Musical experience and confidence of pre-service primary teachers

Music is a mandated part of the primary curriculum but how well prepared are trainee primary teachers? This study investigates a cohort of trainee primary teachers at the University of New England looking at their musical skills and confidence. Findings include significant issues in terms of musical skills and experience. While roughly a third of students sing mostly in tune, another third have significant pitch issues. Only a third of students play some musical instrument. We also present some qualitative data about confidence including what areas they are likely to teach, in which some integral parts of the curriculum such as composition, rate very low. The positive finding is that a very high percentage of students are quite positive about music and do intend to use music extensively in their classroom practice.