Beyond music lessons: subject teachers' use of music in the classroom

In this ethnographic study, the mother-tongue (Chinese, Malay, and Tamil) language teachers of a first-grade class in Singapore were examined for their incorporation of music and musical elements in their daily teaching. Findings suggest that the teachers' musical training, influences and preferences, along with considerations of curricular needs, and classroom management, all factored into determining the amount and type of music that was brought into the classroom. An active approach by teachers to infuse children's musical interests into their classroom practices served to validate children's musical experience and competencies beyond school, encouraging a positive attitude towards music in the classroom.