This paper explores Chinese teachers' perceptions of teaching quality in music education, grounded in my doctoral research on teachers' implementation of recent policy reforms and their views on creativity within the context of twenty-first-century music education in China.

The research is guided by a comparative analysis of Western and Eastern theories of creativity, contrasting Csikszentmihalyi's Systemic Model of Creativity (1996) and Craft's Model of Possibility Thinking (2000) with Eastern perspectives, particularly the integration of fine art, truth, goodness, and beauty, as discussed by Rudowicz (2004). Eisner's (2017) framework of educational criticism and connoisseurship further informs the research methodology and analysis.

An interpretivist qualitative approach was employed, involving three rounds of non-participant observations and semi-structured interviews with six participants—three primary school music teachers and three piano teachers.

Findings reveal that these Chinese music teachers recognise the vital role of music education in fostering creativity through quality teaching. Their perceptions of teaching quality are deeply rooted in a holistic understanding that integrates aesthetic education with cultural and educational values. They highlighted the importance of quality in music education as a means to address challenges, including the limited scope of traditional teaching methods focused on technique and knowledge acquisition, alongside the pressures of examinations and the workload these create.

This research contributes to the conference theme of Characteristics of Quality Teaching by examining the impact of traditional and contemporary teaching practices, alongside systemic pressures, on teaching quality in Chinese music education. It also addresses Curriculum Design for Equitable Teaching by exploring how creativity can be integrated within the existing educational framework.

The LGBTQIA+ community in music education represents an invisible minority in United States classrooms. As Fine Arts teachers are called to be advocates, mentors, and allies for Queer students in K-12 education, there is also a need for support for Queer pre-service music education teachers. In-service teachers have shared that they do not know how to approach LGBTQIA+ discrimination/issues in the United States classroom. Pre-service music education students have also reported that most, if not all, of their curricula did not include LGBTQIA+ issues in the classroom. As the body of literature for LGBTQIA+ issues in Music Education continues to grow, more examples of a Queer BIPOC teacher's personal journey mentoring Queer pre-service music educators are warranted. Using a framework of Racial Queer Identity developed by Adames and Chavez-Dueñas, this critical autoethnographic research calls attention to the researcher's personal journey experiencing both LGBTQIA+ and racial discrimination in the classroom as a teacher. The researcher also shares the experiences of their pre-service music educators, who identify in the LGBTQIA+ and Latinx communities, while mentoring them in their classroom. The classroom is situated in a conservative setting in the Southwest United States. Qualitative data collected over four years were analyzed for themes related to LGBTQIA+ discrimination, racial discrimination, and linguistic discrimination. Findings support the need for LGBTQIA+ curricula in teacher preparation programs and support previous research for the need for professional development on LGBTQIA+ issues for in-service teachers. Findings also support previous research for the need for professional development on linguistic issues for emergent bilinguals in the K-12 classroom for monolingual in-service teachers.

This paper presents findings from a project exploring music education's role in supporting phonological awareness and literacy development in learners at two Glasgow primary schools. Delivered from August 2023 to June 2024 as part of the Youth Music Initiative (YMI), the project aimed to enhance phonological awareness through regular music instruction, focusing on pupils residing in areas of high deprivation and those for whom English is an Additional Language (EAL).

The project drew on Hallam's (2015) research on music's cognitive benefits for language processing, alongside Glasgow City Council's social justice initiatives, which emphasise inclusive education in addressing literacy gaps in disadvantaged communities.

The project involved fortnightly music lessons for Primary 1 pupils, delivered by YMI tutors who provided modelled lessons and resources for teachers. Phonological awareness assessments were conducted at the start and end of the year and were supplemented by classroom observations and pupil-learning conversations. Data were also collected from teachers, EAL specialists, and YMI tutors to evidence impact and is presented in video format.

The analysis revealed significant improvements in phonological awareness. In Primary School 1, 90% of children had gaps in phonological awareness at the start of the year, which reduced to 25% by June, with a 54% increase in average scores. Primary School 2 saw a 43% improvement, with 95% of pupils progressing. These gains were especially marked for those living in disadvantaged communities and EAL pupils, suggesting that the music programme effectively addressed literacy gaps in these groups.

This project demonstrates music education's potential to promote equitable teaching practices and close attainment gaps in literacy. By supporting diverse learners, particularly those living in poverty, with additional needs or language barriers, the music programme illustrates how innovative teaching approaches can contribute to educational equity and inclusion, aligning with the conference’s focus on socially just classrooms.

The relationship of Native American populations with education is complicated by a cultural battle between traditional indigenous values and assimilation into the hegemonic Caucasian society in the United States, with music education being central to these movements. An analysis of literature traces the historical progression of education policy impacting indigenous communities, alongside recent literature advocating for reforms to the educational policies in indigenous schools to address the cultural needs of students. However, recent literature lacks in addressing aspects of reform to music education practices in indigenous communities, and resources have been developed that may be inauthentic to the cultural needs of native students. This study’s purpose was to explore current teaching practices utilized by K-12 music educators in Native American communities and discusses how traditional indigenous music-making could be effectively incorporated into the standardized American music education curriculum. A secondary purpose of this study was to understand how the experiences of K-12 music educators teaching in indigenous communities may better inform equitable teaching practices when instructing culturally diverse populations. Participants were interviewed and asked a series of ten questions regarding their experiences instructing indigenous students. Based on experiences, participants discussed the implications of integrating indigenous cultural music-making into the American music education curriculum, currently based on the Western European model. The implications of this study benefit music educators by better informing equitable teaching practices when working with Native American student populations.