Assessment of chosen musical competences of kindergarten teachers as an employment criterion

Abstract

The importance of music in the general development of kindergarten children implies that teachers providing education, including music education, should be equipped with elaborate musical skills that, as might be assumed, should become a vital element taken into consideration during preschool teacher interviews. Research conducted in the Silesian region over the years 2014-2015 shows that the surveyed directors of kindergartens view musical skills, in most cases, as an essential supplement to other competences of teachers, among which the ability to play a melodic instrument and vocal skills are, in their opinion, the most important musical competences. The majority of directors only review documents confirming such competences, whereas almost a quarter of the surveyed participants admit to not verifying musical competences of future kindergarten teachers; the surveyed individuals claim, most frequently, that kindergarten teachers are sufficiently prepared to play a role of musical educators for small children, and that kindergarten teachers, instead of specialist musicians, should implement the content stipulated in the core curriculum. What is more, no statistically significant differences between respondents from urban and rural environments were identified.