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Purpose: Schools have a significant role in ensuring children's wellbeing as children spend a lot of time at school. Students need to have an active role in their learning and an opportunity to participate in issues concerning wellbeing and studying. This research examines students' wellbeing in an innovative learning environment. The classroom is built with professionals, teachers and students (aged 9). The authors call it Learning Ground. Design/methodology/approach: Students' wellbeing was measured with smart device application for a six-week period. Students answered the questionnaire with a Likert scale of five (very poor - excellent) responses. Two weeks during the six weeks research period, students were able to use digital study aids, EEG-biosensor headsets, to observe the effectiveness of their learning, defined by NeurSky app. The EEG-biosensors enabled students to use a tool to recognise their own learning factors during the lessons. The effectiveness was available to students via tablets all the time. Findings: The students at the Learning Ground are satisfied with wellbeing and the environment support for students' wellbeing experience is notable. They have "good vibes" before and after the school day. When wearing EEG-headsets "study aids", which enabled them to observe their learning via tablets at lessons, the wellbeing experience in the mornings even increased. Originality/value: Schools need to be visionaries concerning 21st century learning and children's wellbeing. Building flexible learning environments and bringing innovative technologies into schools to provide active support for students will enable 21st century learning. Wellbeing of children should become first when developing the future schools.

In this article we explore the realisation of an art education project as multiprofessional cooperation. The multiprofessional collaboration pair in this study consisted of an artist working together with a teacher. This resulted in activities, which all actors, artists, teachers and administrators saw to be at an especially high level, both artistically and to the practice of teaching. Actually they all thought that the targets, which were set to the project, were clearly surpassed. At its best this working method connected artistic work with the pedagogic knowledge and experience of the children's group work. The work required common planning, flexibility from the traditional methods and culture together with a long-lasting timeframe, (1-2.5 year per each of the sub projects), which made it possible to try to develop new methods. In setting the aims and evaluating the results, the artist's highlighted the artistic significance, while the teachers focused on the instrumental values of art. In the end, both teachers and artists were satisfied with the results. (Contains 4 figures and 2 footnotes.)

Venezuela-based social music education programme El Sistema has been operating in Vantaa since 2009. The Vantaa Tempo Orchestra is a key tool in El Sistema Finland's pursuit of musical and social goals. These include a partnership between children from diverse backgrounds and a good and meaningful life with music playing as an important part of it. In this article we address the significances of the Tempo Orchestra’s orchestral work in El Sistema Finland’s context in Vantaa. The research is topical and important, as it explores low-threshold, goal-oriented leisure activities based on the "Finnish model". In addition, the study provides information about the Finnish elementary school system as a comprehensive and supportive context for students at increased risk of social exclusion. The research questions in this article were: • What are the main elements of Vantaa El Sistema Finland? • What is going on behind the scenes? • How can the social educational elements and music educational elements in Vantaa El Sistema Finland’s activity be seen? We observed activities throughout the school day, in performances, behind the scenes, in instrument lessons, not just orchestral rehearsals. In this study we used an ethnographic approach strategy. The data were based on the participating observations and notes made at schools offering Vantaa Tempo orchestral activities during the 2021– 2022 academic year. The analysis is ethnographic based on the material and the interpretation is hermeneutic. Results: School and part of the school day are appropriate contexts for Vantaa Tempo Orchestras to act in. The activities contribute to one of the region's interventions, social inclusion, and the promotion of the democratisation of art. Most of those who want can at least try playing in the Tempo Orchestra and many of them find their own important issue in it. The expansion of operations will bring new employees, whose sharp introduction to the principles of El Sistema without causing problems on their own pedagogical personality is a topical challenge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Based on an expectancy-value theoretical framework and data (n = 1654) collected in 29 Finnish municipalities using a structured questionnaire, this study examines primary (grades 5-6), lower secondary (grades 7-9) and upper secondary (grades 10-12) students' motivation in music and mathematics. It explores in detail the students' interest in music and mathematics inside and outside school, primarily from the point of view of enjoyment of the subject and the perceptions about the importance and usefulness of the subject. However, it also investigates the respondents' view of the difficulty of the subject, the popularity of the subject, self-competence in the subject, and gender. The main results are: 1) In general, music is a more interesting subject than mathematics, but it is more interesting outside school than in school. Mathematics is more interesting in school and girls are more interested in music, whereas boys are more interested in mathematics, 2) Interest in music and mathematics inside and outside school can be explained by the enjoyment related to studying the subjects and the view of the importance and usefulness of the subjects, and 3) An intrinsic motivation in mathematics strengthens a positive relationship with music.

