AEC PUBLICATIONs 2007

pre-college music education in europe

polifonia pre-college working group

final report

The Polifonia project has been funded with support from the European Commission. This publication reflects the views of its authors and the Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which might be made of the information contained therein.

A free electronic version of this final report is available through www.polifonia-tn.org.

final report

pre-college education in europe

polifonia pre-college working group

Contents

1. general introduction2. a definition of pre-college Music education3. literature study “Preparing young musicians for professional training:

what does scientific research tell us?”4. european survey on the preparation of students for and admission procedures to the higher music education level Entrancetests Otherrequirementsforadmission Whatkindofmusiceducationdidtheapplicantstudentsreceivepriortotheir admission? Somepreliminaryconclusions5. national pre-college systems: interesting examples from around europe Systemsforpre-collegemusiceducation Somepreliminaryconclusionsfromthesitevisits6. pre-college Music education systems in europe: a mapping exercise Descriptionsofnationalpre-collegemusiceducationsystems MusicSchoolsinEurope7. a set of competences for pre-college Music education Introduction Practical(skill-based)outcomes Theoretical(knowledge-based)outcomes Genericoutcomes8. general conclusions9. recommendations and further steps to be undertaken Local,regionalandnationalgovernmentsandpolicymakersineducationandculture Highermusiceducationinstitutions Institutionsandprovidersofpre-collegelevelmusiceducation Institutionsforgeneraleducationattheprimaryandsecondarylevel TheEuropeanCommission10. position statement “investing in the Quality of tomorrow’s Music in europe” appendices appendix a Linkstositevisitreportsandotherinformationappendix B Questionnaireonadmissionprocedurestohighermusiceducation

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1 General introduCtion TheERASMUSThematicNetworkforMusic“Polifonia”,thelargestEuropeanprojectonprofessionalmusictrainingtodate,involved67organisationsinprofessionalmusictrainingandthemusicprofes-sionfrom32Europeancountries.Itengaged30expertsin5connectedworkinggroupsinanintensive3-yearworkprogrammefromSeptember2004–October2007.Theproject1,whichwascoordinatedjointlybytheMalmöAcademyofMusic–LundUniversityandtheAssociationEuropéennedesCon-servatoires,AcadémiesdeMusiqueetMusikhochschulen(AEC),receivedsupportfromtheEuropeanUnionwithintheframeworkoftheERASMUSProgramme.Theaimsoftheprojectwere:1. TostudyissuesconnectedtotheBolognaDeclarationprocess,suchasthedevelopmentoflearn-

ingoutcomesfor1st(Bachelor),2nd(Master)and3rdcyclestudiesthroughthe“Tuning”method-ology2,theuseofcreditpointsystems,curriculumdevelopment,mobilityofstudentsandteach-ers,andqualityassuranceinthefieldofmusicinhighereducation.

2. Tocollect informationon levels inmusiceducationother than the 1st (Bachelor)and the2nd(Master)studycycles,inparticularonpre-collegetrainingand3rdcycle(Doctorate/PhD)studiesinthefieldofmusic.

3. Toexploreinternationaltrendsandchangesinthemusicprofessionandtheirimplicationsforprofessionalmusictraining.

Itmayseemunexpectedtofindachapteraboutthepre-collegelevelaspartofaprojectthatfocusesonhighereducation.Buttherearegoodreasonstoincludepre-collegeeducationintheresearchonthecurrentsituationofprofessionalmusictraininginEuropeanhighereducation.

Professionalmusiciansusuallystartlearningmusicataveryyoungageandcontinuebeingactiveasmusiciansuntilorevenaftertheyretire.Thismakesmusiconeofthemostevidentexamplesoflifelonglearningandasubjectareadistinguishingitselfinthissensefrommanyotherdisciplinesinhighereducation.Therefore,forprofessionalmusictraininginstitutionsatthehighereducationlevel,itisessentialthatthepre-collegelevelpreparesstudentsadequatelyforenteringthehighereduca-tionlevel.Withoutthispreparation,studentswouldnotbeabletomeetthecurrenthighqualitativestandardsinhighermusiceducationinstitutionsand,evenmoreimportantly,thefierceandever-in-creasingcompetitioninthemusicprofession.

