Page 312 - Glasbenopedagoški zbornik Akademije za glasbo v Ljubljani / The Journal of Music Education of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana, leto 12, zvezek 25 / Year 12, Issue 25, 2016
P. 312
SBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 25. zvezek
appear in the analysis of the curriculum and these questions triggered the need for a
revision of the curriculum.
If we compare these two curricula, a numerous substantial similarities will be noticed,
while Slovenian curriculum is significantly more precise. The issue of burdening the
students with the number of classes in the higher grades can be raised too, as well as the
issue of higher focus on the potential professional musicians.
Characteristics of the New Course Program for the Music Primer and Program for
the Initial Piano Classes
Course program for the first grade in elementary music school called Music Primer –
Orff’s Instrumentarium (Muzièka poèetnica – Orffov instrumentarijum, 2009) has been
approved for school use on March 31, 2009. The objectives of this program are to develop
music skills in students while working on all of the components of musicality. The
teaching of this course is done through three activities: performing, creating and listening.
The program does not provide music literacy, but the emphasis is rather on developing
music memory, learning the songs by the ear, developing rhythmic skills through rhymes,
riddles and tongue twisters, developing a sense of improvisation, adopting basic music
concepts, instruments, vocal and instrumental ensembles, as well as playing Orff
instruments in a group.
The textbook Music Steps 1, by Vedrana Markovic and Andree Æoso Pamer (2016), was
created in accordance with this program, and published by the Bureau for Textbooks and
Teaching Aids in cooperation with the Music Academy, as part of the project Identity
Elements in the Montenegrin Music as a Basis for Development of Multiculturalism and
Interculturalism. Miodrag Vasiljevic’s functional method for setting up pitches is used
here, among other things, and authors adapted it to the Montenegrin folklore. There is a
dedicated composed example for each basic tonal pitch. The textbook set also includes the
material on CD with arrangements of songs and matrices, and also a methodological
manual for teachers.
Teaching piano starts in the first half of the second grade, when the systematic acquisition
of music literacy by the students has started in solffegio classes. In these classes this
approach creates the possibility to examine music skills in instrument classes through
various forms of playing well known melodies by ear, through their transposition and
various forms of improvisation. This teaching method requires more active teachers and
‘higher level of creative will’ (Šèapov, 1963). Given the length of time, the age of students
and the concentration, it can be recommended that the teacher works with two students in
one class. Many piano teachers recommend this kind of work in the primary classes
because it improves the dynamics of class, concentration and attention, which is hard to
keep at a high level for 45 minutes of an individual work. In many systems, a beginner has
two 30 minute long classes per week, which is the case in Slovenia. If all of the planned
activities were performed: playing, listening to music, making music - it would justify the
length of a class. But the question is how well are classrooms equipped with music
equipment, how long do teachers play music to students in the class and do students
312
appear in the analysis of the curriculum and these questions triggered the need for a
revision of the curriculum.
If we compare these two curricula, a numerous substantial similarities will be noticed,
while Slovenian curriculum is significantly more precise. The issue of burdening the
students with the number of classes in the higher grades can be raised too, as well as the
issue of higher focus on the potential professional musicians.
Characteristics of the New Course Program for the Music Primer and Program for
the Initial Piano Classes
Course program for the first grade in elementary music school called Music Primer –
Orff’s Instrumentarium (Muzièka poèetnica – Orffov instrumentarijum, 2009) has been
approved for school use on March 31, 2009. The objectives of this program are to develop
music skills in students while working on all of the components of musicality. The
teaching of this course is done through three activities: performing, creating and listening.
The program does not provide music literacy, but the emphasis is rather on developing
music memory, learning the songs by the ear, developing rhythmic skills through rhymes,
riddles and tongue twisters, developing a sense of improvisation, adopting basic music
concepts, instruments, vocal and instrumental ensembles, as well as playing Orff
instruments in a group.
The textbook Music Steps 1, by Vedrana Markovic and Andree Æoso Pamer (2016), was
created in accordance with this program, and published by the Bureau for Textbooks and
Teaching Aids in cooperation with the Music Academy, as part of the project Identity
Elements in the Montenegrin Music as a Basis for Development of Multiculturalism and
Interculturalism. Miodrag Vasiljevic’s functional method for setting up pitches is used
here, among other things, and authors adapted it to the Montenegrin folklore. There is a
dedicated composed example for each basic tonal pitch. The textbook set also includes the
material on CD with arrangements of songs and matrices, and also a methodological
manual for teachers.
Teaching piano starts in the first half of the second grade, when the systematic acquisition
of music literacy by the students has started in solffegio classes. In these classes this
approach creates the possibility to examine music skills in instrument classes through
various forms of playing well known melodies by ear, through their transposition and
various forms of improvisation. This teaching method requires more active teachers and
‘higher level of creative will’ (Šèapov, 1963). Given the length of time, the age of students
and the concentration, it can be recommended that the teacher works with two students in
one class. Many piano teachers recommend this kind of work in the primary classes
because it improves the dynamics of class, concentration and attention, which is hard to
keep at a high level for 45 minutes of an individual work. In many systems, a beginner has
two 30 minute long classes per week, which is the case in Slovenia. If all of the planned
activities were performed: playing, listening to music, making music - it would justify the
length of a class. But the question is how well are classrooms equipped with music
equipment, how long do teachers play music to students in the class and do students
312
