Music subject in Estonian basic education: the reflections of the national curriculum in music teachers’ pedagogical thinking

AbstractThe research objective was to find out the Estonian music teachers’ pedagogical thinking according to the three level model of teachers’ pedagogical thinking (Kansanen, 1993), to what extent the decision the teachers are making are being influenced by the national curriculum, what music teaching practices are mostly used and what music education views can be found in the background of those practices. The data was collected using questionnaires and the results of 107 Estonian music teachers’ answers were examined using qualitative content analysis. The results showed that the music teachers’ pedagogical thinking stays mainly on the action and 1st level. The music teaching practices used are good for gaining the curriculum objectives. Teachers are more involved with everyday practical problems and they reflect upon their teaching very seldom. It can be concluded that the use and implementation of different methods and musical activities are giving good results in Estonia and is worth introducing and disseminating. More attention should be paid to reflection and discussions about values and visions of music education as well as using contemporary IT possibilities and media-based environments