SAMUS – Sami music in music education

The Norwegian Academy of Music offers music teacher education through two programmes:

1. Practical-Pedagogical Education in Music (60 credits) for students who already hold a bachelor's or master's degree in performance, and
2. A four-year bachelor's degree in performance with integrated teacher training (PPU).

Our teacher education programmes qualify students for various teaching opportunities, including music education in primary and secondary schools, culture schools, and the voluntary music sector. These programmes adhere to the "Regulations on the Framework Plan for Practical-Pedagogical Education", which confirm the responsibility of teacher education to address Sami-related content. Our curricula in music pedagogy and music didactics align with the current national curricula for music education in primary and secondary schools and the Framework Plan for Culture Schools. Sami's perspectives are explicitly included as thematic content in these plans.

Currently, we address Sami perspectives in our programmes through a dedicated project week and as a distinct theme in general didactics. However, there is a risk that this offering is limited and lacks contextual relevance. It is also uncertain whether our students actively incorporate this theme into their teaching practices. Several factors may contribute to this, such as:

• A lack of confidence in teaching cultural expressions outside their own expertise,
• Insufficient didactic competence in adapting the material for teaching purposes,
• Fear of cultural appropriation, or
• A lack of interest in the topic.

Through this R&D project, we aim to strengthen students' competence and preparedness to thoughtfully and culturally sensitively address the intentions of the national curricula.

The R&D project to strengthen Sami perspectives in music teacher education is divided into two phases:

1. Phase one focuses on internal competence development and reflection within the working group and the broader academic staff. Key elements include participation in and peer guidance related to teaching Sami music and joik at NMH, use of DEMBRA's reflection tools, and discussions on academic literature addressing decolonisation and Indigenous perspectives in music education. During this phase, we also plan a professional development day for students and mentor teachers to support implementing the teaching programme in Phase Two.
2. Phase two aims for all student groups to conduct a joik and Sami music teaching programme as part of their mandatory teaching practice (in primary, secondary, or culture schools). The project group will mentor the students during the planning process and document and evaluate the project. Based on the experiences and findings from this work, we aim to design a research project to secure further funding.

• John Vinge, Associate Professor of music education, Project leader
• Viktor Bomstad, Musician and External Lecturer in Sami Music
• Georg Buljo, Musician and External Lecturer in Sami Music
• Ellen Stabell, Associate Professor of Music Education
• Sidsel Karlsen, Professor of Music Education