Perceptions of degree students in primary education about the musical training acquired before their university studies

Abstract

Music education is an essential component of the comprehensive training that must be provided to citizens, and for this purpose, teachers must have the necessary training to enable them not only to teach music but also to make music a cultural asset accessible to all. The general purpose of this work is to analyze the appreciation of future teachers on different aspects of their musical training before they enter the faculties of educational sciences in order to have data that will allow them to optimize their didactic-musical training. For this purpose, a descriptive research was carried out by means of a questionnaire elaborated ad hoc and answered by 302 students of the Primary Education Degree of the three public universities of Galicia. Among the results, it is worth mentioning that in Primary Education the subject of music has been present than in Secondary Education and Baccalaureate. Furthermore, although the students point out that they give it the same importance as other subjects, they perceive that it does not enjoy the same social recognition. Mostly, the contribution of music in the development of creativity is valued, although it is indicated that the level of knowledge acquired is low. The analysis of the musical training with which one enters the teaching career is very relevant, inasmuch as it could be valued as one of the references for defining and structuring the set of contents that are essential for the adequate musical training of future primary school teachers.