Untilnow,ithasbeencommonlyacceptedamongmusiciansandpolicymakersthatthispreparatoryphasetohighermusiceducationwasimportantandrequiredsupport.Thisunderstanding,however,isbecomingincreasinglyunderpressurewithnationalgovernmentsfocusingmostlyonthehighereducationallevelsofprofessionaltrainingduetotheBolognaprocessdevelopments,inparticulartheimplementationofthe3-cycle(Bachelor/Master/3rdcycle)structure.Asaresult,insomeEu-ropeancountries,whereprofessionalmusic trainingwasorganisedasacontinuumstartingwithtrainingatayoungageuptoafirstprofessionalqualificationwithinonecontinuousstructure,thepre-highereducationlevelsinmusichavebeenfacedwithmanydifficulties.Inaddition, itseems

1 MoreinformationabouttheERASMUSThematicNetworkforMusic“Polifonia”canbefoundatwww.polifonia-tn.org.

2 Formoreinformationaboutthe“Tuning”methodologypleaseseehttp://www.tuning.unideusto.org/tuningeu/index.php?option

=content&task=view&id=172&Itemid=205.

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thatthepositionofmusicinprimaryandsecondarygeneraleducationisweakeningaswell:thisisanotherexampleofalackofunderstandingforthenecessityofawelldevelopedpre-collegemusiceducationsystem.

Inordertoassistinstitutionsintheirdebateswithpolicymakersin(higher)educationandinlocal,regionalandnationalgovernmentsonthenecessityofawellorganisedpre-collegesysteminmusic,theAECdecidedtomakepre-collegetrainingapriorityinthe“Polifonia”project.ThroughaEurope-wideinvestigation,argumentsandexamplesofgoodpracticeweretobedevelopedthatcouldbehelpfulindiscussionsonmusiceducationforyoungpeople.A“Polifonia”pre-collegeworkinggroupwasformedtoworkonthissubject,whichconsistedofthefollowingexperts:

PhilippeDinkel(chair) -ConservatoiredeMusiquedeGenèvePäiviArjas -JyväskyläUniversityofAppliedSciences,SchoolofMusicJavierDuque -EscolaSuperiordeMúsicadeCatalunya,BarcelonaGáborEckhardt -LisztFerencAcademyofMusic,BudapestLeilaFaraut -ConservatoiredeStrasbourgArthurGieles -KoninklijkConservatorium,DenHaagPatriciaKeir -RoyalWelshCollegeofMusicandDrama,Cardiff

ThegroupwassupportedbythefollowingmembersoftheAECofficestaff:EdithHaverkamp,Eleo-noorTchernoff,EsterTomasi,FriederikeVogelandFiekeWerner.

MeetingsoftheworkinggrouptookplaceinLisbon(June2005),Lyon(October2005),Ljubljana(March2006),Prague(June2006),Utrecht(March2007),Budapest(May2007)andMalmö(June2007).

Theinvestigationhadthefollowingcomponents:• Firstly,inordertoidentifyscientificevidenceforthefactthatmusicianshavetostartlearningan

instrumentatayoungageinordertoreachasufficientlevelforthemusicprofession,animpor-tantquestionintheinvestigationwas:

“Does research exist on how young musicians learn that proves that it is really necessary to start

early in music and why? Do differences in subjects/instruments exist?”

Aliteraturestudywasconductedofexistingresearchsupportingtheabovementionedopinionandgivinginsightinhowyoungmusicianslearnfromapsychological,sociological,pedagogicalandphysicalperspective(seechapter3).

