Improvisation in music education in primary school.

This musicological project has a didactic approach. The project intends to study music teachers’ approaches to improvisation in general music education. In the Swedish curriculum improvisation is part of the core content and is consequently mandatory during compulsory schooling  (Lgr 11). The purpose of improvisation for students within music education is that it is believed to "develop their musical creativity" and offer opportunities to "represent and communicate their own musical thoughts and ideas" (Lgr 11, p 100).

This study aims to examine how music teachers work with improvisation in music education, what importance they accord it and what functions improvisation can have. In a goal-and results-driven school, with clear grading criteria, it is also pertinent to ask how improvisation is to be assessed. The methods to be used in this study consist firstly of interviews with music teachers about their perceptions of improvisation in the classroom. These are then subsequently followed-up by participatory action research, in cooperation with music teachers. The theoretical framework is based on a pragmatic approach and educational theories with references to especially John Dewey and Gert Biesta.

PhD student: Christina Larsson