Ghanaian Basic School Head Teachers’ Perceptions on the Role of Music and School Bands

Abstract

This study is an examination of school head teachers’ perceptions of the basic school music curriculum. A survey, mailed to 20 basic school head teachers (99%responserate), was designed to answer the following questions: What are head teachers’ perceptions of music learning outcomes and broad educational goals that result from school music instruction at their respective schools? How do they believe these should exist in ideal conditions? Is therea difference between head teachers’ ratings for current and ideal conditions? To what degree do certain variables affect the music programme? Results revealed that basic school heads were generally satisfied with their music programs’ ability to meet music education standards and broad educational goals. However, significant differences between the current and ideal conditions imply that they believe improvement is possible. Head teachers reported that budgets, standardized tests and scheduling had the most negative effectson their music programs.