Didactics of Music

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The book didactics of music by Michael Old includes the first in the Federal Republic of Germany resulting musical education concept . Brigitta Helmholz writes about Alt's conception: The extent to which Alt's conception shaped German music education is evident not only from the actual change in practice, but also from the consents and critical discussions that have persisted to this day.

Situation after the Second World War

The period after the Second World War , also known as the neo-musical phase , can be described as follows:

On the one hand, musical education (referred to as musical education after the Second World War ), which had shaped the image of music education since the beginning of the 20th century and initially consisted almost exclusively of singing, was taken up again after the Second World War and continued. (Note: The term "musical education" (later: "musical education") goes back to the classical Greek educational and creative principle of musiké , which regards music, dance and poetry as a unity. The concept of musical education found its way particularly through writing "Music Education" by Ernst Krieck (1933) has been part of German music education since the 1920s.) The repertoire of songs (folk songs, children's songs, social songs, etc.) that German music educators used in the period after the Second World War consisted for the most part always still from songs of the youth music movement (cf. Wandervogel movement) at the beginning of the 20th century and partly from old songs from the Hitler era with songs by Baumann, Spitta, Rohwer, Bresgen etc.

On the other hand, the listening habits of German young people outside of school changed significantly in the years and decades after the Second World War. Music styles such as rock 'n' roll (in the 1950s) or beat music (in the 1960s) were very popular with school youth and replaced the song repertoire of the youth music movement - that is, the music of the parents' generation. In addition, a new youth jargon emerged that the generation of adults no longer understood. The school youth now satisfied their musical needs outside of school with "their" music (for example rock 'n' roll), while German music teachers still followed an outdated, yesterday's ideology of music education (for example by singing folk songs).

The spread of youth music was promoted by technical intermediaries such as radio , long-playing records , magnetophones (tape recorders) or television , which broadcast its first program at Christmas 1952. These media resulted in a never before experienced mass communication .

The first approaches to rethinking music pedagogical research came around 1960, when the three fields of music (singing, music studies and examination of works) were formulated. This didactic theory required: in the lower level - singing (mostly still in the sense of musical education), in the intermediate level - music studies, in the upper level - consideration of the work. In practice, however, there were significant differences between the types of school: While both folk and art music was treated at the grammar school, only folk music was sung and discussed in the elementary school.

Demand for a new concept

In his book "Didaktik der Musik", Michael Alt made several demands for what he believed to be sustainable music lessons, which he formulated in three following aspects:

  • Real aspect : The aim should be that the young person can find his way around the disparate range of music [...], make an insightful selection and gain confidence in the responsible use of music . In this context, Alt demanded that every person in a democracy have the right to be able to participate in both culture and art. For Alt it was important that all music, from folk music to art music, is taught to children and young people in all types of schools and levels, i.e. in lower as well as middle and upper grades, through music education.
  • Art aspect : Alt postulated a conversion of singing lessons into music lessons in order to give more space to the interpretation of music. By interpretation, Alt understood less the “parroting” of music, but rather empathy, understanding and artful recreation in the word in the sense of a learnable, systematic “interpretation theory” .
  • Factual aspect : Because new media such as radio and television constantly broadcast news and information programs, young people soon had a very wide range of knowledge. For future-oriented music lessons, Alt now demanded that this very fragmentary prior knowledge of the adolescents, i.e. the knowledge and experience that young people were able to bring into the classroom, should be taken up, collected, clarified, systematized and deepened .

The conception in a historical context

Michael Alt's concept of "Orientation towards the artwork" was based on the approaches of Gustav Wyneken , August Halm (cf. Wickersdorfer Kreis ) and Theodor W. Adorno , who turned away from musical education and the maturation of youth on the educational content of real works of art demanded.

Theodor W. Adorno (1903–1969) in particular dealt critically in his writings with the music education that prevailed before and after the Second World War. In essays such as “Theses against music pedagogical music” and “On music pedagogy”, Adorno attacked the ideals of musical education. In these writings he postulated a strict departure from music amateurism, a departure from the ideals of the youth music movement and a turn to music with aesthetic standards. Adorno was concerned with the question: what is being sung, how and in what ambience . That someone fiddles should be more important than what he fiddled describes Theodor W. Adorno's attitude towards music amateurs. According to Adorno, the purpose of musical pedagogy is to increase students' abilities to such an extent that they learn to understand the language of music and important works; that they can represent such works as far as is necessary for understanding.