More than 98 percent of children in Finland attend preschool, where different kinds of projects are carried out in order to strengthen the children's abilities. This article focuses on the effects of one arts education project from a school readiness point of view. The main question was, How did the Helsinki arts education project affect the children's learning skills and attitudes? The target groups were children aged three to nine years who participated in the arts project in day care centers and schools. A multidimensional evaluation method was used for the analyses. The research data consisted of interviews of the program artists and educators (n = 23), follow-up reports (n = 9), and other materials. The results show that the program motivated children and aroused their interest in thinking, problem-solving, practicing, and learning. It offered children opportunities to experience success, which increased their self-confidence and skills. The project also strengthened their abilities in listening, goal-oriented work, evaluating others' work, and receiving feedback, which are all abilities required for school entrance. The subject matter of their school courses was also integrated into their achievements.

The aim of this educational developmental study is to develop optimal multidisciplinary studies in music education for class teacher education at the University of Turku, which could respond to the work requirements of future teachers. The research consists of four design cycles, which were carried out in 2013-2017. The data includes the written feedback from 77 student teachers at the end of their music studies, as well as group interviews and materials from three future workshops with 5 participants. This article focuses on the first cycle from 2013 to 2014. The research questions were to find out: How do the student teachers appraise the aims and contents of the music study modules considering the class teacher's requirements in working life? What kind of developmental ideas did the student teachers have concerning the study modules? The data consisted of 77 student teachers' writings. The data was analyzed using content analysis. The students' fields of knowledge were divided into three classes: 1) the aims of musical activities, 2) ways of action in music education, 3) content and materials. The results showed that students wished for an open and supportive learning atmosphere and consideration for music's impact on wellbeing. They also favored, learning by doing, teaching at a suitable level, activating pupils, supporting different action techniques, practical content, and materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine how musical identities are reflected in young people's narratives through databased content analysis. The study also examined musical experiences of the young because they enabled the musical identities research. Subjects of this study were 15-16-year-old learners who wrote essays about their music-related experiences. The foundation of the study was formed around Hall's theory about identities and especially his concept of the postmodern subject. Definitions of musical identity were limited to four slightly different visions. In the research, the views of Jorgensen, Leppänen & Unkari-Virtanen and Sintonen, Hargreaves, Miell and MacDonald and Green were compared. Especially Green's and Hargreaves, Miell and MacDonald's definitions were applied to this study. Databased content analysis defined three categories for describing musical experiences. These categories were listening to music, music as a hobby and studying music. The results showed that especially listening to music played a significant role in the lives of the young, while on the other hand studying music in a school environment was considered to decrease their interest in music. The term 'musical identity' was defined as young people's perceptions about themselves in the context of music. This study focused on examining what kinds of musical identities young people's musical experiences produced. Based on the musical experiences, four identity types were formed: versatile music hobbyists, comprehensive music listeners, everyday users of music and the music avoiders. The largest identity type was music listeners, which verified the notion of the importance of music listening during youth. Identity types enabled the examination of the issue relating to the impact of different kinds of musical experiences on attitudes towards music education in schools. Only a small minority of the participants had positive experiences in music lessons and a majority of the young had negative experiences. The research showed that basically interest in music during free time and the contents of formal music education did not match. Although the level of interest in music lessons was low, music was still a big part of young people's life. Music was used to pass the time, experience social cohesion and deal with difficult things. The most important meaning of music turned out to be the ability to escape the world through music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A major change has occurred in schools, in teacher education and in general in Finland as well as other western countries. The latest Finnish national core curriculum emphasizes the importance of offering the pupils regular opportunities to compose, create music together and improvise (National Core Curriculum for Basic Education, 2014). This article investigates the use of new technologies in teaching productive music education and explores the attitudes and conceptions of students specializing in music regarding the new ideas of productive music education (which presented in the article) and how to use them. The research was carried out among a group of students (N=8) specializing in music at the School of Applied Educational Science and Teacher Education of the University of Eastern Finland in Joensuu. The results clearly show a significant need for productive, pupil-centred education and add support to earlier research in defining a new direction and paradigm for music education for the future. