An evaluation of the Turkish classical music theory and practice course taught in fine arts high schools within the framework of student and teacher opinions (The case of Van province)

The purpose of this study is to examine the achievement of the objectives of the Turkish Art Music Theory and Practice (TSMTU) course, which was included in the 2016 amendment to the fine arts high school curriculum. It aims to identify problems encountered during the course's instructional processes, develop solutions for these problems, and contribute to the development of new approaches based on the results obtained. For this purpose, the researcher developed a scale to be administered to students who have taken this course. A semi-structured interview form was also created to obtain the opinions of the teachers who teach this course. The study group consisted of 59 11th and 12th-grade students who had taken the TSMTU course at Van Fine Arts High School and Erciş Fine Arts High School in Van province, and five teachers who taught or currently teach this course at these schools. The study was conducted using a mixed-model explanatory sequential design. Scale data were analysed using the SPSS package program, and data from the semi-structured interview form were analysed using content analysis. It was observed that students achieved the TSMTU course objectives at a lower level, with female students scoring higher than male students, students from Van Fine Arts High School scoring higher than students from Erciş Fine Arts High School, and, depending on the department in which the students studied, students in the Turkish Folk Music department scored higher than students in the Music department. The main problems faced by teachers while teaching the TSMTU course were insufficient class time, student disinterest in the course, insufficient student preparedness, and the lack of prior comprehensive Turkish music training by the teachers teaching the course. Key recommendations include offering the TSMTU course at later grades rather than in 9th and 10th grades, and requiring teachers to have Turkish music training and play Turkish musical instruments.