In this issue two main themes can be discerned: the professional practice and experience of music teachers; and student experience at music college and university.

The role of the subject leader, or co-ordinator, in the primary school has evolved considerably over recent years. Ultimately, responsibility for individual subjects remains with the headteacher and governors, but much work has been increasingly devolved, at least theoretically, to subject leaders. In this role they need to demonstrate the ability to be both leaders and managers. Whilst some aspects of leadership and management are generic, others may be specific to the subject and type of school. Through interviews with three subject leaders in schools where music is judged to be successful, this article examines their roles from a leadership and management perspective within the context of the existing primary school (3–11 years) structure. The tentative conclusion is that music is different and may need special considerations in equipping subject leaders to work effectively within this type of school.

This article reports on an investigation of the teaching of music by non-music specialists in the primary school. In particular, it examines attitudes to teaching music, factors affecting teachers' confidence, the relationship between confidence and training, support for music teaching, teaching experience and musical background. The non-specialist teachers taking part in this survey were chosen from twelve schools across one Local Education Authority (LEA). The attitudes and views on teaching music of 71 teachers were obtained through a questionnaire survey and follow-up interviews. The findings of this survey show that there is much work still to be done in providing non-specialists with effective long-term training and support to increase their music skills, subject knowledge, and confidence, to enable them to make a more marked difference to children's musical education.

This article discusses inductee music service teachers (to 25 years of age). It explores how their lives, as perceived, shape current identities in teaching and result in several career problems. Respondents were drawn from a comprehensive life history study of 28 Local Education Authority employees. Of this larger cohort, four were age 25 years and below, and the remaining 24 teachers made retrospective comments. Data were collected and analysed between October 2002 and March 2004. Principal findings suggest that schooling failed to address these educators' needs as musical learners; key childhood experiences were external of schools. This often resulted in an idealistic trajectory, in teenage years, towards an occupation as a performer. An occupation in music education was entirely disregarded. Consequently, inductees now consider training experiences an inappropriate platform for their professional lives. Managing group teaching and children's behaviour engenders considerable anxiety. Music service work is also deemed a transient state of affairs. There are implications for training, retention and professional development.

The attitudes and experiences of 13 music students entering a conservatoire were tracked before their entry and throughout their first term at college. Aspirations and apprehensions towards the musical, academic and social aspects of college life were collected in addition to career aims, and the data analysed qualitatively to produce emergent themes. Three pivot points were drawn from the analysis, describing events or factors that appear to shape the development of the students as musicians. The first highlights the importance of the students' first performance at college, and the second focuses on overcoming possible feelings of inadequacy generated from being one of many outstanding musicians. Thirdly, the role of feedback is highlighted as an important part of the students becoming confident in all aspects of their musical work.

This paper is informed by one clear guiding principle: collaborative learning provides the platform on which independent learning is nurtured. The nature of collaborative learning in musicology as well as performance is considered. The focus is on learning rather than achievement, on process rather than presentation, on how students are encouraged to develop good learning habits. It will be argued that the assessment of a group endeavour needs to be integral to rather than detached from the learning. The centrality of the group endeavour in the learning environment does not diminish the role of the individual. The integrity of an individual's contribution to a group endeavour is validated by the group.

Research into student experience in Higher Education has largely focused on students' role as learners. However, the student experience encompasses a much wider range of behaviours and beliefs than can be captured through a focus on teaching and learning alone. I report the findings of a research project which explored student experience in the music department of a British red-brick university. Music presents a particularly interesting case study given the presence of extra-curricular musical activities, the opportunity for social interaction between staff and students outside the formal context of the lecture or seminar room, and perceptions of Western art music as a form of ‘middle-class’ culture. Analysis of survey and interview data reveals the centrality of musical performance activities, and in particular the development of a performer identity, to students' experience of belonging and achievement. The influence of students' socio-economic background is also considered: social class was largely invisible to respondents within the departmental context, possibly because it is an invisible norm, within larger contemporary discourses in which social class is equated with financial difference rather than cultural difference. However, the research revealed an association between socio-economic background, term-time employment and academic achievement. The implications of these findings for teaching and learning in music in Higher Education are considered.

Submissions are invited for the seventh Philosophy of Music Education International Symposium at the University of Western Ontario (UWO), Canada, June 6–9, 2007. The Symposium provides opportunities for scholars, performers, and pedagogues to engage in philosophical debates about research, challenges, and promising possibilities in music education. The 2007 Symposium will be held in London, Ontario, a short connecting flight from the Toronto or Detroit airports. UWO is also only a short drive from Stratford, home of North America's largest classical repertory theatre.