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents a cross-sectional examination of El Sistema, a social music education method, its educational background, philosophy, history and contemporary practices based on a systematic literature review. First, we describe the background and key principles of the El Sistema method, and then examine each of the identified studies and present a synthesis of their results. The El Sistema method has spread widely around the world and a range of modelling approaches and educational programmes have been inspired by its ideas. Research and constructive critique are needed to help ensure high-quality dissemination and application of the method. This article addresses the following research questions: 1) What music educational starting points does the international El Sistema social music education method include? 2) What has been researched about El Sistema? 3) What are the main results of the research conducted on El Sistema? The method used in this article is systematic literature overview. Using three search words, the database of the University of Eastern Finland found 223 hits from which 37 were selected to be analysed. In addition, searches were carried out in the following databases: UEF Primo Central Index, Social Science Premium Collection (Pro Quest), Uniarts Finna Arsca, and the Education Resources Information Center (ERIC), and nine more hits were found (N=46). The publications were classified into five groups: 1) history of El Sistema, 2) brain research, 3) academic impacts, 4) psychosocial impacts, and 5) El Sistema programme activities. The weighting of the studies was evaluated based on the content in relation to the subject under study, the scientific level, Publication Forum JUFO classification, and date of publication. Synthesis: Historically, the birth of El Sistema in Caracas in 1975 was preceded by a versatile positive cause-consequence relationship. It is beneficial for the brain to engage in music more than is typically offered in schools. In addition, psychosocial abilities are improved through participation in an orchestra or a choir. El Sistema and its ways of operating always differ depending on the local culture and needs of different countries and communities. Music education needs to be more than merely practising compositions for performance in an orchestra or a choir. Music itself does not do anything life-changing - the people involved in it do. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on elementary classroom teacher students' (N=10) experiences of art and skill subjects at school and in teacher education. The data was collected by narrative writings about students' experiences of music, visual arts, physical education, and crafts. Both positive and negative experiences were found from these subjects. Every respondent had negative experiences in some of the subjects. At worst, the experiences were so traumatizing that respondents suffered from the consequences even after twenty years. This shows the importance of the teacher's behaviour in evaluation and feedback at school. Young pupils are at a sensitive developmental stage when in elementary school and at the high school level, as students' self-conception is still building. The art and skill subjects may cause students to feel more vulnerable than other subjects, because everyone can see or hear immediately when something goes wrong. Teacher education should be developed in a direction where future teachers are emotionally sensitive and discrete to avoid traumatizing their pupils. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study sheds light on music teachers' musician experiences. In this research author explores how early instrument studies, gender and family and the ways of being a musician influence one's musician experience and how it can benefit music educators work. Eight music teachers from South-East Finland area were interviewed (N=8). Five of the interviewees were female and three were male. The data was collected in two parts. First, a questionnaire was carried out and then individual interviews for each of the respondents. A theory-driven content analysis was used as a tool for analyzing the data. Due to the results revealing personal experiences and the number of candidates being quite small, the results cannot be generalized, instead they offer valuable information about musician experiences and how these experiences can be used at schoolwork. The results show that gender does not impact being a musician today, but having a family may limit it when the children are small. To musicianship, it is important how much music has been played before the music studies. Musician's profession can be active at the same time as being a music teacher and a teacher has regular working hours and salary. The salary is an important reason for staying in music teacher's job. A teacher who works as a musician can be helpful for students who are interested in studying music. Teachers should bring out their best qualities and skills into teaching. They should identify their own professional identity and bring it along to their work. