Week 9 – Rethinking Behaviour Through Relationships and Preventative Practice

For this lecture I was absent because I was sick and unwell. After speaking to my peers, they informed me the lecture focused toward behaviour, engagement, and the realities of classroom management. After reading the lecture notes, I found it surprisingly reassuring, because it framed behaviour not as “control” but as something shaped by relationships, routines, and learning design. The lecture slides emphasised preventative strategies over reactive responses, and this felt like a healthier way of thinking about behaviour support.

Reading Hepburn et al. (2021) confirmed that many teachers still rely heavily on reactive practices such as sanctions or student removal, even though proactive approaches—clear expectations, consistent routines, active supervision—are shown to be far more effective.

What stood out most was the emphasis on engagement as a behaviour strategy. When students are meaningfully involved in the learning, there’s naturally less room for off-task behaviour (Hepburn et al., 2021). This connected back to our earlier work with Kodály and Orff, where participation was built into the task itself. It reminded me that music, by nature, has the potential to prevent issues simply through active involvement—if the activities are well-structured.

This week gave me a more realistic picture of what behaviour management might look like for me: calm, consistent, and grounded in relationships rather than reaction.

Week 10 – Understanding Adolescent Learners and Musical Engagement

Week 10 centred on adolescent development, and it helped me make better sense of why students behave, respond, and learn the way they do in the music classroom. The lecture outlined key features of adolescence—identity formation, social belonging, heightened sensitivity to peer perception, and fluctuating motivation.  Seeing these factors laid out so clearly made me think back to classes I’ve taught or observed, where student behaviour sometimes felt unpredictable. Now, it feels less personal and more developmental.

One idea that stayed with me was how strongly adolescents are driven by social meaning. Music naturally taps into this, which might explain why practical, ensemble-style tasks often work so well at this age. They offer a chance to belong, contribute, and negotiate roles—all things adolescents value. This also linked to the reading by McPherson and Williamon (2015), especially their point that skill development is closely tied to motivation, self-belief, and the social environment around learning. It made me think about how important it is for music teachers to build supportive, low-pressure learning spaces where students feel comfortable taking risks.

Another important insight was how students’ emotional intensity can be both a challenge and a strength. Rather than trying to suppress it, the lecture suggested channelling it into creative work or collaborative problem solving. That perspective felt realistic and encouraging.

Overall, Week 10 reminded me that teaching adolescents isn’t just about content—it’s about understanding their world and designing learning that respects where they’re at.

Week 11 – Seeing Music Education Through Pluralist and Comprehensive Lenses

Week 11 shifted my thinking about what music education can look like when we move beyond a single tradition or way of knowing. The lecture explored pluralist and comprehensive musicianship approaches and I found myself reflecting on how narrow my own school experiences were. We mostly focused on Western notation, ensemble pieces, and “correct” performance. This week prompted me to question what gets left out when music education leans too heavily in one direction.

Comprehensive musicianship—listening, performing, improvising, analysing—felt very aligned with what we’ve been doing in class all semester. The Orff-Keetman sessions, for example, naturally move across these modes without making it feel forced. That connection helped me see how these approaches aren’t just theoretical; they can be lived out in practical classroom tasks.

The reading by Heavner (2005) supported this idea well. His argument that students develop deeper understanding when given chances to explore concepts through multiple entry points resonated with me. It reminded me that not all students connect through notation first; some respond better to sound, movement, or improvisation. A pluralist approach acknowledges this diversity.

What I appreciated most about this week was its practicality. It wasn’t saying, “teach all musics.” Instead, it suggested being intentional about broadening experiences so more students can see themselves in the curriculum. For me, that feels like a realistic goal.

Overall, Week 11 helped me think more critically about balance—how to honour tradition while still creating inclusive, varied musical pathways.

