This presentation describes a study based on a development project funded by the Swedish Cultural Foundation and conducted in collaboration between three universities. The project aims to develop educational pathways enabling Finnish Swedish-speaking generalist student teachers to achieve subject teacher qualification in music within the framework of their degree. Previous research shows that many Finnish generalist teachers experience music teaching as challenging due to limited training. The situation is particularly problematic in Swedish-language education. For example, there is substantial variation in the skill levels of Swedish-speaking generalist teachers, partly due to the lack of accessible study opportunities. Unlike Finnish-speaking student teachers, Swedish-speaking student teachers also lack functioning study pathways to enter further music studies. These challenges are particularly salient in light of current European Higher Education Area priorities, which emphasise coherent study pathways, student mobility, and the transparent recognition of studies through ECTS-based structures and flexible learning paths. Findings from the project’s survey data indicate a clear gap between existing musical competence and interest among Swedish-speaking generalist student teachers and their actual engagement in further music studies, suggesting that current study structures and pathways inhibit the translation of potential into concrete study choices. Research on initial teacher education shows that generalist teachers face high expectations to teach music despite limited training, and that institutional conditions and structural barriers shape student engagement, with implications for confidence, access to advanced and subject-specialist studies (e.g. major studies), and educational choices regarding further or deeper engagement in a subject, as well as for learning outcomes. Consequently, the project seeks to examine the current situation and to develop flexible study pathways and learning materials that support Swedish-speaking generalist student teachers in continuing their music studies towards full qualification.

The methods used in this project include surveys, thematic interviews, and developmental approaches. The surveys provide background information on Swedish-speaking generalist student teachers’ perceived readiness and motivation to pursue further music studies. Thematic interviews are used to examine existing study opportunities within Finnish universities and to vision new possibilities. Developmental approaches aim to produce easily accessible online course materials for music studies and to support future joint curricular planning between university teacher education programmes.

During the first phase of the project, several structural challenges were identified that hinder the development of flexible study pathways towards subject teacher qualification for Swedish-speaking student teachers. For example, not all Finnish universities use a common study module structure, which restricts student mobility, reduces national and international comparability of study programmes, complicates ECTS recognition, and makes cross-institutional study planning more difficult. In addition, no university responsible for music subject teacher education has clearly defined under what conditions qualifying music studies can be opened to Swedish-speaking generalist student teachers. Against this background, the project group focused in its second phase on developing the existing 25-credit music study units in generalist teacher education, exploring alternative pathways into music subject studies, and mapping student teachers’ interest in music studies through a survey. During the third phase of the project, collaboration between the participating universities was initiated to create a bilingual online self-study module in music education. Taken together, the work carried out within the project provides a basis for discussion at ECER on the extent to which the current lack of subject studies in music for generalist student teachers reflects limitations in institutional will, competence, resources, or a combination of these factors.

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