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Kolloquium Musiktheorie

The Role of Score-Based Music Literacy in Scottish Secondary and Higher Music Education
Rebekah Donn
Montag, 09.02.2026 18:00 HfMT, Raum 13

Vortrag in englischer Sprache


This paper aims to outline the ways in which score-based music literacy is taught and learned on music certification courses in Scottish secondary schools, and how the way it is taught at secondary level can be demonstrated to affect Scottish music-educational provision at degree level. In order to do this, it will draw on the findings of my PhD thesis which comprises an interview-based study exploring the experiences of Scottish secondary music pupils, secondary music teachers and lecturers teaching on undergraduate music programmes at Scottish universities.
The paper will first summarise how the development of score-based music literacy skills are addressed specifically within the ‘Listening/Understanding Music’ and ‘Composition’ components of Scottish secondary music certification courses. In so doing, it will refer to the modes of assessment associated with these course components and their role in shaping pupils’ understanding of score-based music literacy. Thereafter, it will outline the observations made by lecturers working on Scottish undergraduate music programmes in relation to the nature of many students’ prior education in this area. Here, it will explore some of the recent adjustments which have been made to the entry requirements and academic curriculum of many Scottish undergraduate music degrees, before outlining lecturers’ perceptions of what the consequences of these changes might be for the Scottish music sector as a whole.


Rebekah Donn is currently reading for a PhD in Music Education at Edinburgh Napier University under the supervision of Prof. Zack Moir and Bryden Stillie. Outside her studies, Rebekah works as a private piano and woodwind tutor and is also an associate lecturer on the BA (Hons) music programme at her university. Rebekah is currently a student representative for the Society for Music Analysis and regularly conducts research for the Society.


In der Vortragsreihe »Kolloquium Musiktheorie« präsentieren Mitglieder der HfMT Hamburg und externe Gäste ihre aktuelle musiktheoretische Forschung. Die Veranstaltungen richten sich ausdrücklich nicht nur an Musiktheoretiker*innen, sondern an alle Interessierten. Nach den Vorträgen gibt es die Möglichkeit zur Diskussion.

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