In addition, Theodor Wilhelm , who in his work "Theory of School", a new science school, i. H. a school oriented towards the (natural) sciences, demanded, relevant for old. Wilhelm postulated that the arts [...] also make a world of thought visible , but a level of reflection of a different, non-verbal kind. [...] In art, the field of operation of thinking is expanded. The art class [...] must have the effect that the student decides to reflect on works of art . Here, reflection stood for interpretation. This was explicitly requested by Wilhelm and adopted by Alt as the basis for his conception. The founding of Wilhelm's science school opened up a whole new perspective and legitimized the subject of music in schools as a subject on an equal footing with other humanities subjects. The aim of all music didactic concepts and approaches during this time was to transform music education into music lessons. This only succeeded with Michael Alt's music didactic concept.

As early as the 1930s, Michael Alt had published works such as “Vom neue Musikunterricht” (1936) or “Music Education in the German School” (1939), in which he professed a revolutionary, National Socialist, musical education . For example, in his book “Wesen und Ways der musical education” (1938), the goal of musical education was: [to achieve] mental movement and excitement through rhythmically moving musical activity: through singing, speaking poetry and designed body movement . At the same time, however, Alt took a critical position towards Ernst Krieck. In the 1960s, Michael Alt changed the concept of "musical education". For Alt, the Greek idea of ​​the musical is still irreplaceable, because it addresses the body and soul basic layer of the human being, from which education must be initiated [...] . However, it should only be used in the lower grades (i.e. in primary school). In the higher school grades (intermediate and upper grades) it should give way to the interpretation of and reflection on music, i.e. the scientification of music.

In his article “Tendenzen der Musikdidaktik”, Dieter Zimmer Various writes that Theodor W.-Adorno and Michael Alt expressed their first doubts about the timeliness and legitimacy of purely musical education , which long after the Second World War dominated music lessons in German schools (see “Situation after the Second World War”).

The conception by Michael Alt

General

The book “Didaktik der Musik” was published in 1968, 1970, 1973 and 1977 in a total of four editions. In the first two editions, the book had the subtitle “Orientation towards the artwork”, which was deleted in 1973 without replacement. As a justification for the deletion of the subtitle, Alt stated that both components of the term “work of art” got into a more ideological than aesthetic dispute and therefore contradicted the intentions and explanations of the book. In the first part of the book "Didactics of Music" Alt deals with the "Situation of Music Education". Part II contains the functional fields "Reproduction", "Interpretation", "Information" and "Theory", which are explained in more detail in the following point.

The four functional fields of conception: theory, reproduction, information and interpretation

The core of Michael Alt's conception is composed of the four functional fields of theory, reproduction, information and interpretation of music. In Alt's opinion, music lessons are sustainable only when all four functional fields are part of the music lesson. The functional fields are presented below.

The reproduction

When Alt speaks of the "reproduction" of music, he means artistic singing ( art song ) and the artistic reproduction of music and not customary singing . With common singing, Alt describes the singing of songs that are shallow in terms of content and music and that have a certain function in everyday life, such as hits , the song in church services or hiking and traveling songs . Only when folk songs, which Alt estimates at around 200,000, have been decisively raised in terms of text, can they be regarded as art songs. But Alt places high demands not only on the text, but also on the melody and harmony, so that these songs can be included in the singing canon of music lessons. The best artistic folk songs , which should be thoroughly worked out by the students and safely mastered , then form the basis in music lessons in the lower and middle grades, on which the artistically developed vocal music in the upper grades (and also to some extent already in the middle grades) builds up.

It is of great importance for Alt that the pupils get to know vocal music from all major musical historical epochs (from the time of Gregorian chant, to the Renaissance choral song , to contemporary music ).

For alters, the promotion of the gifted, i.e. the differentiation of the technical capabilities of the students and the resulting participation of the best in the school choir and / or school orchestra, is of decisive importance. In addition to training the voice, training on the instrument also plays a major role. The better students should learn an instrument not only in group lessons, but above all in individual lessons in hard practice and systematic improvement in order to achieve a higher level of awareness of the performance of music.

