Planning music instruction and teacher autonomy in primary schools with Slovene as the language of instruction in Italy

This article examines the planning of music education and the enactment of teacher autonomy in primary schools with Slovene as the language of instruction in Italy. Applying a qualitative methodology – including individual semi-structured interviews with fourteen teachers and an analysis of personal annual teaching plans and school-level curricula for music education – the study finds that national curricular guidelines serve primarily as a broadly framed orientation document. The autonomy afforded by these guidelines is realised in practice in a situational and individualised manner, predominantly through the three core musical activities (performing, listening, and creating), interdisciplinary connections, and the integration of local Slovene musical traditions. The principal obstacles to effective planning and implementation include time constraints, insufficient material and spatial conditions, and the lack of updated teaching materials in Slovene. Document analysis confirms alignment with the overarching aims of the guidelines but reveals variation in the scope, sequencing, and complexity of planned content. Effective enactment of autonomy is associated with clear personal or school-level curricula (curricolo di istituto), professional collaboration, and targeted professional development. The findings contribute to understanding how the open curricular goals of the Italian guidelines are transformed into high-quality and culturally responsive pedagogical practice within a minority education setting.