Training music teachers in England - what is the music that is being taught in secondary schools? An opinion piece

This paper takes the form of an opinion piece by the English Author, and is written from an English perspective. The paper describes the training of music teachers in England, particularly with regards to the preparation of teachers to teach the National Curriculum. It describes the various pathways that prospective student teachers can take to become music teachers in England. Important in any consideration of what pre-service music educators is the nature of the curriculum they are being prepared for. This paper outlines the requirements of the curriculum, and explains how this is problematic in many ways, with the status of music knowledge being a particularly contested issue.