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Mapping Music Education Research in Hong Kong

Jane Cheung
Psychology of Music 2004 32: 343
DOI: 10.1177/0305735604043265

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A RT I C L E 343

Mapping music education Psychology of Music

Psychology of Music
research in Hong Kong Copyright © 
Society for Education, Music
and Psychology Research
vol (): ‒ [-
() :; ‒]
.⁄
www.sagepublications.com

JA N E C H E U N G
H O N G KO N G I N S T I T U T E O F E D U C AT I O N

A B S T R AC TThis paper reviews research on Hong Kong’s music education. The

review shows that music education in Hong Kong after the change of sovereignty
in 1997 differs from that in the People’s Republic of China; there is an emphasis
on western classical music rather than the traditional Chinese music in the
classroom, with a disconnection between what students enjoy after school and
the music they hear and sing in school; composing is the least taught aspect of
music; and a more student-centred approach catering more for children’s interest
is recommended. The findings also show that computers have encouraged
motivation and creativity while complementing listening and performing.
Constant development has occurred in teacher education, while teachers’
understanding of children’s musical development and their ways of thinking
about music can help their teaching effectiveness.
This review also suggests the need for further scholarly study into the effects of
a curriculum that is more balanced between western and Chinese music and
effective ways of teaching Chinese music, the teaching of music creativity,
including the integration of technology and less rigid systems of teaching and
learning to promote children enjoyment in music learning.

K E Y W O R D S : Chinese music, creativity, education reform, information technology,

integrated curriculum, student-centred approach, teacher education, weak framing

Historical, social and political perspectives

Music barely existed in the education system during the first hundred years
(1841–1941) of the history of Hong Kong (Liu, 1999). A government publi-
cation in 1870 mentioned that students were given an hour’s music per week
in elementary school. English was the core subject, while music was only
supplementary. Music content resembled much of the English system with a
focus on singing, music appreciation and analysis, aural training and sight

sempre :

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344 Psychology of Music 32(3)

singing. The music materials for most schools and the three Colleges of
Education were borrowed mainly from English schools until the mid 1900s.
Those schools that used Chinese as the Medium of Instruction (CMI) also
sang English songs, but with Chinese subtitles. Neither the music classroom
nor music activities were mentioned from 1901–40. However, it was recorded
specifically that 133 students passed the Trinity Music Exam in 1939.
Although schools established by the churches normally included music in the
curriculum, CMI schools still confined the curriculum to other academic
subjects. It was in 1935 that the Burney report first suggested that music, art
and physical education (PE) should be in the school curriculum. Until the
mid-1900s, church schools had more music opportunities than government
or subsidized schools. From the 1940s to the 1960s, the government seemed
to put more emphasis on the Schools’ Music Festival programme and the
Royal Schools of Music Examination than on a systematic music curriculum
for schools. The primary school music syllabus was first published in 1968.
Hiebert (1993) gave a brief survey of music education provision in Hong
Kong in the early 1990s, focusing on music and music activities in primary
and secondary schools; music teacher preparation and support from the three
Colleges of Education and other institutions; music training provided by the
Music Office and some private music centres outside school hours; and tertiary
music education provided by Hong Kong University, the Chinese University of
Hong Kong, Hong Kong Baptist University and the Hong Kong Academy for
Performing Arts. He made suggestions about the qualities that a good music
teacher should possess, and urged the government to prepare a policy paper to
address the arts in education, with a focus on school music opportunities in
the universities and possible careers in music and music-related fields.
Lin (1999) discussed several aspects of music education, including provi-
sion in early childhood, and at primary, secondary and tertiary levels, the
formal music curriculum, extra-curricular music activities, teachers’ qualifi-
cations and in-service training, resources, quality assurance and public
examinations. Parents were eager for their young children to learn an instru-
ment, or to join a choir. For example, in 1990 over 35,000 students took
Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) examinations
(Hiebert, 1993). However, parents were reluctant to continue supporting
their children in learning an instrument because of the heavy school work-
load when they were transferred to upper primary or lower secondary school.
This reflected the pressure of examinations, and the low status of the arts
within schools and society at large, which made it difficult to promote music
in the school context. Music lessons were generally reduced or completely
eliminated in the upper secondary timetable. Lin (1999) recommended
proper provision of music in basic education and at tertiary level.
Brand and Ho (1999) examined Hong Kong’s change of sovereignty from
the United Kingdom to the People’s Republic of China (PRC) in 1997 by
investigating the effects on loyalty to the motherland, western versus Chinese

