Music activities in primary school: students' preferences in the Spanish region of Murcia

The aim of this study was to determine the preferences of primary school children in relation to the types of activities that typically take place in music classrooms. For the purposes of this study, these classroom-based music activities have been categorised into five areas: singing, playing instruments, listening, reading and writing music and movement/dance. The sample consisted of 4700 students and 20 music teachers from different public and private primary schools from the Region of Murcia (Spain). For the purposes of data collection two questionnaires, one for students and one for teachers, were administered. The data were analysed using quantitative techniques. The results reveal significant differences between the preferred activities of boys and girls. The study also identified differences between the expressed preferences of students in the lower and higher grades for particular types of musical activities and what teachers consider as important in the implemented music curriculum.