Training the non-specialist music teacher: insights from a Zimbabwean case study

Abstract

In Zimbabwe music education in primary schools is taught by general classroom teachers, who received their music training during their general teacher training years. In this case study we explored the nature of music teacher training at one particular institution in Zimbabwe. We concluded that reasonable success was achieved to some extent in terms of preparing student teachers to implement the Zimbabwe Primary Music Syllabus (Curriculum Development Unit 1989). Serious reservations arise, however, about the levels of these teachers’ subject content knowledge, pedagogical content knowledge and general level of musicianship.

JOURNAL OF THE MUSICAL ARTS IN AFRICA VOLUME 7 2010, 1–15