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 Cheung: Mapping music education research in Hong Kong 345

music and how ‘one country, two systems’ worked. They showed that the PRC
had respected the ‘one country, two systems’ philosophy as demonstrated by
differences between song materials in the PRC and the new Hong Kong
Special Administrative Region (HKSAR). Though revolutionary or commun-
ist content was not evident in the song literature in Hong Kong, content
dealing with democratic ideas or political freedom was not apparent either.
However, there were new efforts to encourage school children to learn
Chinese music. The inclusion of the Chinese national anthem was an impor-
tant change, encouraging students to see themselves as citizens of the
HKSAR under Chinese sovereignty.
Ho (1999) also analysed civic education in Hong Kong’s secondary music
education from the 1980s to the 1990s through a teacher questionnaire
survey. The findings showed that, although the singing of China’s national
anthem was seen as a vehicle for cultivating political and civic values and an
indicator of sociopolitical transition, it did not indicate that music teachers
had developed these social and political values in their teaching. Moreover,
substantial diversity in the education systems between the PRC and HKSAR
was evident. The PRC did not enforce any regulations to promote Chinese
political songs in HKSAR, indicating that the PRC had kept its promise of ‘a
high degree of autonomy’ based on ‘one country, two systems’ (Joint
Publishing [HK] Co. Ltd, 1991).

Formal and informal music curriculum

As Hong Kong was a British colony for over 150 years, it was logical that in
the colonial era the structure and curricula of Hong Kong’s education system
resembled that of England (Yeh, 1997). Languages and mathematics were
emphasized while only a small portion of time was allocated to cultural
subjects, with less than 30 percent of schools offering music in the upper
secondary school. western classical music was the focus of school music,
while Chinese classical music and local popular music had long been under-
mined in the curriculum (Ho, 1997). Teachers’ inadequate knowledge of the
teaching of Chinese music often led to an emphasis on western classical
music, which unfortunately was not the music that students experienced and
enjoyed in their real lives outside school (Leung, 1997). This lack of connec-
tion has been offered as an explanation of why students regarded classroom
music as dispensable (Yeh, 1997). The fact that music was regarded as a
general subject rather than an examination subject was reflected in the very
small number of students taking the Hong Kong Certificate of Education
Examination (HKCEE) and Hong Kong Advanced Level Examination (HKALE)
music public examinations. However, Fung (1997) observed an increasing
trend to include more Chinese music content in the HKCEE syllabus until
1989, when the proportion of Chinese music became more constant, as in the
HKALE’s. Although Chinese music was regarded as a piece of uncultivated

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346 Psychology of Music 32(3)

land (Yu-Wu and Ng, 2000), the constitutional changes of 1997 created an
opportunity to include multicultural music with more emphasis on Chinese
music (Yeh, 1997).
A review of the first two primary music syllabi, 1968 and 1976 (Yu-Wu
and Ng, 2000) showed that, while a balance of musical knowledge and practi-
cal experience was identified in the 1968 syllabus, only a few Chinese songs
were being used. The aims of the 1976 syllabus had addressed children’s inter-
est and enjoyment in music, aesthetic sensitivity, self-expression, daily usage of
music and an integrated programme. The 1968 syllabus was more teacher-
centred than the more child-centred 1976 syllabus, but both lacked clear indi-
cations of how to evaluate the outcomes of teaching and learning. Through
analysing the 1987 primary music syllabus (Curriculum Development Com-
mittee, 1987) and the teachers’ handbook, Leung (2000) stated that primary
music education aimed to have children gain pleasure through various musical
experiences accompanied by a grasp of musical knowledge and skills, with the
ultimate goal of further development in moral, physical, intellectual, aesthetic
and social education. Recognizing that textbooks were generally viewed as
intended curricula for content, materials and teaching procedures, Yip and Lai
(2000) undertook a content analysis of four series of primary textbooks and
concluded that singing as a performing activity and describing music received
the most emphasis, while creating music was the least mentioned. Since
foreign songs were often used with Chinese text, it was recommended that the
cultural heritage should be addressed. This echoed the need for more Chinese
music in the curriculum, as suggested earlier by Ho, Yeh, Yu-Wu and Ng.
So (1999) compared primary education in Hong Kong and Xiamen, China,
through teacher interviews, lesson observation and document reviews. He
found that Hong Kong had an ambitious and rather theoretical syllabus,
while Xiamen had only general curriculum guidelines with a strong empha-
sis on technical skills. Hong Kong had adopted a generalist approach, giving
more flexibility to the teachers over the design and teaching strategies of the
lessons, while China had adopted the specialist approach with centralized
textbooks, teacher handbooks and teaching aids. Comparison of western and
Chinese music was advised in the Hong Kong context.
The secondary music syllabus (Curriculum Development Committee,
1983) was under scrutiny during the recent discussion of education reform
in Hong Kong, for example, both Wong-Yuen (2000) and Yu-Wu and Leung
(2000, 2001) revealed that much emphasis had been laid on singing, while
creating music was neglected and the official document was rather academ-
ically oriented, emphasizing music reading. Leung (1997) claimed that cur-
riculum planners had not given creative activities the emphasis received in
the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia, and that music teachers
focused only on musical knowledge transmission and skills acquisition. Wong
(2002) queried the limited core activities suggested for children’s music mak-
ing and the lack of guidelines to teach Chinese music. Yu-Wu and Leung

