Subject Music Teachers’ Leisure-Time Musical Engagement and Views on Music Listening in Croatian Primary School Music Culture Lessons

Abstract

This study examined how subject music teachers in Croatian primary schools perceive the role of listening in Music Culture lessons, and how these views are related to their own musical engagement in leisure time. A cross-sectional survey of 132 teachers used a self-report questionnaire on background variables, frequency of leisure-time musical activities and attitudes towards the necessity, status, and repertoire of classroom listening. Descriptive statistics and Mann–Whitney U tests were applied. Teachers strongly endorsed both singing and listening as necessary classroom activities, but generally favoured a balanced model in which listening is placed on an equal footing with other activities. They supported stylistically diverse listening while still assigning a somewhat privileged role to classical music. Significant associations linked teachers’ leisure listening habits with pedagogical attitudes: frequent classical listeners tended to prioritise classical repertoire and the status of listening, whereas those who often listened to popular and traditional music more strongly supported stylistic diversity. The findings highlight the need for teacher education and professional development to address not only curricular expectations but also teachers’ musical identities and their influence on classroom listening practices.