• Secondly,aEuropean-widemappingexercisewasundertakentodescribesystemsandapproach-esinpre-collegetraining.Thiswasnotonlydonetoidentifyexamplesofgoodpractice,butalsotogaininsightintothecurrentsituationinpre-collegetraininginthevariousEuropeancountries

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andtocollect informationthatwouldbehelpful forhighermusiceducation institutions intherecruitmentandadmissionoffuturestudents.Especiallywheninstitutionsarefacedwithappli-cationsfromforeignstudents(thisisrathercommoninhighermusiceducation,evenforthe1stcycleinhighereducation),theyoftenhavealackofinformationabouttheeducationalbackgroundofthestudent,whichsometimescanleadtoproblemswiththerecognitionofpriorlearningorwiththeadmissionprocedures.Therefore,thefollowingquestionwasformulated:

“Where and how have students in higher music education been prepared for admission?”

Insomecountriestrainingunitsforyoungstudentsexistwithininstitutionsforhighermusicedu-cation,inotherspreparatoryyearsareofferedtoyoungtalentedmusicianswhodonotyetmeetthelevelofadmissiontothehighereducationlevel.Othercountrieshavewell-developedsystemsofmusicschoolsoperatingwithinoroutsidethegeneral(compulsory)educationsystem.How-everorganised,someconnectionbetweenpre-college trainingandhighermusiceducation isalwayspresentandinordertoimprovethequalityoftheoutcomesinbothlevelsofmusiceduca-tion,agoodrelationshipbetweenthesetwoeducationallevelsisessential.This mapping exercise has resulted in a set of descriptions of national systems for pre-col-legemusictrainingin26Europeancountries.Amorein-depthinvestigationwasheldonmusicschoolsinEuropeincooperationwiththeEuropeanMusicSchoolUnion–EMU(seechapter6).Inaddition,asurveywasalsocirculatedamongawiderangeofEuropeanhighermusiceducationinstitutions,inwhichtheywereaskedtoprovideinformationonhowtheirfirstyearstudentswerepreparedforadmission(seechapter4).

• Inordertocreatealinkwiththeworkdoneinthe“Tuning”componentof“Polifonia”,inwhichcompetencesandlearningoutcomesweredevelopedtoactasreferencepointsforthe1st,2ndand3rdcyclestudiesinmusic3,thelearningoutcomesapproachpromotedby“Tuning”wasalsoaddressedbythepre-collegeworkinggroup.Therefore,thethirdandfinalquestionfortheinves-tigationwas:

“What kind of admission procedures and standards exist and are these connected to or relevant /

compatible with the use of learning outcomes in the 1st and 2nd cycle?”

Asananswertothisquestion,thepre-collegeworkinggroupformulatedasetofcompetencesthatcanbeusedbypre-collegemusicinstitutionsforthepreparationoftheirstudentsforthehighereducation leveland thatareconnected to the learningoutcomes for the 1stcycle (seechapter7).

3 FormoreinformationabouttheworkdonebytheTuningworkinggroupinthe“Polifonia”project,pleasevisit

www.polifonia-tn.org/tuning.

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Throughouttheproject, thepre-collegeworkinggroupgatheredfeedbackfrommusic institu-tions,musicstudentsandmusicprofessionalsthroughquestionnaires,interviewsandsitevisits(seechapter5).Thegroupwouldliketoextenditssinceregratitudetoallthosethathavesogen-erouslysharedinformationaboutthiscomplex,butfascinatingissue.

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2 a definition of Pre-ColleGe MusiC eduCation

Onthebasisofthefindingsoftheprojectandtheexperiencesofworkinggroupmembersinthefield,“pre-collegemusiceducation”canbedefinedasfollows:

Pre-college music education is a term used to describe the specific phase within music education

focused on the preparation of students for the entrance examination of higher music education insti-

tutions in order to become a professional musician.

Whenfurtherdeveloped,thedefinitioncantakeintoaccountthefollowingaspects:

Pre-collegeMusicEducation

1. isincontenttheprofessionalbaseonwhichstudentsfurtherdeveloptheirmusicalandinstru-mentalskills;

2. takesplaceeitherinmusicschoolsandschoolsonprimaryandsecondarylevel,orothertraininginstitutionswithinanorganizedandstructured(curricula-oriented)context;

3. orina“non-formal”setting,i.e.anyorganizededucationalactivityoutsidetheestablishedformalsystem(e.g.privatetuition);

4. orin“informal”settings(e.g.inbandsorthroughselfstudy);

5. isfundedinvariousways,butmostcommonlysupportedbypublicmoney.

