Twenty-five years is a significant milestone in the life of the British Journal of Music Education (BJME). During this time, the relationship between educational research and the practice of teaching music has changed significantly. There has been increasing pressure on researchers to ensure that much more of their work is useful to teachers and to other practitioners. Ironically, the imperative on teachers has not been to draw upon this research to inform their practice, but rather to meet the demands of an increasing array of statutory and quasi-statutory edicts which urge compliance rather than exploration and reflection. In such a context it is the job of a journal such as the BJME to disseminate the latest research and thinking in music education which can be transformed into the knowledge that is needed by teachers and learners. Over the past 25 years, BJME has offered its readership an exploration of themes and imperatives that face researchers, teachers and policy makers.

A brief review of the state of music education in the UK at the time of the creation of the British Journal of Music Education (BJME) leads to a consideration of the range and focus of topics since the initiation of the Journal. In particular, the initial requirement of careful and critical enquiry is amplified, drawing out the inevitability of theorising, an activity which is considered to be essential for reflective practice. The relationship of theory and data is examined, in particular differentiating between the sciences and the arts. A ‘case study’ of theorising is presented and examined in some detail and possible strands of future development are identified.

This study investigates age-related changes in musical preference in elementary school children. The tolerance towards unconventional musical styles has been called ‘open-earedness’ (Hargreaves, 1982a), and it is assumed to decline with increasing age. Musical preferences of 186 students from grade 1 to 4 (age range: 6–10 years) were measured by using a 5-point iconographic rating scale. Eight sound examples were presented in a sound questionnaire. Results showed a decline of open-earedness for unconventional music (classical, ethnic and avant-garde music) from grade 1 to 2 (age: 7–8 years). However, this effect disappeared when classical music was excluded from data analysis. Only a few absolute rejections of unconventional musical styles were found, and the mean preference ratings did not exceed the neutral mean range. Future studies will have to consider additional factors of influence to make clear predictions about the point in time when this transition occurs.

During the 1980s, the International Journal of Music Education (IJME) ran a series of articles under the general heading ‘Personalities in World Music Education’. Each article was written by an author who was well acquainted with the distinguished personality upon whom the editors, Jack Dobbs and Anthony Kemp, wished to focus. I was privileged to be asked to interview John Paynter whose influence upon musical education in the UK and in many other countries was profound. Among his many positions he was co-editor of the British Journal of Music Education (BJME) at that time. The article about him was published in the IJME number 12 (pp. 28–32) in 1988.

The purpose of the study was to investigate whether children who possess speech and voice disorders could benefit from engaging in singing activities in educational settings, based on the psychological benefits of such activities. The impact of singing on children's psychological state and well-being was investigated with a participant population of 76 pre-pubertal children. Voice recordings, interviews and a survey were conducted. The main finding was that singing has a positive effect on children's overall vocal functioning and on their psychological well-being. Thus, singing could be exploited in educational settings with children suffering from speech and voiced disorders in order to achieve improvement in such domains.

Teaching and learning are complex processes and evaluating the work of music teachers is neither obvious nor simple. The outcomes of educational transactions may not be completely or immediately apparent. Furthermore, the contexts in which musical skills and understanding are acquired are multiple, going well beyond the formal categories of ‘general’ class music teacher or the ‘private’ instrumental and vocal teacher. In many of these alternative settings, standardised student assessment or teacher evaluation processes may be inappropriate. In this paper, an approach to evaluating teaching and learning draws on Swanwick's three principles for music educators. To these three principles is added the need to understand the educational and social context in which a teacher works. These criteria help to identify the ‘good-enough’ teacher's contribution to students' musical development. The concept of the ‘good-enough’ teacher is exemplified, not in the context of conventional formal teaching settings but in a third, much less defined role, that of music leader. The extent to which music leaders contribute to their musical environment is evaluated in a study of their continuing professional development. This evaluation was initiated by Youth Music, a UK organisation working alongside the formal and community-based sectors to support music-making and training.

This article reports on a retrospective study of Finnish pre-service elementary teachers' assessments of their musical experiences in nursery school and elementary and secondary school and real-time study of their experiences in teacher training. The participants (N = 590) had received musical instruction in five age groups (4–6 years, 7–12 years, 13–15 years, 16–19 years, 20–25 years). The assessments were most positive in the 4–6 years group and thereafter declined until puberty in the 13–15 years group. A change in a positive direction was perceived in the 16–19 years group and also in the 20–25 years group (during teacher training). Gender differences were statistically significant except during upper secondary school. The most enjoyable activities in formal music education were singing and playing; music theory was experienced most negatively.

