Music education in schools – what is taught? A comparison of curriculum in Sweden and Australia

Music has been a subject offered in schools for some time across the globe. Students will often study music, alongside other arts subjects or as a stand-alone music course, during the primary school years and at selected times during secondary school. Despite music being an important subject within schooling, other subjects such as English, maths and science are often privileged over the arts. Most countries have their own music curriculum that describes the intended learning within music, however few studies have explored the similarities and differences of music curriculum across countries. In this study, we analyse the music curriculum of Australia and Sweden. We first present a brief history of music education in both countries and then analyse the music curriculum to reveal comparative aspects. Using a content analysis, we were able to identify main themes around the content including making and responding to music, Indigenous musics, and health and safety. Comparative studies about curriculum are important for improved curriculum development as well as understanding the different knowledge and skills students are expected to learn in music from a global perspective