Music Education in The Czech Republic

I. Political Framework. 2

II. School System and Structure. 3

III. Music Education in Schools. 4

IV. Music Curricula. 5

I. Political Framework

The Czech Republic is a democratic republic based on a parliamentary constitution. Head of state is the president, while the government is headed by the prime minister. The Czech Republic joined the EU on May 1st, 2004 and is divided into nine administrative districts.

II. School System and Structure

The Czech school system is governed by the Ministry of Education and consists of the following categories:

·      Primary schools and secondary education I, special schools and other educational institutions such as leisure centres, special comprehensive art schools = Grund-Kunstschulen (under local [municipal] administration) etc.,

·      Gymnasien (grammar schools) and vocational training schools under the administration of the district school authorities,

·      Colleges = “Hochschulen” and universities are administered centrally by the “Department of Universities”  in the Ministry of Education.   

The educational system the same for the whole republic, and the official language for teaching is Czech. Compulsory schooling covers 9 years and ends at the age of 15.

Besides the official state education system there is also a small number of private schools.

School structure

III. Music Education in Schools

Music in the General Education System (starting from September 1^st, 2007)

At the level of basic education, arts and culture is represented by the educational fields of music and fine art. This subject field may be expanded to include the additional subject of drama education, which can be implemented in the school curriculum by means of independent subjects, projects, courses etc.

At grammar schools, the subject of music is combined with fine art to form the subject “Arts and Culture”. Pupils choose one of these subjects according to their personal interests and abilities. These new compulsory subjects (with new “artificial names”) were started as part of the current educational reforms that started on September 1st, 2007. The new pedagogical idea is based on the division of the compulsory subjects into two separated parts:

·      National State Education Programme: Framework education programme for basic education (years 1 to 9), Framework education programme for secondary general education,

·      Individual Programme of School Education.

IV. Music Curricula

Music is represented in the framework education programmes in the following way:

Primary grades (years 1 to 5)

Learning skills, problem-solving skills, communication skills, social and personal skills, civil skills

Lesson content

Vocal exercises:

·      song and verbal expression: singing skills (breathing, intonation, establishing and creating a tone, dynamically unique singing), vocal hygiene, expanding one’s vocal range,

·      musical rhythm (performing songs in 2/4-, 3/4- and 4/4-time,

·      homophony and polyphony (pedal tones, canon, folk harmony etc.),

·      intonation, vocal improvisation (diatonic sequences in major and minor keys.

Instrumental exercises:

·      playing a musical instrument (reproducing motifs, themes, simple compositions),

·      rhythm, melody and style, musical improvisation.

Movement:

·      keeping time, moving to music,

·      expressing music through movement, responding to changes in the music.

Listening exercises:

·      tonal quality (length, intensity, timbre, pitch),

·      relationships between tones (harmony, chords),

·      forms of musical expression,

·      vocals, instrumentals, voice instrumental music.

Secondary education I (years 6 to 9)

Learning skills, problem-solving skills, communication skills, social and personal skills, civil skills

Lesson content

Vocal Exercises:

·      song and verbal expression,

·      intonation and vocal improvisation,

·      musical rhythm,

·      understanding musical notation for vocal compositions,

·      developing musical hearing and imagination.

Instrumental exercises:

·      playing a musical instrument,

·      recording music (notes, notation programmes),

·      writing accompaniments to musical theatre.

Movement:

·      moving to music (keeping time, dance steps, personal movement interpretation),

·      responding to changes in music (tempo, dynamics, rhythm and metre, harmony).

Listening exercises:

·      orientation in musical space and analysing a musical composition,

·      musical works and their composers,

·      musical styles and genres.

Secondary II

The educational field of arts and culture is represented here by the subjects music and fine arts along with a shared educational content of the integrating theme artistic production and communication.

Lesson content

Production:

·      vocal activities (cultivation of singing and vocal expression, intonation and rhythmic training, choral singing),

·      instrumental activities (playing and creating instrumental accompaniments, simple instrumental compositions, modern musical instruments and use of ICT),

·      musical movement activities (movement to music and gesture, movement études, dance as a means of communication).

Reception and Reflexion:

·      music as organised sound (piece of music / musical object, musical means of expression, musical form, musical feature, formal structure and semantics of a composition),

·      musical instruments, new technologies in music,

·      styles and genres of music, function of music,

·      origins and development of music,

·      music as a method of identification, self-presentation and a type of generational identity.