Alt, however, expresses concerns when trying to bind the entire student body to the instrument in the class, because the orientation towards the weakest student could lead to a demotivation of the better students.

theory

Another functional field is called “theory”, which, according to Alt, can be divided into two areas: “craft theory” (in the sense of a practical technical technical knowledge of music) and “speculative thinking” (interpretative consideration) in music aesthetics and music philosophy . Craftsmanship encompasses areas such as harmony theory , composition technique and form theory , and represents a kind of general music theory. It is crucial that one orientates oneself on occidental music and avoids intercultural comparison.

In order to make the craft theory motivating, Alt demands the use of improvisational practice material . When improvising, Alt orientates himself on the educational reform idea of awakening creative powers in children , which already played a major role in Comenius , Pestalozzi and Montessori . In order to be able to slide over to playing with sounds [...] on the elementary set of instruments , children should work in models (syllables, words or rhythms).

For Alt, listening to the work is indispensable for developing the craft theory in order to learn to grasp the basic phenomena of music in this sublimated form .

In addition, Alt postulates a systematic increase in the requirements for the acquisition of the craft apprenticeship as well as a pronounced differentiation within the student body.

In addition, the craft theory should be linked with a practicable musical aesthetic. Alt gives a rough idea of ​​how he envisions such a development in music aesthetics in music lessons: In the lower grades, the pupils' improvisations are discussed and evaluated together; In the middle school, means of expression in music (e.g. rubato, ritardando) are examined the musicological theming of music (for example the importance of notation for Western music) expanded in the upper school .

interpretation

“Interpretation” describes the third and for Alto most important functional field of music. Although some terms from pedagogical history are available (for example listening to work, reception , (work) viewing, etc.), Alt chooses the term “interpretation” because it emphasizes the rationality of a work of art in a special way.

The function field "Interpretation" should be controlled by the teacher. The aim is to provide the student with an "interpretation lesson" so that he or she is able not only to understand the teacher's interpretation, but also to carry it out himself. Alt assumes that the student can only find [...] adequate access to musical works of art on the basis of a methodically developed interpretation theory [...] .

By interpreting musical works of art, the subject of music is raised to the same level as languages, history or religion, which Theodor Wilhelm had already called for a few years earlier and which is now explicitly referred to by Alt.

Based on literary studies, Alt opts for the term “work-immanent interpretation”, in which the work of art is not based on the poet's biography, the material and motive history of the work, the intellectual history, [...] etc., but as a separate area of ​​independent designs and Symbols and is understood as a unit of meaning .

However, according to Alt, the interpretation of music also brings with it the problem that music is a fleeting art and that only the interpretation of the reverberation of music is possible via hearing analysis. A hearing analysis is inadequate when discussing musical details and requires an eye analysis to be carried out on the score . Since Alt assumes that reading scores causes problems for a large number of young people, it is essential to concentrate on a few focal points of the musical process (including the form plan on the board for clarification).

In addition, Alt points out the problem that interpretation inherent in the work often has to forego musicology-based knowledge, because musicology itself is still a very young science. This means that one has to limit oneself in school to comprehending the easily comprehensible phenomena and, among these, the meaningful phenomena .

The selection of works is based on the productivity of the work in order to be able to build up an interpretation theory.

In his conception, Alt also postulates the creation of groups of works, i.e. H. Works that contain the same core of meaning. The following figure 2 illustrates the division of works, in which Alt partially refers to the division of Albert Wellek .

Division of works by Michael Alt based on A. Wellek (Fig. 2)
Absolute music Associated music
Formal music Expressive music Dance-gestural music Vocal music Program music
Sonata, Fugue, Canon, Rondo, Passacaglia, etc. Prelude, Toccata, Etude, Variation Fashion dances Folk song, motet, religious song, madrigal, choral work, etc. Symphonic poetry, character piece, etc.
Gavotte, minuet, siciliano, etc.
New dances Word-tone relationship
Polka, (Viennese) waltz etc. musical verbatim
Symphony etc. Belcanto aria, Gregorian chant, etc. Solo song, verse song, recitative, etc.
Opera, oratorio, cantata, etc.

In order to be able to interpret a musical work of art, it is necessary to examine it with regard to, for example, rhythm, harmony, melody or form. In this context, Alt refers to the various layers of a work of art that Nicolai Hartmann presented in his 1953 “Aesthetics”. Figure 6 shows the individual layers and their content dimension. Alt points out that the music listener switches back and forth between the layers while listening and later when analyzing the work of art and that the layers are therefore not "worked off" from top to bottom.

Only when the recipient has internalized the work of art, both listening and analyzing, is it saved as a spiritual document in long-term memory.