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 Cheung: Mapping music education research in Hong Kong 347

(2001) argued for extra-curricular activities as part of the curriculum to

enhance children’s creativity and promote more learning and performing
opportunities. They also claimed that cultural diversity and Chinese musical
tradition needed more emphasis. Although the aims of the syllabus were to
offer a balanced curriculum incorporating performing, listening and creating
and to help the aesthetic development of children, the actual music content
was determined by the music teachers, who would consider their own strengths
and music abilities before designing their teaching. The data from the study
of Ng and Morris (1998) revealed that teachers felt listening and music
appreciation were more important than helping students acquire musical
knowledge, develop self-expression, creativity and aesthetic sensitivity.
While the school curriculum was undergoing gradual reform, with the
Curriculum Development Council (Curriculum Development Council, 2000)
suggesting that subject disciplines should be grouped into eight Key Learning
Areas (KLA) and that a more open, flexible and balanced curriculum should
be adopted, Yu-Wu and Leung (2001) argued for a stronger music programme
in the secondary school as a starting point for the development of arts educa-
tion. A model and several recommendations were proposed, which included
providing a learning experience that interrelated different art forms and disci-
plines without sacrificing music as a unique art form, a more prominent role
for music creativity in the curriculum, and developing teachers as teacher–
artist through pre- and in-service training and systematic community support.
A survey conducted by Leung (2001) revealed that the majority of stu-
dents learned western rather than Chinese instruments. They were involved
in choirs, folk song groups, bands, western and Chinese orchestras, string
orchestras and Chinese ensembles as extra-curricular music activities, with
singing contests, instrumental competitions and bands being the most
popular music activities. Schools with Chinese instrumental classes tended to
form Chinese ensembles more readily than those with western instrumental
classes formed western ensembles, because of the lower cost of the Chinese
instruments, the easier technical demands and for political reasons. While
music teachers were heavily engaged in coordinating a wide range of music
activities, teenagers were found to be engaged with western and Cantonese
popular music.

Music teaching and learning

Ng and Morris (1998) found that performing was not very popular in Hong
Kong secondary schools due to noise levels, lack of teacher expertise and
limited resources. Creating music was a rare activity. However, listening
was emphasized because it lent itself to a transmission style of teaching and
particular forms of assessment and was a practical option within the physical
context of existing classrooms.
Researchers of music education in Hong Kong have tended to examine the

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348 Psychology of Music 32(3)

