Topic choices: Revealing concealed processes of curriculum sequencing in English secondary school Music classrooms

Music curriculum programmes are designed by English Music teachers in schools as the primary means of musical engagement for young people aged 11–14. Such Music curricula are often structured in learning topics. However, Music teacher rationales for the sequencing of the topics they have chosen to include in their curriculum is an under‐developed area of music education research literature. This study seeks to examine teacher practices in this domain through a comparative case study of nine English secondary school teachers using Think Aloud Protocols to uncover sequencing practices. The findings are analysed using the Friedman ANOVA statistical test and eyeball analysis of teacher curriculum formulations. Theorising from these results facilitated the development of a teacher model of curriculum processing, and illuminated hidden practices in curriculum design.