Week 12 – Musicking, Participation, and What It Means to “Do Music”

Week 12 introduced us to Christopher Small’s idea of musicking, and it genuinely gave me a new way to frame what music education is meant to achieve. Instead of seeing music as a product—like a polished performance—Small sees it as something we do together, an activity that expresses relationships and shared meaning Small (1998) Musicking The Mean. This made me reflect on how often schools unintentionally prioritise outcomes over participation. Reading the chapter reinforced how deeply Western classical tradition shapes what many people believe “real music” is. Small’s critique of the concert hall ritual made me more aware of how these assumptions still influence classrooms today. For example, when students think they’re “not musical,” it’s often because they don’t fit into that narrow, performance-focused model.

In class, when we discussed musicking in relation to ensemble work, group improvisation, and even simple classroom music games, it helped me see how valuable these activities actually are. They create space for every student to take part, regardless of technical skill. That aligns with what we’ve been experiencing through Orff-Schulwerk and Kodály—participation first, refinement later.

This idea also connected with my practicum experiences. I noticed that students were more invested when they felt involved, not judged. Small’s thinking helped me understand why: musicking gives them a role, a place, and a sense of contribution.

Overall, Week 12 made me reconsider what I want students to walk away with. Confidence and connection now feel just as important as technical progress.

Week 13 – Decolonising Music Education and Rethinking My Role as a Teacher

Week 13 was one of the most important and confronting weeks of the semester. Tom Fienberg’s lecture on decolonising music education made me think carefully about the assumptions I carry into the classroom, especially around what counts as “valid” knowledge or “proper” music learning. The discussion around racism in the curriculum, deficit views, and the historical erasure of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander musical traditions challenged me in a way that felt necessary rather than overwhelming.

What stood out most was the idea that culturally responsive teaching isn’t about adding a token song or unit—it’s about rethinking the structures and power dynamics embedded in music education. The reading by Tuxworth and Dwyer (2023) highlighted how CALD students often feel unseen in music classrooms that centre Western traditions, and how teachers sometimes lack the cultural understanding or confidence to support them. This reinforced Tom’s point that inclusion requires intention, not assumption.

I appreciated the reminder to approach this work with humility. As a future teacher, I won’t have all the answers, but I can commit to listening, learning, and being thoughtful about how I choose repertoire, frame activities, and acknowledge the musical identities students bring with them.

Connecting this to our earlier practical work, I realised that approaches like Orff and Kodály are only truly inclusive when they are adapted with cultural awareness rather than applied rigidly. The goal isn’t to replace Western music, but to broaden the space so more students feel represented.

Week 13 left me with a clearer sense of responsibility—one grounded not in expertise, but in willingness to grow.

References

Heavner, K. (2005). Teaching the gifted and talented using comprehensive musicianship.
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Hepburn, L., Beamish, W., & Alston-Knox, C. (2021). Classroom management practices commonly used by secondary school teachers: Results from a Queensland survey. The Australian Educational Researcher, 48(3), 485–505. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13384-020-00402-y

McPherson, G. E., & Williamon, A. (2015). Musical talent. In G. E. McPherson (Ed.), The child as musician: A handbook of musical development (2nd ed., pp. xxx–xxx). Oxford University Press.
(Note: Page numbers weren’t visible in the PDF. If you want them added, upload the exact chapter pages.)

Small, C. (1998). Musicking: The meanings of performing and listening. Wesleyan University Press.

Tuxworth, J., & Dwyer, R. (2023). The crucial need to support culturally diverse students in Australian music classrooms. Australian Journal of Music Education, 55(1), 48–55.

Fienberg, T. (2025). Decolonising music education. EDMT5702 Week 13 Lecture Slides. University of Sydney.

EDMT5702 Lecture Slides (Weeks 1–12). (2025). University of Sydney.
(Individual slide decks cited with filecite identifiers.)

* I acknowledge the use of ChatGPT to proofread my work and to correct minor errors in spelling, grammar. All the ideas in this work are my own and I can support this with copies of ChatGPT conversations and version histories of my work.