EXPLORING TEACHING STRATEGIES OF TURKISH PRIMARY TEACHERS IN MUSIC EDUCATION By

Contemporary literature suggests that there is a growing body of research in music education, however, research on the teaching processes and effective teaching strategies of primary teachers in teaching music is highly limited and highlights the need for qualitative research in the pedagogy of music. Thus, with reference to music as one of the foundation subjects of the Turkish primary curriculum, this study aims to investigate primary teachers ' teaching strategies in Turkish primary classrooms. In the study the 'qualitative ' research approach was adopted in order to fulfil the aims and objectives of the study. The study was carried out in two state primary schools in Turkey. A total of six primary school teachers with different educational backgrounds participated in the study. As one of the research instruments, a semi-structured interview schedule was prepared and participant teachers were interviewed regarding their perceptions about music education and experiences in the classrooms. As a second means of data collection, classroom observation was used as an instrument. Each teacher was observed during their music lessons for a period of two hours (tw