Pre-collegeMusicEducationadditionallyisofgreatvaluetoyoungpeoplewithouttheambitiontobecomeprofessionalmusiciansasit:

• helpsyoungpeopletodeveloptheparticipationinandtheunderstandingofcultureandthemusicandarts,whichwillenrichtheirdailylives;

• developscreative,personalandinterpersonalskillsthatcanbeessentialtransferableskillsforworkersinaknowledge-basedsociety,asreferredtointhe“TheEconomyofCultureinEurope”study4;

4 “StudyontheculturaleconomyinEurope”–studyDGEAC03/05executedbythepartnershipKEAEuropeanAffairs,Media

Group(TurkuSchoolofEconomics)andMKWWirtschaftsforschungGmbH(September2006)

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• providessocialcohesionandinterculturalunderstanding,whichisessentialforaEuropebuiltonculturaldiversityandinterculturaldialogue;

• developsthekeycompetence“culturalexpressionandawareness”asoneof8keycompetencieseachEuropeancitizenshouldpossesstobeabletofunctioninaknowledge-basedsociety,asmentionedinthe“RecommendationoftheEuropeanParliamentandoftheCouncilonkeycom-petencesforlifelonglearning”5.

5 “RecommendationoftheEuropeanParliamentandofTheCouncilof18December2006onkeycompetencesforlifelong

learning”(2006/962/EC)-OfficialJournaloftheEuropeanUnion,30December2006

3 literature study

Commonexperiencesinmusiceducationindicatethatmusictrainingshouldbestartedatanearlystage,especiallyforthosewantingtobecomeprofessionalmusicians.Withtheaimtoapproachthisissuealsofromascientificangle,aliteraturestudywascommissioned.Entitled“Preparing young

musicians for professional training: what does scientific research tell us?”,thisstudywasundertakenbyFiekeWerner.Thefollowingresearchquestionswereaddressed:

1. Should children start early with music lessons in order to become professional musicians? Is there a

certain age at which children should ideally begin?

Astheresearchhasshown,itisclearitisindeeddesirabletostartearlywithmusiclessonsifonewantstoreachaprofessionallevelofmusicalperformance.Themajorityofthechildreninthedifferentstudiesstartedbeforetheageofnine,mostofthemwereevenyounger.Brainresearchhasalsoshownthatstartingwithmusiceducationbeforetheageofapproximatelysevenresultsinchangesinthebrainastheplasticityofthebrainislargestinearlychildhood.

2. Are there physical or psychological barriers that prevent starting with music lessons before the age of

four?

Thisquestionhasalreadybeenpartlyansweredbytheanswertothefirstquestion.Allreviewedresearchsuggeststhatitisbestthatchildrenstartwithmusiclessonsattheageofninelatest,butpreferablyaroundtheageofsevenorbefore.

3. Are there other important – external - variables that influence the level of musical expertise reached

by a person?

Researchfindingsindicatethereareindeedsuchexternalvariables.Besidestheinternalfactorsoftalentandmotivation,examplessuchoffactorsaresupportfromparentsandsiblings,teach-ersandpeers,theamountofaccumulatedpracticehoursandthewayofpractising.

4. Is there a difference between popular musicians and classical musicians in their early development?

Whenaddressinganydifferencesbetweenpopularandclassicalmusiciansintheirearlydevel-opment,itbecomesevidentthemajorityofthestudiesaboutmusicaldevelopmenthasfocusedonclassicalmusicians.Nevertheless,eventhelimitedamountofsearchonpopularmusiciansseems to indicate there are some differences in ways young popular and classical musicianlearn.

5. Is there a relation between musicality, making music and intelligence and/or other general develop-

mental skills (social, emotional)?

Studiesshowthatmusiceducationhasapositiveinfluenceonspatial-reasoningskillsandIQ-scoresofchildren.Withregardstotheapparentinfluenceofmusiconliteraryskillsmorere-searchisneeded,becausetheavailablestudiesdonotseemtoprovideaclearpictureyet.

