Music Education in Italy

I. Political Framework. 2

II. School System and Structure. 3

III. Music Education in Schools. 8

IV. Music Curricula. 9

I. Political Framework

Italy is a democratic republic with the prime minister and the council of ministers (cabinet) having an executive authority. Education is dependent on the minister of education who follows government policies. National directions from the Minister of Education indicate the minimum standards of performance that educational institutions are required to offer in order to guarantee the students’ right to receive a high quality education and training. They outline:

·       General objectives of the educational process

·       Specific learning objectives

·       The mandatory annual number of hours (minimum and maximum)

II. School System and Structure

The education system includes at present:

·       Pre-primary school (“scuola dell'infanzia”) for children between 3 and 5 years of age, non-compulsory

·       Primary school for children between 6 and 11 years of age

·       Lower secondary school (“scuola secondaria di primo grado”) for children between 11 and 14 years of age

·       Upper secondary school (“scuola secondaria di secondo grado”), made up of different kinds of schools and, generally, for students from 15 to 19 years of age

Access to both university and non-university higher education is reserved for students after passing the state exam at the end of upper secondary school.
Vocational training courses are run by local authorities and can be attended by people who have reached 15 years of age.

Primary School and Lower Secondary School

Primary school is part of the first cycle of the educational and training system, together with lower secondary school. There are two different education levels, each with its own requirements, even though they are part of the same school cycle. Primary school lasts five years and is subdivided into a first year linked to pre-primary school, followed by two two-year periods. There are also comprehensive institutions that include pre-primary, primary and lower secondary school all managed by one manager.

Upper Secondary School

General upper secondary education

·       Classic liceo: It prepares to university studies and focuses on classic training.

·       Scientific liceo: It prepares to university studies and focuses on scientific training.

·       Artistic liceo: It prepares to university studies and aims at teaching art.

·       Social-psycho-pedagogical liceo: It prepares to university studies, in particular to teacher training for future teachers of all types of schools, and to work in the social sector.

Vocational upper secondary education

·       Technical institutes

·       Professional institutes

·       Art institutes

III. Music Education in Schools

At primary school music is one of the subjects taught, but there is no specific teacher; the classroom teacher contributes according to his own knowledge and experience. In lower secondary schools music is a compulsory subject, taught by a specific music teacher for two hours per week. There are additional music lessons in the afternoons, for one hour per week on vocal or instrumental ensembles and orchestras. In upper secondary schools music is a compulsory subject only in the pedagogical liceo, taught by a specific teacher for two hours per week.

IV. Music Curricula

Primary School

Learning Outcomes for Music

The pupil

·       can recognise and explore sounds  with regard to their qualities and location.

·       can manage expressive ways of using the voice, sound objects and musical instruments, learn to listen to himself/herself and to the others; can use analogical or codified notations.

·       can create simple musical patterns using timbre, rhythm and melody, and using elementary structures; can perform using voice, body and instruments, including information technology; can arrange  them into short performances.

·       can play, by himself/herself and in ensemble, simple vocal/instrumental pieces of music of different styles and cultures.

·       can recognise linguistic elements forming a simple piece of music and use them while performing; can appreciate the aesthetic value and recognise the functional use of music listened to; can apply interactive and descriptive strategies (oral, written and graphic) whilst listening to music, in order to understanding basic structures and their functions, and connecting them with the context they belong to.

Learning goals

Primary School: Learning goals with regard to the third class

·       Using voice, instruments and/or sound objects to produce, reproduce, create and improvise sound actions and music events

·       Performing in ensemble simple vocal/instrumental pieces of music, taking care of expressiveness and accuracy, with regard to the different sound parameters

·       Recognising the basic elements of a piece of music

·       Recognising while listening the expressive and structural aspects of a piece of music, changing them into words, movements and drawings

Primary School: Learning goals with regard to the fifth class

·       Using voice, instruments and new sound technologies

·       Performing individually and in ensemble vocal/instrumental pieces of music, including polyphonic music, taking care of pitch, expressiveness and interpretation

·       Valuing functional and aesthetic aspects of pieces of music of different styles and from different cultures

·       Recognizing and classifying basic elements of music language inside relevant pieces

·       Representing basic syntactical elements of sound and music events through symbolic systems, conventional and not

Lower Secondary School

Learning Outcomes

The pupil

·       can take active part in the realisation of music events, by performing and interpreting vocal/instrumental pieces of music of different styles and cultures.

·       can use different notational systems, functional to reading, learning and reproducing pieces of music.

·       can create and realise music – also improvising or working with peers – which he/she can compare critically with models from music heritage, and write using notation and/or information technology.

·       can make sense of their own music experience, understand music events, materials and works, recognise its meanings (also with regard to historic-cultural context).

·       can analyse formal and structural aspects inherent to music events and materials, using appropriate words and adopting different codes; he/she can compare music from oral and written traditions.

·       can value, in both a functional and aesthetic way, what he/she listens to; he/she can link his/her own experience to historic traditions and to different contemporary cultures.

·       can set the development of their own music competencies: they  can build their own musical identity moving from the awareness of their own aptitudes and skills and taking advantage from the opportunities offered by school and by their own country.

Learning goals

·       Performing expressively, individually and/or in ensemble, vocal/instrumental pieces of music of different styles, also using electronic equipment

·       Improvising, elaborating and composing vocal and/or instrumental pieces of music, using simple rhythmic-melodic schemes or open structures

·       Recognising and classifying (also with regard to style) the principal elements of music language

·       Knowing and critically understanding musical works of art; projecting/realising sound events connected with other artistic forms, such as dance, theatre etc

·       Decoding and utilising traditional notation and other writing systems

·       Setting the construction of one’s own musical identity making the most of one’s own experience, the way done and the opportunities offered by the context

Synopsis