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Career choice has received significant attention in recent years, with research indicating a strong correlation between individual intrinsic motivations and career decisions. This study investigated the intrinsic factors influencing music graduates’ decisions to pursue a professional career in music in Fujian, China, using the Exploratory Design research method. This research design involved two phases. In phase one, the influencing factors were explored through interviews seeking to obtain qualitative information (N = 18). In phase two, the codes derived from the qualitative study were utilized to build a Likert scale for the quantitative questionnaire (N = 221). The qualitative results revealed that music graduates’ professional career choices were intrinsically influenced by their commitment to the music profession, sense of self-worth derived from successful performing and teaching experiences, self-purpose in sharing and teaching music, interest in music playing and music teaching, confidence in music-playing skills, and working relationship between teacher and student. These variables were confirmed by the quantitative study to have an impact on career choice. Commitment to the music profession was the most influential variable, followed by a sense of self-worth. Confidence in music-playing skills was the least influential variable. These findings deepen our understanding of the variables impacting music majors’ job choices. Understanding these determinants can help educational institutions, policymakers, and career counselors better understand music majors’ particular needs and concerns, leading to more supportive career pathways for aspiring musicians in the region.

Since the first nationwide movement control order was implemented on 18 March 2020 in Malaysia to contain the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, to what extent the uncertainty and continuous containment measures have imposed psychological burdens on the population is unknown. This study aimed to measure the level of mental health of the Malaysian public approximately 2 months after the pandemic's onset. Between 12 May and 5 September 2020, an anonymous online survey was conducted. The target group included all members of the Malaysian population aged 18 years and above. The Depression Anxiety Stress Scale (DASS-21) was used to assess mental health. There were increased depressive, anxiety and stress symptoms throughout the study period, with the depression rates showing the greatest increase. During the end of the data collection period (4 August-5 September 2020), there were high percentages of reported depressive (59.2%) and anxiety (55.1%) symptoms compared with stress (30.6%) symptoms. Perceived health status was the strongest significant predictor for depressive and anxiety symptoms. Individuals with a poorer health perception had higher odds of developing depression (odds ratio [OR] = 5.68; 95% confidence interval [CI] 3.81-8.47) and anxiety (OR = 3.50; 95%CI 2.37-5.17) compared with those with a higher health perception. By demographics, young people-particularly students, females and people with poor financial conditions-were more vulnerable to mental health symptoms. These findings provide an urgent call for increased attention to detect and provide intervention strategies to combat the increasing rate of mental health problems in the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Pre-service music teachers' satisfaction with the curriculum has implications for student learning and curriculum development. It is necessary to investigate pre -service music teachers' satisfaction with the curriculum to help universities respond to changing social needs. However, there is lack of empirical studies on this topic in China. This study aims to explore the degree of satisfaction of pre-service music teachers in northern China with the curriculum to reveal the current challenges and issues in music teacher education. For this, a quantitative statistical method was adopted to conduct a questionnaire survey among 421 pre-service music teachers who major in music education in four different universities in northern China. The satisfaction survey regarding curriculum content and curriculum design was conducted to identify challenges and issues in the current music teacher education curriculum. The results show that pre-service music teachers are moderately satisfied with the curriculum. The findings indicate the following: 1. Teaching methods are monotonous; 2. There is some ambiguity concerning teaching objectives and training standards; 3. Practical courses and practice mentors need to improve; and 4. Pre-service music teachers lack confidence in the preparation for teaching in the future. Universities can significantly contribute to improving curriculum satisfaction and students' confidence in teaching preparation by actively providing teaching-related knowledge, skills, policies and goals. Universities should consider the learning needs of pre-service music teachers and improve traditional teacher-centered teaching methods to improve teaching quality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Researchers and educators asserted that music-based intervention is more effective than traditional teaching approaches when educating children due to the fact that music-based intervention promotes students' memory and interest. An ongoing imbalance in education that stands to be corrected is how parents and teachers may be more concerned with children's academic achievement than their social skills. In that context, this quantitative study aimed to investigate the effectiveness of song-based music and movement intervention in improving social skills among elementary-age children. The sixty participants (aged 7--9 years) were divided equally into three experimental groups (song-based, music and movement as well as song-based music and movement intervention) and a control group (no treatment). Quantitative data collected through pre and post-tests were assessed by three independent evaluators using the researcher-adapted Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Skills Measurement Form (IISMF). Participants' physical reactions, such as facial expressions, behaviours, and emotions, were observed. The results indicated that the song-based music and movement intervention had significantly improved the social skills on both dimensions of intrapersonal and interpersonal compared to the other interventions. This study provides insights to promote the implementation of song-based music and movement intervention for schoolteachers to improve young age children's social skills. Furthermore, social skills are one of the crucial elements in 21st-century learning skills that contribute to their future success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]