title: Evaluating the impact of a skills-based intervention on the readiness of generalist teachers in a special school to teach music
Creators: name: Johnston, Amy
Publisher: name: University of Reading
Year: 2023

description: This thesis explores the lived experiences and perspectives of four
generalist teachers from one special school in England as they engage with a skills-based training and mentoring intervention aimed at increasing their competence and
confidence for teaching music, by focusing specifically on their classroom
musicianship. This is important because there is a distinct lack of research-informed
music education discussion focusing on pedagogy led by such teachers and on
special school music provision in general. A survey that was distributed to other
generalist teachers in the research school frames the main intervention that took
place over eleven months. Various tools were used to collect a wealth of qualitative
data. Visual methods track and measure a change in participants’ practice. A
consistent approach to analysing qualitative data started with open and focused
coding, before sensitising concepts were identified, leading to constant comparison
that elicited discussion around a set of three core themes and several sub-themes.
 Key findings revealed participants’ limited and negative experiences of 
music education and training pre-intervention, causing significant gaps in their music 
subject knowledge, musicianship and music teaching. These poor experiences had 
triggered feelings of low self-efficacy for teaching music and concerning belief 
systems related to the importance of music within core Special Educational Needs 
and Disabilities (SEND) curriculum provision, their own music teaching 
responsibilities and the musical potential of pupils with SEND. Training participants
in key areas of music subject knowledge and classroom musicianship led to
developments in their SEND music pedagogy and increased their levels of
competence as teachers of SEND music. Adopting a strengths-based approach by
drawing upon aspects of SEND pedagogy that were familiar to participants firmly
supported the development of their practice. The SEND music expertise of the 
mentor was crucial within the training process. Subsequently, participants 
developed a sense of ownership of their practice and reformed expectations of both
themselves and their pupils, along with feelings of increased resilience, enjoyment 
and confidence for teaching music.
 This study offers a significant contribution to professional knowledge and 
practice because it presents a model of music Continuing Professional Development 
(CPD) for in-service special school teachers, tailored specifically to music pedagogy 
for teaching SEND children. This is not commonly offered in professional or 
academic training. This research asks special school leaders to ensure that high-quality music provision is placed at the forefront of school policy and practice moving
forward. Those involved in setting national policy and agenda are also called upon
to urgently review general curriculum policy and music’s place within this, along with
SEND curriculum policies and music education policy in light of the range of issues
and complexities this research highlights.