October 2015: Conference sessions

• Notes from the MENZA TRCC Conference Workshops (pdf)
  • ITM issues for MENZA conference 2015
    • Judie Alison, PPTA
  • Unpacking the Inquiry process for Itinerant Music Teachers
    • Andrea Smith, Rangitoto College
  • Teaching as Inquiry – Links to your appraisal and renewing your practising certificate
    • Christina Thornley, Principal Adivsor Teacher Education & Barbara Benson, Manager Teacher Education, EDUCANZ

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September 2015: Updated Guidelines

ITMs perform a vital role in primary and secondary schools, supporting the performance aspects of Music courses and enabling students to develop their musical talents in performance. The ITM role in schools is vulnerable because these teachers are generally part-time, often teaching across a number of schools, and non-permanent. These guidelines provide advice for school leaders, HODs of Music, and ITMs themselves across a number of areas: staffing, resourcing, employment, professional responsibilities, and registration.

 

The updated guidelines have been prepared by PPTA to assist schools and ITMs to work their way through a range of issues:

• Being issued with and maintaining a full practising certificate as a teacher
• Gaining a Limited Authority to Teach
• Appraisal and attestation
• Professional development
• Employment, e.g. advertising, letters of appointment, collective agreement coverage, etc.

They take into account changes made with the introduction of the Education Council.

To read the ITM Guidelines Revised Edition – September 2015 click here

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July 2015: Relevance of current initial teacher education for Itinerant Tutors of Music

The eight Initial Teacher Education providers for Secondary Schools –Secondary Qualifications, as identified by New Zealand Teachers Council, were invited to comment on the following;

1. Do you offer curriculum secondary music (or similar) as a curriculum option for qualifying?
2. If you answered yes to 1,
   1. Do you address studio pedagogy within the music curriculum option?
   2. Are students encouraged to include studio pedagogy in their practicums?
   3. Are they assessed in studio pedagogy in their practicums?

Three responses were received.

• AUT offers Senior and Junior Music in their “list of subject areas commonly available in secondary schools.” Noted also was that “students could include studio pedagogy in their practicums if they expressed an interest in this.”
• Waikato University offers Senior and Junior Music but also ‘Conducting’ as a special topic for musicians. It was noted; “studio pedagogy is a small module within the course.” Also, “If there was sufficient enrolments, we could explore a special topic to substitute for the conducting paper focussing on studio pedagogy.”
• Massey University offers three papers.
  1. Teaching Music;
  2. Teaching Senior Music;
  3. Musicianship for School Instrumental Music Teachers. This third paper seems highly relevant to aspiring ITMs. The Learning Outcomes are given as follows;
     1. Demonstrate skills in individual and group performance music tuition and leadership.
     2. Demonstrate skills and knowledge in performance areas related to your specialist instrument.
     3. Demonstrate diagnostic and critical skills in music performance.
     4. Demonstrate planning techniques and strategies related to performance teaching.
     5. Demonstrate knowledge about appraisal and assessment procedures in your specialist performance area in the context of the New Zealand Music Curriculum.
     6. Select and appraise and/or develop learning and teaching resources in your area of performance expertise.
     7. Understand the responsibilities of the itinerant teacher of music or school instrumental teacher as a member of one or more school’s staff and as part of the education service as a whole.

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March 2015: Meeting minutes

Read the MENZA-NZTC meeting minutes here from 4/3/2015

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