementing it; or there

should be the one framework and professional development courses arranged

to support teachers in the new framework.

o Another reason might be that primary music teachers may not be trained in

music specifically, thus the need for the large amount of support in the

document. However, teaching and assessment fundamentals should be the

same regardless of subject and therefore should not be included. If this is the

reason, then there should again, be two documents: one for primary

practitioners, who may or may not be music specialists, and one for secondary

practitioners, who should be music specialists.

o Yet another reason one can think of is that the Curriculum Development

Counsel has no confidence in the teachers to teach or assess effectively, hence

the need to include all this information. Certainly to an outsider, that could

seem the case. This can be damaging to the profession as it undermines trust.

o A term that is used in the CG is ‘Learning and Teaching’. This is the first time

one has personally come across this term, instead of the more familiar

‘Teaching and Learning’. Whilst one can argue that learning is the most

important aspect in schools, and learning can occur even without teaching, so

therefore should come first of the two terms. However, effective learning

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cannot occur without effective teaching and this could again, subconsciously

undermine the importance of a teacher’s role.

Rationale and aims

 CG:

o Music is ascribed importance in the CG, by pointing out that ‘[we

experience] music every day and such (sic) is inseparable from our daily

lives’, and that historically, this importance was recognised by the ancient

Chinese (in particular Confucius) and the ancient Greeks. (The

Curriculum Development Council 2003, 3)

o Music is ‘an important and fundamental way among human beings for

communication, emotional and cultural expression, [and is] also crucial to

children’s intellectual, physical and mental development.’ (ibid., 4)

o The CG also mention that 'every student has the intelligence and potential

in music, the ability to learn music, as well as the entitlement to music

education.’ (ibid.)

o The CG aims ‘to develop creativity, the ability to appreciate music and to

effectively communicate through music’

 NC:

 IBMYP:

 Summary:

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