Global approaches to provide effective in-service music teaching education to generalist primary teachers include intensive summer schools, collaborations with professional orchestras, school-driven initiatives, and in situ mentoring programs. This article describes and analyses a qualitative case study of whole-school music mentoring, where over 7 years every classroom teacher in an infants’ school (K–2) participated in a music mentoring intervention. Data were generated through interviews with multiple respondent groups, reporting teacher, mentor, and principal perspectives on the impact of whole-school music mentoring. The findings indicate the importance of the school principal’s support for flourishing music education. All participants reported an initial lack of teacher confidence in teaching music prior to mentoring, and teachers gaining confidence to sing in front of children and teach musical concepts. Key factors in the program’s success include development of music activities suitable to the local context; demonstration of music teaching and relevant resources; constructive feedback, ongoing support, and self-reflection; incorporation of music activities into everyday teaching; language development for non-English-speaking students; enhanced teacher motivation for professional development; and professional benefits for mentors. The study demonstrates that this sustained, in situ whole-school music mentoring model is effective in building teacher confidence and competence to teach music and embedding music education across a school community. The mentoring model serves as an example for early-childhood and primary education in other settings.
Zhukov et al. (Tue,) studied this question.