Music teachers in secondary education tend to undervalue the professional competence of creating music, in response to educational models that prioritise the development of musical interpretation skills. The aim of this research is to identify the factors that contribute to this belief among teachers in Spain, by analysing the results of the Professional Competences of the Music Teacher questionnaire (n = 112). Significant differences were found between age categories, as well as significant linear correlations between teachers’ perceptions of their preparation during initial training, their practical skills and habits, and the professional importance they attached to their competence in musical creation.

Teacher collaboration has been recognised as one of the most influential factors positively affecting school teaching practice. To add to the literature in this area, I investigated a collaborative community of Korean preservice music teachers. The results showed that the collaborative community was a place where these preservice music teachers were able to share their thoughts about their passion for music teaching and various philosophical issues closely related to the role of music in public education. In addition, the collaborative community played a role in helping preservice music teachers focus on the level of students’ current knowledge and understand the importance of instructional pacing. Finally, music student teachers freely and frequently expressed their worries and frustration about student teaching and gained emotional support from their peers.