AbstractThe purpose of this study is to shed light on some teachers' image of, and thoughts about, different ways of using music as a pedagogical tool in primary special education, as well as the opportunities and challenges such a way of working entails.

Based on the purpose, the following questions have been formulated: 

What different ways of working with music as a pedagogical tool in the elementary special school come out through the teachers' statements?

What possibilities emerge in the teachers' statements when it comes to using music as a pedagogical tool in teaching?

What challenges emerge in the teachers' statements when it comes to using music as a pedagogical tool in teaching?

The study has a qualitative approach. Semi-structured interviews have been used as a method for data gathering. Within the framework of the study, six teachers with experience of working in special schools and with experience of using music to support students' learning, have been interviewed. The results have then been analyzed using thematic analysis, based on a socio-cultural perspective. 

The results of the study shows that the teachers use music to support students' learning in several situations and in various ways. Music is used, for example, when teachers want to create routines or create opportunities for interaction between students. Music is also used as a way of expression and a tool for interaction. The results of the study shows that music is used to teach new concepts in both speech and writing, using song lyrics. The results also show that music can act as a trigger to make students want to communicate more. The results of the study show that music is used by the informants as a pedagogical tool to develop students' motor and theoretical abilities.

The results of the study also highlight challenges such as limited time for co-planning between teachers, and between teachers and the student’s assistant. The lack of resources and students' dislike of music are other factors highlighted in the results as challenges in using music to support students' learning.