Page 60 - Glasbenopedagoški zbornik Akademije za glasbo v Ljubljani / The Journal of Music Education of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana: Mostovi med formalnim in neformalnim glasbenim izobraževanjem, leto 15, zvezek 31 / Year 15, Issue 31, 2019
P. 60
SBENOPEDAGOŠKI ZBORNIK, 31. zvezek
Music teaching in Croatian compulsory schools in the light of the new reform
Since the independence of the Republic of Croatia numerous attempts, proposals,
guidelines, experimental programs and curricula have contributed to the reflection on how
to conceptualize a quality, innovative and creative school tailored to students. The extent
to which they have contributed and been successful is evident today, when the quality and
results of the education system is reexamined, and on that basis the new steps are directed.
Recent reforms that have strived to change the school system, such as the Hrvatski
nacionalni obrazovni standard [Croatian National Education Standard] which was
introduced in the 2006 and the related documents as the Nastavni plan i program
[Teaching Plan and program] (2006) and the Nacionalni okvirni kurikulum za predškolski
odgoj i obrazovanje te opæe obvezno i srednjoškolsko obrazovanje [National Curriculum
Framework for Preschool Education, Compulsory and Secondary Education] (2011),
have made possible the comprehension of advantages and disadvantages of the primary
and secondary compulsory and high schools. The contents of the subjects were
questioned, as well as the role, purpose and concept.
Music teaching in compulsory school was reviewed in 2006, for the first time in regard to
its conception, not only the contents, which is the biggest novelty since the end of World
War II. After centuries of emphasis on singing, and afterwards music literacy, listening
and music understanding were set as the only mandatory activities within the so-called
open model. The open model is actually semi-open because it prescribes the compulsory
activity, proposes singing, playing, creativity, and literacy as the second activity, with
emphasis on only one enumerated activity. The purpose is that students actively
participate in the target activity, in a way that they acquire the musical competencies by a
particular activity.
“Although there are guidelines and suggestions to improve teaching practices, and a new
concept of music teaching, an open model, a curriculum that is going to meet the needs of
new generations, it is still necessary to find the ideal way of making the phenomenon of
music and art music attractive to young people” (Vidulin, 2016, 354). The fact is that there
is still possibility for progress and that teachers need to be more involved in finding
methods, strategies and approaches that will make music teaching more interesting and
attractive, and thus useful.
In the light of the new curricular reform called School for Life, changes in the educational
vertical are visible. School for Life searches for quality in education according to the
needs of the individual and society. Changes are visible in all subjects, although only
tested in certain classes that were part of the experimental reform. Thus also in the Subject
Curriculum of Music for Primary Compulsory and Secondary Education, which after a
one-year experimental program was approved and implemented into schools at the
beginning of this school year (2019/2020).
Kurikulum nastavnog predmeta Glazbena kultura za osnovne škole i Glazbena umjetnost
za gimnazije,1 2019, 6) [Curriculum for Music Culture in Primary Schools and Music Art
for High Schools; abbreviated as Subject curriculum] started to be valid from the school
year 2019/2020. The classes that were included in the experimental year (1st and 5th grade
1 Narodne novine 7/2019 (Official Gazette no. 7/2019).
58
Music teaching in Croatian compulsory schools in the light of the new reform
Since the independence of the Republic of Croatia numerous attempts, proposals,
guidelines, experimental programs and curricula have contributed to the reflection on how
to conceptualize a quality, innovative and creative school tailored to students. The extent
to which they have contributed and been successful is evident today, when the quality and
results of the education system is reexamined, and on that basis the new steps are directed.
Recent reforms that have strived to change the school system, such as the Hrvatski
nacionalni obrazovni standard [Croatian National Education Standard] which was
introduced in the 2006 and the related documents as the Nastavni plan i program
[Teaching Plan and program] (2006) and the Nacionalni okvirni kurikulum za predškolski
odgoj i obrazovanje te opæe obvezno i srednjoškolsko obrazovanje [National Curriculum
Framework for Preschool Education, Compulsory and Secondary Education] (2011),
have made possible the comprehension of advantages and disadvantages of the primary
and secondary compulsory and high schools. The contents of the subjects were
questioned, as well as the role, purpose and concept.
Music teaching in compulsory school was reviewed in 2006, for the first time in regard to
its conception, not only the contents, which is the biggest novelty since the end of World
War II. After centuries of emphasis on singing, and afterwards music literacy, listening
and music understanding were set as the only mandatory activities within the so-called
open model. The open model is actually semi-open because it prescribes the compulsory
activity, proposes singing, playing, creativity, and literacy as the second activity, with
emphasis on only one enumerated activity. The purpose is that students actively
participate in the target activity, in a way that they acquire the musical competencies by a
particular activity.
“Although there are guidelines and suggestions to improve teaching practices, and a new
concept of music teaching, an open model, a curriculum that is going to meet the needs of
new generations, it is still necessary to find the ideal way of making the phenomenon of
music and art music attractive to young people” (Vidulin, 2016, 354). The fact is that there
is still possibility for progress and that teachers need to be more involved in finding
methods, strategies and approaches that will make music teaching more interesting and
attractive, and thus useful.
In the light of the new curricular reform called School for Life, changes in the educational
vertical are visible. School for Life searches for quality in education according to the
needs of the individual and society. Changes are visible in all subjects, although only
tested in certain classes that were part of the experimental reform. Thus also in the Subject
Curriculum of Music for Primary Compulsory and Secondary Education, which after a
one-year experimental program was approved and implemented into schools at the
beginning of this school year (2019/2020).
Kurikulum nastavnog predmeta Glazbena kultura za osnovne škole i Glazbena umjetnost
za gimnazije,1 2019, 6) [Curriculum for Music Culture in Primary Schools and Music Art
for High Schools; abbreviated as Subject curriculum] started to be valid from the school
year 2019/2020. The classes that were included in the experimental year (1st and 5th grade
1 Narodne novine 7/2019 (Official Gazette no. 7/2019).
58