local curriculum and learning and teaching styles through comparison with
those of other countries. Brand et al. (2001) investigated the notion of Asian
students being considered as rote learners by comparing the styles of learn-
ing and cognitive strategies of American and Chinese university music
students. The results suggested that both groups of students shared similar
learning and cognitive strategies, as they were comparable in terms of their
depth of involvement and dedication to music and musical achievement.
Contrary to previous assumptions, the American students exhibited more
reliance on rote learning than their Chinese counterparts.
There was general agreement from professional composers and curricu-
lum planners that creative activities could nurture critical and creative think-
ing skills as well as develop students’ overall musicianship (Leung and
McPherson, 2002). However, creative activities in general music classes in
Hong Kong did not receive the emphasis that they did in the United Kingdom,
the United States and Australia (Leung, 1999). A survey of secondary school
music teachers conducted by Leung in 1996 (Leung, 1999) found that
time distributed to singing and instrumental playing in junior and senior
secondary schools was 40.55 percent and 34.93 percent respectively, but the
time for creative music making was only 5.5 percent and 9.33 percent
respectively. In fact time allocated to creative music making was the least
among five areas of music:
1. singing and playing instruments;
2. listening and music appreciation;
3. music theory and literacy;
4. aural training; and
5. creative music making.
In the senior forms, creative music making was ranked fourth, only slightly
better in popularity than aural training, with reasons given including a lack
of teaching time and space, financial resources and staff, large class sizes,
insufficient teacher training and clear guidelines from the official curricu-
lum. Recommendations included a revised music curriculum with modified
aims, teaching content, methods and assessment, teacher preparation with
adequate knowledge, skills and attitudes about composing, arranging and
improvising and re-training opportunities for in-service teachers.
Wong (2002) documented and compared the content and pedagogy of
music lessons in Vancouver and Hong Kong by observing ten cases in both
places. The findings suggested an enjoyment-oriented, child-centred approach
in Vancouver, with teachers nurturing children’s interest and creativity,
while the Hong Kong cases showed an achievement-oriented, teacher-centred
approach, with teachers emphasizing knowledge and skill mastery. It was
recommended that Hong Kong students would benefit from more musical
performance in a more continuous and balanced curriculum, catering for
both students’ knowledge and interests. It was also recommended that music

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 Cheung: Mapping music education research in Hong Kong 349

teachers should use a more student-focused approach catering for their interest
and enjoyment before the mastery of skills and knowledge, and that in-service
training for the teachers’ professional development should be provided.

The use of information technology

In response to the first policy address (Tung, 1997) of the Chief Executive of
Hong Kong on information technology (IT) in education, the Education and
Manpower Bureau of the HKSAR proposed a five-year strategy for IT in
‘Quality Education’ with a vision to arouse and sustain students’ motivation
to learn, broaden and facilitate the creative mind and promote life-long learn-
ing (Education and Manpower Bureau, 1998). A survey on the use of IT in
secondary school music revealed that music technology was not commonly
used in 1997 due to insufficient financial support, inadequate hardware and
software provision, lack of space in the music room and teachers’ lack of
music technology competence (Cheung, 1999). Teachers tended to use the
computer to teach music theory, for composing and for score arrangement.
CD-ROMs about Chinese instruments were in great demand. Teachers
perceived that music technology could motivate students to learn music,
provide more opportunities for practical activities, develop creative thinking
and promote self-learning.
In response to demand, staff of the Hong Kong Institute of Education
(HKIEd) produced a set of CD-ROMs to introduce teachers and students of local
secondary schools to Chinese instruments and Chinese music. A teacher ques-
tionnaire survey on using IT in teaching and learning Chinese instruments
(Yuen and Cheung, 2001) showed that interactive multimedia and graded
exercises could arouse student interest and facilitate students’ peer and self-
learning. However, adequate and high performance computers in the music
rooms with a user-friendly software interface design needed to be installed.
Nevertheless, the use of IT to learn Chinese music and musical instruments had
its limitations. It could stimulate students’ interest in the instruments, but it
could not substitute for the instruments themselves. It could serve as an
effective tool to enrich students’ knowledge and arouse their interest to learn
different Chinese instruments. However, it was through playing the musical
instrument itself that students would find more satisfaction and enjoyment in
the music-making experience and develop their musical sensitivity.
A case study investigating the impact of computerized music instruction
on student motivation to learn music found that the computer could better
motivate students’ interest in music with technology-based music learning
(TBML) using sequencing software to improvise and compose music than
with computer-assisted music instruction (CAMI) using CD-ROM to learn the
rudiments of music and for music appreciation (Cheung, 2002). Moreover,
using music technology to compose complemented performing and music lis-
tening activities. Under the teacher’s guidance, computers gave students

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350 Psychology of Music 32(3)