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on 5th and 6th grade pupils' motivation to study music in Finnish elementary school. The research explored connections between self-efficacy, appreciation, and intrinsic motivation. The research also explored the significance of parental beliefs and appreciation in connection to pupil's motivation to study music. The data was collected from 403 respondents from 10 different schools around Finland. The data was analysed using quantitative methods. The connections between the factors were explored using Spearman's Rank-Order Correlation test. Having music as a hobby in connection with motivation to study music was tested using cross tabulation and the x² test. According to the results, pupils' motivation to study music is strongly connected to their self-efficacy beliefs and appreciation, which were classified as attainment value, utility value, and costs. There were differences between pupils depending on them having music as a hobby or not. In addition, there was a connection between parental beliefs and appreciation and a pupil's motivation to study music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Attitudes to visual arts, crafts, physical education, and music have traditionally been defined and studied in each discipline's own context. In the theoretical background, the perspectives of these arts and skills are described. In the empirical part, we explore the common factors defining student teachers' relationships to these subjects. The data consists of portfolios of students (N = 112) in the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) teacher education in 2016. Our method is theory guided content analysis. The results show that students' relationships to arts and skills is defined by the following factors: (1) other people, (2) commitment, (3) skillfulness, (4) contents and (5) resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Our research explores teacher education students' experiences of the teaching practice and supervision that they receive during teacher training. We also asked the students for ideas about developing the music education module in teacher training at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) (N=21). The data were collected during 2014-2018 in a teaching practice H2-study (elementary classroom practice) module. The teacher students responded to open questions in writing. All respondents are anonymous in the data. The results show that the teacher students can be divided into three categories according to their attitude towards teaching music during the teaching practice module: Enthusiastic, Hopeful but qualified, and Fearful and qualified. The categories were analyzed separately, but the results were collected in general exploring. It shows that the teaching practice module functions well, and the students are satisfied with the supervision they receive for the most part. Each student felt that their self-assurance and self-confidence in teaching music was significantly enhanced. The students' ideas for developing the teacher education music courses largely focused on the extent of the courses and the number of optional courses and music theory lessons. The teaching practice clearly succeeded in changing the prejudices of students and their meta-cognitive beliefs about themselves. These changes are based on significant experiences in teaching practice. The changes in significance relations impact changes in behavior and operations and, in this way, strengthen teacher identity and selfunderstanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on student teachers' willingness to teach music. The base group consists of second-year students at the University of Eastern Finland (UEF) from the years 2015 (n=82, 78% of the students) and 2016 (n=93, 74% of the students). We explore how students' willingness to teach music changed after the curriculum was reshaped in 2015. We focus on students' thoughts about music teaching, challenges in the subject, and the influence of music hobbies. Our earlier research (Mäkinen & Juvonen 2017) showed that 45% of the students were not willing to teach music in future. The first data was collected in 2015, when the subject-based curriculum was in use. The second data was collected in 2016 after changes in curriculum. We compare two curriculum models and their impacts. This research uses mixed methods and the data consists of closed and open-ended questions and narratives written students. In earlier research we found four music teaching attitude-based groups, which we use also in this research. They were: 1) "Enthusiastic", 2) "Hopeful but qualified", 3) "Doubtful and fearful", 4) "Others". The student teachers have a clear concept of their musical skills. This was measured by their own evaluation. After the curriculum change, the students understand that they can teach music without being specialists in music. The changes in curriculum have made a strong impact on the students' division into the attitude-based groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on finding out what defines a good music teacher from the points of view of sixth grade pupils and student teachers. The basic group of the research was formed by student teachers in the University of Eastern Finland and the sixth-grade pupils in the practice school in Joensuu in 2016. We explore growing to