This article raises questions about three features of musical education that have been explored in the pages of the British Journal of Music Education (BJME) over the last 25 years: the assessment of creative work; the nurturing of an elite among young musicians; the uses of electronics in music classrooms. The article suggests that teacher-based assessments of pupils' compositional work rarely promote deeper understanding because pupils learn better by considering the extent to which they have fulfilled their own musical intentions. The dilemma of serving the needs of all pupils while attending to the musical needs of the most gifted musically is explored, and it is suggested that, inter alia, pupils aged 12 should have a strong voice in their choices within arts education. Electronic keyboards have become sufficiently embedded in schools for broad judgements to be made. There are few signs that basic electronic keyboards offer expressive opportunities of value whereas the use of computers in support of composition have led to results of quality that merit close attention.

This observational study analysed the lesson content of 24 instrumental lessons (piano, strings and winds) using a gender-balanced sample (equal numbers of male/female teachers and students) from five Australian higher education institutions to ascertain the priorities of topics in advanced applied music lessons in the Western Classical tradition. The results were analysed according to gender to determine differences of approach between male and female teachers and male and female students. Same-gender and different-gender pairings were also considered. Technique was found to be of the greatest importance, followed by Articulation and Expression. Some gender differences have emerged between the teachers, with the male teachers tending towards a more analytical approach and the female teachers adopting more balanced lesson content. The treatment of students showed some divergence, with greater emphasis on Expression in the lessons of female students, whereas the male students studied more Structure. The results demonstrate stereotypical gender behaviour among the teachers and towards their students not previously observed in this educational setting.

An innovative ICT project called Compose has been implemented in some New Zealand primary schools in an effort to counteract the lack of classroom composition opportunities. Compose combines the use of music software and online learning with attempts to address barriers to primary classroom composition. This article illustrates, through personal narrative, how Compose made successful composition experiences possible for a student in a classroom where no such opportunities had previously existed. The project led to the student acquiring compositional skill and knowledge and a positive music self-concept. Though it is not possible to generalise from a single case study, the findings indicate that Compose could offer a potentially viable way to increase classroom composition learning opportunities.

Interview-based case studies, involving two institutions, four professors and 11 music teacher trainees were conducted in order to investigate the preconditions for deep learning in the subject of higher music education called musikdidaktik. Analysis was based on the ‘didaktiktriangle’ which is a theoretical model that suggests the relations of the professor, trainee and the selected content as being at the core of any educational endeavour. The model helps to frame the debate about the quality of teaching and learning by highlighting the trainees’ learning as relational. Professors as well as trainees located preconditions for deep learning to relations within the didaktik triangle. Furthermore, it became apparent how those preconditions were connected to the institutional culture within which the triangle relations were played out. It is suggested that deep learning in musikdidaktik was regulated by how the teaching forms and the selected educational content gave space for trainees’ learning styles, strategies and approaches. Furthermore, the learning was affected by the musikdidaktik subject's low status within the institutional culture and its external relations to the trainees’ practical teaching training.

Piers Spencer and William Salaman edited the BJME between 1998 and 2002. During this period, a number of articles they published gave positive accounts of developments in instrumental teaching and learning, composing and creative music-making, and the increasing role of technology. Less happy findings emerged from investigations into singing and vocal work, into culture and the promotion of equal opportunities, and into the way the ‘official’ curriculum seemed to be increasingly at odds with students' experience of music outside schools. During his period as editor, Piers Spencer worked in a variety of institutions and his personal experience told him that, despite the highly critical tone of some contributions, there remains cause for optimism about the future of musical education, both in the UK and internationally.

The invitation to provide a review of the articles published in our five year editorship prompts us to evaluate the aims and purposes of music education research, and to consider the function of journals such as BJME in bridging the artificial divide between academics and professionals. We identify four themes that were prominent in the volumes we edited: the roles and identities of music teachers; pupil perspectives; blurring of boundaries between home, school and community; and music in higher education. Surveying articles related to these themes, we consider the questions they raise for future research, addressing the day-to-day realities of teaching alongside the exploration of new ideas which extend music education as a significant field of study.

We discuss a recent peer-learning project we undertook as co-conductors of the Young Conservatorium Wind Orchestra at Griffith University. Drawing on current educational theory on peer learning and material from our conducting practice and research, we explore how this approach offers professional conductors the opportunity to work together in an inclusive and empowering learning environment. We outline our peer learning context, the learning relationship we shared, the most significant musical outcomes of such a process, and the implications for conducting pedagogy and the professional development of conductors.