Music Education in Slovakia

I. Political Framework. 2

II. School System and Structure. 3

III. Music Education in Schools. 8

IV. Music Curricula. 9

I. Political Framework

Slovakia is a democratic republic based on parliamentarian constitution. The head of state is the state president. The prime minister leads the national government. Slovakia joined the EU in May 1st, 2004 and is divided into nine districts of administration.

II. School System and Structure

The Slovakian school system is controlled by the Ministry of Education and organised within the following categories:

·       Primary schools and schools of second grade I, special schools and other educational organisations like centres for leisure time, special comprehensive Art schools (“Grund-Kunstschulen” under local administration) etc.

·       Gymnasien (grammar schools) and schools for professional work under the administration of the district school authorities

·       High schools (“Hochschulen”) and universities are submitted to the central administration by the “Section for High schools“ in the Ministry of Education

The educational system is the same throughout the republic, and the official language for teaching is Slovakian. Minorities like Hungarians or Ukrainians have the right to use their own mother-language for teaching and education. In the minorities’ school system Slovakian is represented as foreign language. Compulsory schooling covers nine years and ends with the age of 15. Besides the official education-system of the state exist also a certain number of private schools especially run by the Roman-Catholic Church.

* Final examination (like “Abitur” in Germany) at the end of the last year (mostly 18 years) – maturity for studies at universities and high schools

III. Music Education in Schools

The following structure for was started on September 1^st, 2008

* These new compulsory subjects (with new artificial names) were started in the frame of the actual school reforms beginning on September 1st, 2008. The new pedagogical idea is based on the division of the compulsory subjects into two separated parts: 1) National State Education Programme and 2) Individual School Programme of Education.

IV. Music Curricula

Music is represented in the framework of the Individual School-Programme of Education in the following way:

Primary Grade (Class 1-4)

Singing:

·       Singing children and folk songs (minimum 20-25) with clear pitch and exact rhythm

·       Singing canons and easy two voice pieces

Music theory:

·       Knowledge of complicated rhythms

·       Melody and notes from b sharp to d2

Listening and ear training:

·       Singing of easy melodies in major scales, guided by hand signs

·       Major and minor scales

Instrument playing:

·       Using simple rhythmic instruments

·       Easy accompaniment of easy songs

·       Production of sounds and feeling of musical atmospheres

Music and Movement:

·       Exact marching (and Moving) in different rhythms

·       Dancing in different rhythms (Polka, Valse, Czardas)

·       To express music by movement

Perception:

·       Knowledge about different compositions (according to the age)

·       Express musical impressions by words

·       Express musical impressions by other activities

Music and Drama:

·       Express musical impressions and activities in connection with dramatic action

Secondary Grade I (Class 5-7)

General Items:

·       Function of music; different possibilities of expressing feelings by music

·       Folk songs and national society resp. identity

·       Knowledge of own and foreign cultures by music

·       Music in history and presence

·       Music in the interaction with other arts

·       Integrative projects

·       Pop / rock music

Singing:

·       Enlarge the abilities of the individual voice, keep the voice in good health (mutation), permanent control of singing and correct articulation, singing songs with 2-3 voices

·       Ear control, singing songs in major and minor scales, solmisation, call and response exercising, composing easy melodies in connection with lyrics, musical games

·       General rhythmic education, conducting, knowledge of 2/4, 3/4 and 4/4

·       Reading music notes and singing easy melodies, dynamic variations

·       Understanding different qualities of singing

Instrument playing:

·       Performing music with different easy rhythmical / melodic instruments (Orff), reproduction of different motives, melodies, improvisation, production of different sounds

·       Using Orff instruments or keyboards or PCs for easy accompaniment of melodies

·       Expressing own impressions on musical instruments

Perception:

·       Music elements and analysis of compositions, importance of different compositions, connection to different compositions (tradition, national interests, social relations)

·       Relation(s) between composer and composition

·       Characteristics of different styles

·       active listening to music in connection with singing, playing instruments, movement and language

·       Description of musical impressions by own words

Music and Movement:

·       Performing movements (dancing) by listening to music, performing different dances, creating own movements by listening to music

·       Using body instruments and create own improvisations

·       Creating contrasts to rhythms, melodies, music pieces or dynamics by body instruments

Music and Drama:

·       Using different music activities for performing dramatic actions (f.e. fairy-tales)

·       Integration of the arts into the general pedagogical process

Secondary Grade I (Class 8-9 of Primary School)

“Education through Arts“-class (half the lesson per week, available within “Music and Arts Education”)

Topics for the 8th grade

·       Fantasy and Magic in Arts

·       Picture Of Sound – Sound of Picture

·       New Media and Music

·       Music and Emotions

·       Science and Music

·       Art and “Kitsch”

Topics for the 9th grade:

·       Music and Motion

·       World and Ethnic Music

·       Dance and Popular Music, Relaxation Music

·       Music and Nature

·       Music and Religion

www.statedu.sk provides music sources to each given topic.

Secondary Grade II (Class 1-4 of Secondary School)

„Arts and Culture“-class (1 lesson per week in each grade, valid from September 2008 on)

The role of this class is to:

·       Develop aesthetic learning based on scientific principles

·       Provide cultural knowledge

·       Build a notion of one‘s own cultural identity

·       Develop intercultural competencies

·       Help to appreciate the importance of arts in everyday life

·       See the difference in individual arts genres

·       Help to be able to perceive one’s own aesthetic experience and be able to verbalise it

·       Build one’s own responsibility by means of the arts

·       To construct critical thinking in the field of politics of culture and media.

Selection of the topics for 1st to 4th grade:

With the interdisciplinary work being the centre of attention, it is indispensable to build and improve the perception of music as part of arts. The following topics have been proposed: Pop / rock music, mass media culture, electronic music and arts. Pupils have to learn to analyse and interpret a piece of art in its historical and regional context. They have to get acquainted with arts as a branch of economy, they have to analyse intercultural relations and to learn the rudiments of cultural management.