The Status of Senior Music Education in Seventh-day Adventist High Schools: Perceptions of Administrators

Abstract

<p>The present study addresses the current status of year 10-12 music education in the Seventh-day Adventist (SDA) school system in Australia and New Zealand, as perceived by education administrators. The main purpose of the study was to identify the current status, and discover reasons for it. The study also aimed to make recommendations for future policy development, if it was found that change was necessary.</p> <p>While the literature reveals numerous studies on the value of music education, studies on perceptions of the value of senior music education held by administrators have not been carried out either in the State or SDA education systems.</p> <p>In order to achieve the aims, perceptions of SDA schooll administrators were elicited through surveying all principals and education directors in Australia and New Zealand, using a questionnaire developed by the researcher.</p> <p>The results show that senior music education has an extremely low status in the SDA system, which is partly due to the low priority status placed on it by SDA school administrators. Most administrators perceived that factors such as lack of student interest, lack of suitable, qualified staff, and lack of finance inhibited their ability to increase the extent of senior music education within their spheres of influence.</p> <p>Based on the literature and the results,recommendations focused on the need for an official SDA education system music curriculum policy for years K-12 to be drafted by a committee representing all major stakeholders, and that this policy be issued to all administrators for implementation within their schools.</p> <p>Furthermore it was suggested that further research be carried out in all SDA schools in Australia and New Zealand, in order to assess the extent and success of all music programs, from K-12.</p>