In order for students to develop a design theory, it is imperative that they have methods in hand by which they can analyze the work of art. Alt distinguishes between different types of analysis methods:

  • Phenomenological methods (shape analysis, energetics )
  • Psychological methods ( hermeneutics , mood aesthetics)
  • Historical methods (biographical, music history, genetic and stylistic methods)

Whether the student chooses a phenomenological or historical method, the process is always the same: from hearing analysis, in which the student perceives the rough shapes or figures, to visual analysis using the score, in which details are then worked out can.

Due to his assumption that the capacity of young people is generally low, Alt suggests that the young person should not be overwhelmed when analyzing a work of art.

information

The fourth and last function field is "Information". According to Alt, music lessons compete with the media (see point 1), which flood the young people with experiences and information. It is now up to the teacher to organize and process them.

The teacher should not limit the previous knowledge of the students to the essentials, but should fall back on the entire knowledge base. In the style of T. Wilhelm's science school , Alt demanded an effort away from the elite canon and towards a free, open knowledge encyclopedia.

Alt differentiates between three types of knowledge or information:

  • Categorize (meaning structures of music)
  • Historically oriented orientation knowledge
  • Functional knowledge (environmental theory, life theory, etc.)

Overall plan

The concept of “orientation towards the work of art” implies that all four functional fields find their way into music lessons in all school types and levels. Only then is there permeability and a change from one type of school to another is possible. However, Alt also points out the problem that the individual types of school first have to find a common line (from the first to the 13th grade).

Alt assumes that the overall plan of “Orientation towards the work of art” consists of three parts, at the end of which there are intermediate goals: lower school level (lower level), general basic education (intermediate level) and basic intellectual education (upper level).

The overall plan is also seen as a kind of framework plan. This means that individual substances are not explicitly specified, but only tasks are formulated within the framework of the functional fields.

literature

  • Adorno, Theodor: Theses against music pedagogical music, in: Junge Musik, Heft 4, 1954.
  • Adorno, Theodor: On music education, in: Dissonances. Music in the administered world, Berlin, 1958, pp. 102–120.
  • Adorno, Theodor: Critique of the Musician, in: Dissonances. Music in the administered world, Berlin, 1958, pp. 61–101.
  • Alt, Michael: Didactics of Music. Orientation towards the work of art, 1st edition, Düsseldorf, 1968.
  • Alt, Michael: Nature and ways of musical education. Inaugural lecture University for Teacher Training in Oldenburg, Oldenburg, 1938, typescript.
  • Alt, Michael: From new music lessons, in: Rhein-Ruhr. National Socialist Educational Newspaper, Volume 3, No. 11, 1936, pp. 177–178.
  • Alt, Michael: Music education in the German school, in: International journal for education, 8th year, issue 5/6, 1939, pp. 325–337.
  • Greuel, Thomas: Michael Alt's music-pedagogical work, in: Perspektiven zur Musikpädagogik und Musikwissenschaft, Vol. 25, Kassel, 1999, p. 38.
  • Gruhn, Wilfried: History of music education. A cultural and social history from singing lessons in educational pedagogy to aesthetic-cultural education, 2nd revised edition, Hofheim am Taunus, 2003, pp. 279-300.
  • Heer, Josef: Music Education in Middle Schools, in: Fischer, Hans (Ed.): Handbook of Music Education, 2nd revised edition, Berlin, 1964, pp. 233-256.
  • Helmholz, Brigitta: Music didactic conceptions after 1945, in: Helms, Siegmund (inter alia): Kompendium der Musikpädagogik, Kassel, 1995, pp. 42–44.
  • Helmholz, Brigitta: Music Didactic Concepts after 1945, in: Musicology / Music Education in the Blue Owl, Vol. 30, Essen, 1996, pp. 11–24.
  • Hopf, Helmut (among others): Lexicon of Music Education, Regensburg, 1984.
  • Jank, Werner (ed.): Music didactics. Practical handbook for secondary level I and II, Berlin, 2005, pp. 40–51.
  • Noll, Günther: Musische Bildung, in: Helms, Siegfried (ua): Neues Lexikon der Musikpädagogik, Sachteil, Kassel, 1999, p. 201.
  • Noll, Günther: Alt Michael, in: MGG, Person Teil, 2nd revised edition, Vol. 1, 1999, 541-542.
  • Wilhelm, Theodor: Theory of the school. Secondary school and grammar school in the age of science, 2nd revised edition, Stuttgart, 1969, pp. 395–398.
  • Zimmerimedia, Dieter: Tendenzen der Musikdidaktik, in: Dahlhaus, Carl: Funk-Colleg-Musik, Vol. 2, 1981, Frankfurt am Main, pp. 125-131.