autonomy over problem solving and provided opportunities for peer learning,
group work and self-learning. With the TBML approach, computers facilitat-
ed composition and arrangement, enhanced sensitivity towards the quality of
sound and promoted critical thinking about the structure of music. CAMI
helped to organize the sequence of teaching strategies, which saved time in
delivering subject knowledge during lessons. Both teachers and students val-
ued its attractive visual presentation, which facilitated learning and enhanced
concept consolidation. However, varying degrees of student participation
with IT, their computer competence, the limited provision of hardware and
software, the small TV monitor and lack of Chinese software all played a part
in influencing student interest in music learning. The case study also
revealed that student interest in learning traditional Chinese music was not
enhanced, even with the new technology.
Yip (2001) acknowledged the effectiveness of IT in a student-centred
approach, flexible learning and life-long learning, while recognizing its ever-
evolving philosophy. She suggested that teacher educators had a professional
responsibility to use IT, both to work with it and to develop a personal philos-
ophy for using it. The craft of IT would become an art when the know-how
became the theoretical understanding. She said that pre- and in-service
teachers should use IT not only for creative music making, but also as an
effective means to teach music. She advocated that sufficient time should be
given to an in-depth study of IT subject matter from both the musical
perspective as well as its method of delivery.
While the HKSAR document’s five-year strategy (Education and
Manpower Bureau, 1998) advocated the use of IT in education and stressed a
student-centred approach, Cheung (2001) conducted an in-depth study of IT
and a student-centred approach to learning. She used Bernstein’s (1971)
concept of strong (teacher-centred) and weak (student-centred) framing to
conceptualize the transaction of teaching and learning, to investigate dif-
ferent levels of framing inherent in the music software and related teaching
strategies and the ways that they affected children’s achievement in compos-
ing in the lower secondary school. Swanwick’s set of eight layers of criteria
was used for assessment (1994). The results showed that children achieved
best using the computer to compose with very weak framing conditions,
i.e. using a very student-centred approach, which suggested that a student-
centred approach facilitated composing and creativity using IT.

Music teachers and teacher education

Until the mid-1990s, the training of music teachers in Hong Kong was
conducted in the three training colleges: Northcote, Grantham and Sir Robert
Black (Yu-Wu, 1997). The colleges, renamed Colleges of Education in the
1960s, offered one-year, two-year and three-year Teacher Certificate courses
to teach different levels from Primary 1 to Secondary 3. In 1994 the colleges

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 Cheung: Mapping music education research in Hong Kong 351

were merged to become a degree conferring institution called the HKIEd. In

that year, a new Certificate in Education for Teachers was introduced to train
either Primary or Secondary teachers. Various refresher and advanced in-
service training courses were provided for serving teachers. A new Bachelor
of Education (Primary) and Post Graduate Diploma in Education (Primary)
were offered in 1998, when HKIEd had major responsibility for providing
sub-degree certificate of education courses to postgraduate teachers (the
sub-degree certificate of education will cease in August 2004).
In 1981, a syllabus covering Chinese Music Appreciation for the junior
secondary school was issued and in the mid-1980s, Chinese music became a
component in the training programme. In 1984, credit bearing was intro-
duced, giving more time to music in the course. Music technology was
introduced with contemporary methods and creative music projects. From
the mid-1990s onwards, there was a shift from singing to music appreciation
and instrumental playing. The broadening of music content stimulated
music teachers to equip themselves with new skills and knowledge.
The Curriculum Development Institute survey of teachers (1998) found
that Chinese music was one of the main areas that most teachers were
reluctant to teach. Ng (1999) claimed that Chinese music was given far less
prominence than western music throughout the school years. The music
curriculum gave almost no significant emphasis to traditional Chinese music
and many teachers were reluctant to teach it. In his study, student teachers
were exposed to more Chinese music through introducing Xianshi musical
elements in the course and their practical experience in playing in the ensem-
ble. The findings revealed that most students viewed Xianshi musical
elements as enjoyable, and gangche singing was the most preferred.
Kim and So (1997) wrote a descriptive report of music teacher education at
the kindergarten, primary and secondary levels in Korea and Hong Kong,
highlighting the institutions that offered music and music education, their
curricular music subjects and methods provision, the problems encountered
and suggestions for improvement. For Hong Kong, these improvements includ-
ed raising the entrance requirements for music electives at kindergarten level,
spreading the music modules throughout the semester rather than by block
with additional microteaching opportunities. For primary and secondary
levels, there existed a gap between the expected goals of the course and the
generally low musical standard of students on entry. More time allocated for
music was recommended, with an emphasis on music experience such as
choir and orchestra. A higher performance standard was to be expected from
pre-service teachers, while a review of the model was recommended in order
to develop a more suitable musical heritage for the children in Hong Kong.
Brand (2002) believed that by studying and comparing three American
and three Hong Kong university music education students’ style of commu-
nication, self-concept and selected music teaching issues through an in-depth
ethnographic approach, an important perspective on preparing prospective

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352 Psychology of Music 32(3)

music teachers would be gained. Influenced by Confucian thinking, the Hong

Kong students appeared more obedient and concerned with self-worth and
family issues. The American students seemed more external in their perspec-
tives, more independent and concerned with personal quality. Although
Brand emphasized differences, he found similarities, such as the desire to
communicate, exchange ideas and share experiences.

