An Investigation of Piano Training in Higher Education and Suggestions for Preparing Secondary School Music Teachers in Taiwan

Jouma1 ofTaiwan Normal University: Humanity & S血泊 1ScÎence 2000,45 ' 67~87

An

In

vestigation of Piano Training in Higher Education and

Suggestions for Preparing Secondary School Music Teachers

in Taiwan

*

Hsiao-Fen Chen

Department ofMusic, National Taiw田 NonnalUniversity Abstract

Thepu中oseofthe study is to dctcnnine the relationship between preservice training 曲d inservi臼 practicein

Taiwan. More specificall耳曲的創dyexamincs pi個o reqUlrem凹的，可pesof piano in甜uction，曲dpiano-related course 0叮叮ings in higher educatio耳目 well 阻 juniorhigh school music teachers' per臼ptions of their piano

tr必ningand the use of the piano in general music teaching. This study prov沾自 recommendationsto establish

nationa! consistency for Taiwan's teacher education programs 曲atconsider the practical piano needs of secondary schooI teachers

Two questionnaires we阻 developed:one was sent to chai中ersonsof music departments 前 nine universities which have been involved in secondary school teacher education sincc thc impl叩lcntationof the 1994 Teacher Act; the other was sent 帕 241 junior high schools randomly se!ected from 721 schools. From each of these schools, one rnusic teacher was surveyed. The valid return rate reached 100% (起=9) from the first questionn血re and 79.32% (草=188) from the second questionnaire

The major findings are: (1) higher education in Taiwan increasingly focuses on preparing teache肘，yet the goa! of training 耳目前al music teachers is only an affiliated one in 叩pliedmusic dcgrce prograr凹， and is not reflected in under且.raduate degree piano requirem闊的 (2) the chairpersons' attitudes toward group pi間。 instruction tend to be negative

,

and the potential effectiveness of group piano teaching in preparing general music teachers is not recognìz祉;(3) "sight-reading, " “harmonization," and “ac叩 mpanying，"were ranked 扭曲e 也ree most important piano skìlls in general music teaching by bo曲曲創叩ersonsand music teachers; (4) junior high school teachers detaìled a need for university courses that address functional skills such 曲“accompanying，" “keyboard harmony，"血d “improvisation."

Recommendations include: (1) implementing a certificate program that addresses 血qu廿'ements both in professional education and specialized ar開s in app1ied music degr晶 programs; (2) establishing min出um standards in music performing competencies to ensure national consistency in teacher 甘aining; (3) teaching courses in small groups, that s甘essfunctional keyboard skills for the benefit of future te部he間;(4) encouraging

mo時 interaction between leaders in higher education and teachers in the field to redu∞ disc間:pancies between

preservice traml耳聞dinservice demands

Keywords: functional keyboard skills, inservice teaching demands, pîano proficiency, preservice training

Introduction

Educational research has searched for ways to estab

Li

sh the philosophical foundations of education in order to provide a framework within which teaching can be improved, In the Republic of Chin

a,

little effo叫 h自 been made to connect the philosophy of music degree programs with the goal of teacher training.In particular

,

the practical needs of 祖achersin the field have 閃閃閃ived

little consideration in the development of t開cher

training programs,

The Prob/em

While music teacher education has become an important part of Taiwan's higher education system

,

i但 curricula contin闊的 be influenced by the European