In Hong Kong, the Education Bureau (EDB) assesses the quality of services provided to children in local kindergartens. Quality Review (QR) reports of kindergartens that pass the assessment are published on EDB’s website. We conducted a content analysis of 164 QR reports to examine the alignment between the music activities alluded to and the curriculum objectives established for music in official policies. A coding scheme was developed using both inductive and deductive approaches. High inter-reliability was obtained. MAXQDA was used to conduct word frequency, descriptive, and co-occurrence analyses. The most common terms identified in the music-related segments focused on children’s development of sensory abilities through music experiences, in relation to singing, rhythm, beat, movement, and instrumental music. However, activities intended to foster musical creativity and self-expression were seldom mentioned. We conclude that the QR reports reveal important discrepancies between official curriculum policies and actual classroom practices, which EDB assessors seemed to ignore or overlook. Implications focus on the need for kindergarten stakeholders to address curriculum/practice gaps and further prepare teachers to foster children’s musical creativity. Copyright © 2022 Yan Lam HO, Alfredo Bautista.

In this case study, the author research on the current teaching phenomena of Paper 3: Creating of the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination Elective Subjects: Music. The examination has been implemented after the curriculum reform of the senior secondary school since 2012 where music composition becomes one of the compulsory assessment. According to the Curriculum and Assessment Guide (Secondary 4-6) Music by the Curriculum Development Council and the Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority, the assessment objective is to create and arrange music using appropriate compositional devices, and explain the use of music elements in compositional devices of their compositions. Without any prior experiences in the teaching composing for public examination in the past, schools have adopted different models to teach composition which include hiring external company and tutor to teach; forming a joint-school network; and teaching the whole curriculum by the school teacher. This qualitative study contributes to the understanding of the current HKDSE learning and teaching situation with a focus on the perspectives from school music teachers and composer-instructors. Copyright © 2021 Melbourne Graduate School of Education, University of Melbourne, Australia.

A museum is an educational fair which facilitates individuals to explore and discover through inquiry. Museums provide participants with direct learning experience with objects and exhibits that relate to concepts and disciplinary subjects in the arts, history, science, and social science of specific time and space. Learning through museums is considered as one of the informal learning ways which is very different from formal learning in schools. This study aims to investigate Hong Kong primary school teachers’ and students’ perspectives, learning experiences and motivations in museum learning and visits. A survey study is adopted to gather the views and experiences of a sample of senior primary school students and teachers, in the local primary school context, on museum learning and visits in the past three years. Learners’ actual and preferred visits to museums as well as the types of motivations involved in visiting museums in a Chinese culture and context will be explored. The ways of interactions and various types of museum learning will also be examined, and teachers’ and students’ perspectives will also be compared. This study will provide insights into the enhancement of meaningful museum education journeys for students. Copyright © 2021 International Conference on Learning and Teaching.

The meanings and value of the arts and their impact on students’ learning have long been main areas of focus in arts education research. In Hong Kong, there are only a few studies discussing the impact of performing arts education on students’ learning, which leaves a gap in the overall understanding of performing arts education. This article reports on a study of performing arts education in Hong Kong. The participants of the study are students, teachers, principals and arts groups. A total of 28 focus group interviews were conducted with participants recruited from 25 primary schools, 26 secondary schools, one international school, nine tertiary institutions, five special schools and 20 arts groups. Although this study confirms the claims made by arts educators that performing arts education can promote students’ awareness of creative and critical thinking skills, change their behavior and attitudes, increase their socio-cultural awareness and benefit their all-round development, the stakeholders had different interpretations of the meaning and value of performing arts education. There appears to be a gap between arts groups and schools in the understanding of the fundamental purposes of performing arts education and the role that it should play in the school context. Copyright © 2022 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.