Musical development and preference response

Ho (2001) presented an overview of boys’ and girls’ musical learning inside
and outside secondary schools in Hong Kong, drawing on a study of some
800 students in nine schools. A questionnaire survey was conducted
comparing the frequencies of pupil preferences for Chinese and western
instrument learning, classroom music activities, listening, singing and
attitudes towards the promotion of classical and popular music in schools.
The findings revealed that music attracted more girls than boys; girls were
significantly more involved in singing, listening and playing musical instru-
ments than boys; and more girls than boys preferred classical music, which
led to more favourable ratings for school music activities. Ho suggested that
there was a need to explore ways to help students overcome stereotyping in
music. Schools, parents, other organizations of music production and distri-
bution needed to influence youngsters’ choice of instrument, listening,
singing performance and choice of classroom activities.
Morrison and Yeh (1997) studied the preference responses among music
and non-music majors in the United States, Hong Kong and the PRC using
written descriptors on nine excerpts of three musical styles: western classical,
Chinese classical, and jazz. Using a nine-point Likert scale, students’ written
comments, and a Fisher Protected LSD test, they found that students demon-
strated greater preference for the excerpts that were most closely related to
their own cultural environment. The written comments of students from Hong
Kong and China suggested that their evaluation was based on more associa-
tive aspects of the music than structural. This suggested that students from
different cultural backgrounds might approach their musical experience
from different points of view, and that teachers might need to reconsider their
teaching strategies, activities, goals and materials carefully. Further research
was suggested in order to examine the interactions among individuals, their
cultural environment and the development of their musical values.
Fung et al. (1999) studied the effects of grade level, gender and musical
style on young students’ preference responses in Hong Kong. The results
showed that grade level and musical style had significant effects, but gender
did not. The total sample preferred Canto pop music the most, followed by
western art music, rock music and jazz. Jiangnan Sizhu was the least
preferred style. The post hoc tests confirmed that significant changes in
preference means for all musical styles generally occurred at about the age of

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 Cheung: Mapping music education research in Hong Kong 353

10 and above. It was proposed that musical preference could be affected by

the music curriculum, the role of music in the education system, the cultural
setting and the quality of the musical materials. It was suggested that local
pop music and music that students were familiar with could serve as learning
bridges to other types of music, that early elementary grades were most
favourable to train music listening with a wider range of musical styles to
expand preference patterns, and that constituencies other than the teacher
could also be responsible for the music education of a child, hence teachers
should build partnerships with various constituencies in the community.

Further research
Music education is not strongly established in Hong Kong, despite the fact
that it has been allocated time in the school curriculum since the 1930s with
art and PE. There has not been a culture for music education research,
although this seems to have grown during the last decade. This paper reveals
the need for further research in several urgent areas:
1. There needs to be a better balance between Chinese and western music in
the curriculum in order to develop children’s cultural identity whilst
maintaining their sense of cultural diversity. Effective ways to promote
children’s interest in Chinese traditional music need examination.
2. The notion of developing children’s creativity through music needs to be
more strongly emphasized, particularly ways of nurturing and evaluat-
ing creativity. Careful investigation on how information technology can
enhance children’s motivation and music creativity without sacrificing
their aesthetic sensitivity is necessary.
3. Reform in arts education (Curriculum Development Council, 2000) has
paved new ways for curriculum initiatives and novel challenges. Under
the stimulus of the current enthusiasm for educational reform, further
research can examine separate subject teaching and interdisciplinary
teaching, the effects of an integrated curriculum and the need for less
rigid systems of music transaction using a weaker framing approach to
promote children’s enjoyment in learning music.

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is a Senior Lecturer at the Hong Kong Institute of Education, teaching

JA N E C H E U N G
musicianship skills and secondary music education to undergraduate, postgraduate,
in-service and certificate students. She is a member of the Hong Kong Arts
Development Council’s Arts-in-Education steering committee, the Education Sub-
committee, and the Arts Education Committee member of the Curriculum
Development Council. She received her PhD at the Institute of Education, University
of London and her research interests include computerized music instruction, student
motivation, arts education and tertiary and secondary school music curriculum.
Address: Hong Kong Institute of Education, 10 Lo Ping Road, Tai Po, Hong Kong.
[email: wycheung@ied.edu.hk]

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