A Study on the Influence of Participatory Music Teaching Methods on the Pedagogical Perspectives of Master’s Students in Music Education: An Analysis Based on Experiences Following an Improvisation Course

Abstract

Participatory music pedagogy has become popular in music education in recent years in the international system, as it focuses on accessibility, social interaction, and creativity in learning music. Nevertheless, there are limited qualitative studies that consider the effects of exposure to participatory pedagogy on the teaching conceptualizations of the learners who were educated using traditional methods in music. The setting of this study was in an improvisation course in one of the universities in Hong Kong. It employed semi-structured interviews of six master’s students in music education who had diverse undergraduate backgrounds (music education, instrumental performance, and vocal performance). Their actual experiences in their lives at the conclusion of the participatory improvisation course and its impact on their music education conceptions were examined in the study. The research was conducted based on four questions: How do students describe their participatory learning experiences in the course? What do they see as special features as opposed to conventional pedagogies? What is the impact of the course on their concept of music education? How do they see the implementation of these ideas and methods into future teaching practice? The initial findings indicate that the philosophy of the course, low floor, high ceiling, gamified collective improvisation practices, and social music experiences motivated the students to reevaluate the traditional models of skills. The conceptions of teaching expressed by students changed in their very meaning of imparting musical skills to allowing everyone to appreciate music with positive attitudes toward future application. The research offers empirical data regarding the impacts of participatory pedagogy among graduate students and presents lessons that can be applied in the curriculum reform in the new century in music teacher education.