be a teacher and matters connected to it, first on a general level and then focusing especially on music teaching. Our aim is to find out if there are differences in the concept of a good music teacher among the pupils and the student teachers. Both target groups were also asked to make an assessment about their own abilities and skills in different areas of music activities (level of musical skills). We also compare these to the concepts of a good music teacher. Our research approach is both qualitative and quantitative, it can be called mixed method research. Our data consists of questionnaires that the student teachers answered in the autumn of 2016 (N=146) and the school pupils answered it in the spring of 2016 (N=74). The questionnaires were similar and included background questions and narrative writing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research focuses on attitudes toward music teaching, fears, hopes and expectations for the subject in the future teacher's profession. The research also examines the ideal picture of music teacher and hopes of each teacher student's individual development in different areas of music as a school subject. The base group of the research is formed by student teachers in the University of Eastern Finland Joensuu campus. The aim of the research is to find out how student teachers' hopes, fears and the conception of one's own musical talent affect the attitude towards music teaching. In addition to this, we also explore student teachers' views about an ideal teacher teaching music for primary school. We focus on student teachers' attitudes to music teaching, their biggest challenges in different areas of music teaching, the effect of earlier musical hobbies and their desires in studying music if they could. The research is qualitative and the data consists of 82 questionnaires with open ended questions and narratives written by them. 49% of students had music as a hobby and 41% of them did not. There were 64 women and 7 men in the research group and some of the respondents did not tell their gender. In the analysis we found four attitude-based groups towards music teaching: 1) Enthusiastic, 2) Hopeful but qualified, 3) Doubtful and fearful, 4) Others. According to the results, the student teachers have a clear vision of the direction they would like to develop their musical skills. Music teaching raises a little fear and anxiety, but the results show also student teachers' understanding of the fact that music can be taught without being a specialist in it. Almost all respondents expressed their desire to develop themselves in music. The ideal music teacher was widely speculated. Mainly the respondents saw a teacher being a good music teacher when one had enough skills and could use versatile methods. A positive attitude was seen as important factor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High level of quality in teaching and the standard of national equality in education are some of the key factors in the success of Finnish school system in international comparison. Finnish teacher training qualifies students with high-level knowledge of the material as well as in pedagogical skills required for high level teaching results. As a result, the model of Finnish education has become an ever more growing export product. One element behind the success is Finnish Curriculum, which sets the guidelines for teaching and pedagogy of each school subject. Although the Finnish school education has been a remarkable success generally, profound problems lie underneath. Attitudes to music teaching vary a lot among teacher students and qualified teachers. Unlike many other school subjects, music requires a lot of special competence, which is hard to reach at school or in everyday life. The competences required for music teaching include musical skills and knowledge in connection with teaching skills. To gain the competence required, with a positive self-efficacy, the learning curve includes learning both instrument and singing skills, pedagogical and didactic abilities and basics of music theory. Learning these elements should be systematic and gradual, and it is only possible under the guidance of a qualified teacher. Not having music as a hobby in the past, teacher student's competence is likely to be very low or limited to singing only. This leads to a paradox, where a teachers' and their pupils' musical competence is at the similar level. Since the time and money spent on teacher student's music training has decreased, gaining the required competence has become very demanding, if not impossible. As the students recognize the competence required impossible to reach, negative attitudes to music teaching easily emerge. Although there are few researches about teacher students' attitudes to learning piano playing, there is only a limited research interest in music competence requirements in the Finnish national Curriculum. This study aims at revealing the competence requirements of music teaching in primary school. In addition to the analysis of the curriculum text, this study also formulates a synthesis of aims, methods and the materials in music books used by teachers. This study will formulate a competence-profile for primary school music teaching based on the Finnish curriculum and music books. The results offer a possibility for a critical analysis of music studies and the resources used in teacher training. What kind of competences is required in primary school music teaching? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]