Music education allows cooperation and continuous learning to flourish

Finnish music education offers teaching that is consistent with the goals of each learner. The education is designed to serve both lifelong amateur pursuits and high-level professional aspirations.

Continuously improving teacher training ensures that high-quality, motivational and up-to-date music teaching is available at all levels of education. Local curricula and educational offerings lay down a foundation for lifelong and diverse music studies.

Proposals for action

11. Music education organisations shall coordinate their activities locally and nationally to clarify the network of institutions and the availability of music education.

12. The field of music education shall regularly organise events where professionals, students and amateurs alike can participate.

13. Education providers and educational institutions shall ensure that continuous professional development and learning are available to teachers and all other personnel.

14. Music education actors shall lobby for a significant increase in the inclusion of music in teacher training for early childhood education and basic education.

Finnish music education is an international forerunner in online pedagogy. Music education creatively combines the benefits of classroom and remote teaching to enable location-independent, virtual participation in music studies. Education organisations have developed online pedagogy and innovative teaching solutions and improved the overall digital competence of employees and IT management.

Digital teaching platforms built by central government and major private actors, suitable for music teaching, are made available to smaller actors. Future technologies are also creatively exploited in Finland for music performances and live streaming.

Proposals for action

15. Education providers shall develop digital teaching methods that are consistent with students’ needs and improve the online pedagogical skills of teachers.

16. The acquisition and use of the required facilities and equipment, along with technical support for them, shall be designed and implemented through goal-oriented regional and national cooperation. A coordinated effort will leverage the greatest benefits from both existing and new resources.

17. The central government shall develop a digital platform that is suitable for music teaching and then make this available to smaller actors.

Music education actors, in their various roles, actively reform the operating culture in their respective areas as society at large changes around them. Expert, inclusive and value-based management allows for the communal development of operations, flexible resourcing and improvement of personnel competence. Managers have sufficient human resources and financial management skills. The key values in management are cooperation, inclusivity, effective and timely decision-making, respect and transparency.

Proposals for action

18. Music education managers shall regularly update and improve their management competencies.

19. Managers shall actively participate in networking and stakeholder engagement within their educational institutions and beyond, both in the music sector and more widely in society at large.

20. Educational institutions shall develop shared management systems that best suit their particular organisations. Shared management helps leverage competence and expertise throughout the organisation.