Implementing the Australian Curriculum in Music: an initial study assessing its praxial potential in secondary schools in Canberra

Abstract

This thesis explores the design, development, and implementation of the Australian Curriculum in Music in secondary schools in Canberra. Music has long been an area of contention within curricula, but it remains present in the Australian Curriculum. There is a lacuna of detailed analysis of secondary music teachers and courses in relation to the Australian Curriculum, so addressing this gap may allow for a better understanding of how teachers implement the Curriculum in their classrooms.

Using an original analytical framework derived from literature surrounding music education, I have assessed the Curriculum for any issues in design, development, or implementation. This analysis ranges from inception to publication, and serves as the context against which a small sample of interviews with secondary music teachers will be explored. The final section of this thesis analyses and compares coursework documents that capture a detailed snapshot of the potentially vast range of individual interpretations of the Curriculum. Combined, the three sections of this thesis reveal the benefits and shortcomings of the Australian Curriculum in Music, examine some of the systemic issues in music education and teacher training, and highlight the importance of teacher expertise in delivering secondary music education.