See also

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Helmholz, Brigitta: Musikdidaktische Konzeptionen in Deutschland nach 1945 (1996), p. 13.
  2. ↑ a b Jank, Werner: Musikdidaktik (2005), p. 40.
  3. ↑ See Gruhn, Wilfried: History of Music Education (2003), p. 281.
  4. ↑ Note: Originally there was talk of "singing lessons". It was only after the Second World War that the term "singing lessons" became more and more popular (MH)
  5. ↑ See Noll, Günther: Musische Bildung (1999), p. 201.
  6. ↑ See Gruhn, Wilfried: History of Music Education (2003), pp. 282f.
  7. ↑ See Gruhn, Wilfried: History of Music Education (2003), p. 283.
  8. ↑ See Gruhn, Wilfried: History of Music Education (2003), p. 284.
  9. ↑ See Gruhn, Wilfried: History of Music Education (2003), p. 285.
  10. ↑ See Heer, Josef: Musikbildung an den Mittelschulen (1964), p. 233.
  11. ↑ Jank, Werner: Musikdidaktik (2005), p. 41.
  12. ↑ See Jank, Werner: Musikdidaktik (2005), p. 41.
  13. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 16.
  14. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 18.
  15. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), pp. 15-18.
  16. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 19.
  17. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 21.
  18. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), pp. 20–22.
  19. ↑ Cf. Hopf, Helmut: Lexikon der Musikpädagogik (1984).
  20. ↑ Cf. Adorno, Theodor: Theses against music pedagogical music (1954).
  21. ↑ See Adorno, Theodor: Zur Musikpädagogik (1958).
  22. ↑ See Adorno, Theodor: Critique of the Musicians (1957), pp. 67–94.
  23. ^ Adorno, Theodor: Critique of the Musicians (1957), p. 75.
  24. ^ Adorno, Theodor: Critique of the Musicians (1957), p. 69.
  25. ^ Adorno, Theodor: Zur Musikpädagogik (1957), p. 102.
  26. ^ Wilhelm, Theodor: Theory of the School (1969), p. 395 f.
  27. ^ Hopf, Helmut: Lexikon der Musikpädagogik (1984).
  28. ^ Greuel, Thomas: The music pedagogical work of Michael Alts (1999), p. 87.
  29. ↑ Alt, Michael: Essence and Ways of Musical Education. Inaugural lecture University for Teacher Training in Oldenburg, Oldenburg, 1938.
  30. ↑ Cf. Greuel, Thomas: Das musikpädagogische Schaffen Michael Alts (1999), p. 91.
  31. ^ Greuel, Thomas: The music pedagogical work of Michael Alts (1999), p. 248.
  32. ↑ See Greuel, Thomas: Das musikpädagogische Schaffen Michael Alts (1999), pp. 248–250.
  33. Jump up ↑ Zimmigart, Dieter: Tendenzen der Musikdidaktik (1981), p. 127f.
  34. ↑ See Greuel, Thomas: Das musikpädagogische Schaffen Michael Alts (1999), p. 270.
  35. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 46.
  36. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), pp. 46–48.
  37. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 35.
  38. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), pp. 51–53.
  39. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 53.
  40. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), pp. 53–54.
  41. ↑ a b c d Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 55.
  42. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 56f.
  43. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 62.
  44. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 63.
  45. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 61.
  46. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 63 f.
  47. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 66.
  48. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), pp. 64–67.
  49. ↑ Alt dedicates most of his book "Didaktik der Musik" (1968) to this topic (165 pages).
  50. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 74.
  51. ↑ a b cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 75.
  52. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 84.
  53. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 79.
  54. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 81.
  55. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), 80 f.
  56. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 83.
  57. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 84.
  58. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), pp. 112–117.
  59. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 129.
  60. ↑ Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 86.
  61. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 132 f.
  62. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 139.
  63. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 238.
  64. ↑ Cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 239 f.
  65. ↑ See Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), pp. 243–246.
  66. ↑ a b cf. Alt, Michael: Didaktik der Musik (1968), p. 257 f.

Web links