Methodology for developing preservation and innovation competencies in future music teachers through Uzbek musical arts

Abstract

The preparation of future music teachers in Uzbekistan requires a fundamental rethinking of how professional competencies are defined and developed. Traditionally, music teacher education has emphasized performance skills and basic pedagogical methods, with relatively little attention to the teacher’s role as a steward of musical heritage. Yet the contemporary music teacher in an Uzbek school or college is expected not only to teach singing and basic musicianship but also to transmit knowledge of Uzbek musical arts, to cultivate students’ appreciation for folk and classical traditions, and to adapt these traditions to changing educational and social conditions. This article proposes a methodology for developing two interrelated competencies in future music teachers, preservation competency and innovation competency, through intentional engagement with Uzbek musical arts. Preservation competency refers to the teacher’s ability to accurately learn, perform, and teach authentic repertoire while understanding its historical and cultural contexts. Innovation competency refers to the teacher’s ability to adapt Uzbek musical materials for contemporary classrooms, create new pedagogical arrangements, and foster students’ creative responses to traditional music. Drawing on curriculum development projects at two Uzbek pedagogical universities and on theories of competency‑based education, the article presents a methodological framework organized around three core processes, experiential immersion, analytical deconstruction, and creative reconstruction. Each process is described with specific learning activities, assessment approaches, and illustrative examples drawn from Uzbek folk songs, Shashmaqom sections, and regional instrumental pieces. The article also addresses implementation challenges including limited time in crowded teacher training curricula, varying levels of students’ prior exposure to Uzbek music, and the need for faculty development. The conclusion argues that developing preservation and innovation competencies in future music teachers is not merely an addition to existing programs but a reconceptualization of what it means to be a music teacher in twenty‑first‑century Uzbekistan, one who serves as both a guardian of heritage and a catalyst for its continued vitality.