Teaching Cantonese opera in schools has been advocated by the Hong Kong Government for more than a decade. However, Hong Kong music teachers find teaching Cantonese opera difficult due to their lack of relevant training. Research suggests that Hong Kong music teachers would be modestly confident and competent to teach the genre if a partnership approach is undertaken in which a professional artist collaborates with the teacher in teaching. Nevertheless, what are the problems that music teachers face in such partnership? A group of music teachers comprising six from four primary schools and six from three secondary schools participated in a collaborative teaching project with professional practitioners of Cantonese opera in 2009-10. Each school collaborated with one Cantonese opera artist in teaching a unit within eight weeks. All the classes were videotaped and observed with a focus on any constraints that teachers would face during their teaching. In addition, they were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews for further validating and triangulating the observation by the researcher. Initial findings from the study mainly include the misconception of pedagogy used in teaching the ethnic genre by employing Western music concepts including equal temperament, Bel Canto singing and Western notation system. The impact of using Western music concepts include: a) hindering students’ understanding of the nature of the genre such as the freedom of improvisatory development in life performances; b) hindering understanding of the authentic ‘Hepta-equal temperament’ used in the genre; and c) misleading students that the voice projection method is similar to the one in the Western music. This study identifies the issues raised and warrants discussion and implications of strategies in solving the problems. Initial implications include the need of professional development of both the music teacher and the artist.

A fundamental objective of Hong Kong in the 21st century is a vision of itself as an international cultural metropolis. This sits within a wider culture of change initiated by the comprehensive educational reforms launched in 2000, all aimed at preparing the future workforce for the challenges of the new millennium by encouraging students to take the learning initiative while simultaneously nurturing in them the ability to think and create. At the same time Hong Kong, at both an educational and at a wider, societal level, is a high-stakes, results-based environment generated by a culture of assessment. It is within this context that the article uses Music (through its traditional espousal of cultural values) as a "barometer" of the present climate to report the findings of a survey of Hong Kong secondary students in an attempt to gauge, and consequently articulate, the place of this particular subject within the curriculum. The subsequent confirmation that the cultural aims of the HKSAR are at odds with a mindset which is essentially commercial at heart reveals more than a simple mismatch in 2 terms of drivers: the wider implication that, in real terms, little has effectively changed in the past decade is a finding which clearly has important repercussions. Hinting that a "back to basics" tripartite process of rethinking, reevaluation and reorientation may well be required in order to help ensure that Hong Kong successfully realizes its ongoing policy goals, the article concludes with some suggestions of its own for the various relevant stakeholders.
[Copyright © The Hong Kong Institute of Education].

One proposed initiative of the Hong Kong Government is maintaining the city's competitiveness and strategies by cultivating the creativity of her people. Thus, understanding the economic outputs generated by people's creativity, and the structural and environmental conditions that allow people to remain creative is important. This paper examines the concept of creativity and the two main forms of creativity cultivation in schools. Based on interviews with teachers of a local secondary school excelled in drama education, the contributions of a whole-school approach, internal support and opportunities, and capital resources to creative education in school are explored. Finally, a stronger emphasis on creativity education in extra-curricular activities, and vocational education and training is proposed, especially for students of lower academic achievements and those from backgrounds of lower socioeconomic status.
[Copyright © 香港靑年協會].

Education in Hong Kong is currently facing the great challenge of reformation in the new century. Music, being a school subject for more than four decades in Hong Kong, provides one of the aesthetic experiences to all pupils in primary and junior secondary schools, which has been recognized as one of the core elements in an all-round education system. However, there is a lack of research studies that investigate how musicianship should be nurtured in general music classes in Hong Kong. Teaching strategies in music classes were ignored yet practical and important for teacher preparation. This paper reports the findings of a case study in which a number of successful music teaching strategies in a primary school were revealed. Through a semi-structured interview with the music teacher of the school, participant observation of 24 music lessons in two weeks, and an analysis of the video recordings of the class teaching, this study aimed to identify the successful teaching strategies employed in the classroom. Findings include four identified strategies that employed by the music teacher: 1) performing with aural training, 2) sound before notation, 3) repeats with slight variations, and 4) positive reinforcement.
[Copyright © 2003 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Educational reforms and curriculum changes are no strangers to the educational sector of Hong Kong. Every time, changes are accompanied by new aspirations. The abandonment of the old and taking up the new ideals are not always smooth and effective. There is usually a shift of emphasis on the aims of education as in the case of the primary music curriculum in Hong Kong in the last few decades. The two earliest official music syllabi issued by the Education Department in 1968 and 1976 reveal both the changes and continuity in the concept of the music curriculum. In this chapter, the author critically analyze these two syllabi to find out the principles of music education expressed explicitly and implicitly in them in the light of influential factors, such as the historical development and contemporary thoughts about music education. Basing the findings, recommendations are drawn for the music educators and researchers for their future practice. All future educational reforms should take care to fill the gap between the intended and implemented curriculum, so that the avenue leading us to our intended ideals can be clear and through.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

As a major reflection on the content of the curriculum, textbooks are the main resource of teachers. The aim of this study was to analyze the content of selected series of primary music textbooks in Hong Kong. An analysis framework was designed. Data obtained from the analysis were subjected to basic descriptive statistics. Demographics including frequency and percentage distributions of the listed features were studied. The analysis was done on the micro level as well as the macro level. The intra- and inter-relationships of the content of the textbooks series were revealed. The study analyzes the proportion of music elements, music knowledge, and the types of activities presented in the textbook series. Main findings reveal that the performing of music in various forms is a dominant classroom activity while the proportion of creating music is minimal and that on the listening to music is comparatively low. Other significant results include that the number of songs of foreign origins outnumbers that of Chinese and local origins, though the language used is mostly Cantonese. Regarding music content and music activities, a comprehensive intended primary music curriculum is recommended. It is hoped that this study would furnish a basis for better refining the music curriculum and would provide insight for its future development.
[Copyright © 2000 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]

Research reinforces the importance of experiential activities in exerting a positive influence on pre-service teachers' attitudes toward musical genres and cultures. This paper presents a case study that demonstrates the effects of active musical participation in one indigenous Chinese music genre, the Xianshi music, on pre-service teacher's understanding and attitude toward Chinese music. In this study, the pre-service teacher, whom the researcher will call Helen, was one of the pre-service teachers from a three-year longitudinal study of 14 pre-service teachers and the researcher studied at the Hong Kong Institute of Education (1998-2001). In year 1 of the study, Helen's initial exposure to Xianshi music was through formal lectures. Pre and post reflective comments were used to investigate her understanding and acceptance of Xianshi music and Chinese music. During year 2 and 3, Helen had first hand experience on music making in Xianshi music by participating in the HKIEd's Xianshi music ensemble. Three structured interviews were conducted to determine the effects of her participation in the Xianshi music ensemble on her views about Xianshi music and Chinese music. Results show that through continuing exposure of a first hand experience in Xianshi music, Helen was able to think critically and developed a more sophisticated understanding and appreciation of Xianshi music and Chinese music. Implications for Chinese music education will be discussed in the paper.
[Copyright © 2003 The Hong Kong Institute of Education.]