Thecompleteliteraturestudycanbefoundat:www.polifonia-tn.org/literaturestudyprecollege.

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4 euroPean survey on the PreParation of students for and adMission ProCedures to the hiGher

MusiC eduCation level

Tobeabletosurviveinthehighlycompetitiveglobalmusicscene,trainingforthemusicprofessionrequireslongandintensepreparationaswellascertainpersonalandphysicalpredispositionsofthestudent.Professionalmusictrainingisalsoveryexpensiveasinmostcasesitusesone-to-onetuitionortraininginsmallgroups,requiringanintensiveandcloserelationshipbetweenteachersandstudents.Inordertoguaranteeabalancebetweenthefinaloutcomesforthestudentandtheresourcesbeinginvestedbythetraininginstitution,musicstudentsareinthemajorityofcasescare-fullyselectedthroughanadmissionprocedure.

Withtheaimtocollectinformationonexistingadmissionproceduresandstandards,the“Polifonia”pre-collegeworkinggroupdevelopedaquestionnaireonadmissionprocedures6,whichwascircu-latedtoall“Polifonia”partnersandAECmemberinstitutionsduringNovember2005–January2006.Thequestionnairescontained2parts:

• Firstly,itaskedwhichskillsarebeingtestedbyhighermusiceducationinstitutionswiththeaimtoascertainwhichstudentsaresuitableforacourseofstudyattheirinstitution.

• Secondly,theinstitutionswereaskedwhatkindofmusiceducationtheapplicantstudentshadreceivedpriortotheiradmissiontohighermusiceducation.

Entrance tests

Respondentswereaskedto indicatewhichtheoreticalandpracticalskillstheytest intheadmis-sionexamto1stcycle(Bachelor)studies.Regardingtheoreticalknowledge,therespondentscouldchoosefromanalysis,musichistory,technicalknowledge/skillsandauralskills.Thecategoryprac-ticalskillsoffered theoptionsartisticexpression,knowledgeofdifferentmusicstyles,ensembleplaying,primavistaplayingandimprovisationskills.Afullversionofthequestionnairecanbefoundintheappendix.

Theresultsofthisstudyshowedthattherearebroadsimilaritiesintheentrancetestsusedbyinsti-tutionsfromawiderangeofEuropeancountriesandbeyond.Allinstitutionsconductliveauditions.Mostwidelytestedskillsandthoseconsideredtobethemostimportant,are:• artisticexpression(encompassingtechnicalskills)• auralskills• knowledgeofdifferentmusicalstylesImprovisationandensembleplayingreceivedalowerweighting,althoughthissituationmaychangeinthefuturewhenmusiciansmayneedtodeveloptheabilitytoplaydifferentgenresandmusicinacross-overstyle.

6 Adetailedanalysisofthequestionnairecanbefoundatwww.polifonia-tn.org/admission.

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Withinthecategory“TheoreticalKnowledge”,auralskillsweremostfrequentlytestedandreceivedthehighestweighting.Anexaminationofopenanswersreinforcedthisfinding.Analysis(musicthe-ory)wasalsotestedfrequently,4outof5conservatoiresrespondedtotestmusictheoryattheen-tranceexamination.Itisinterestingtonotethatmusictheoryistestedalmostasfrequentlyasauralskillsbutdoesn’treceivethesameratingofimportance.Itmustbepointedhere,however,thattheworkinggroupencounteredsomeproblemswithmusicalterminologyhere:musictheoryoranalysishavedifferentmeaningsindifferentcountries.

Other requirements for admission

Theonlynotablefactorinadditiontomusicalskillsseemedtobeaninterview:4outof5institutionswhorespondedinterviewcandidates.

Allinstitutionsacceptforeignstudents.Languagerequirementsarethebiggestlimitationforthosewantingtostudyabroadasafull-timestudent:twothirdsoftherespondentsrequireknowledgeofthenationallanguage.Thequestionnairerevealsawiderangeoflanguages–fromwidelyusedlan-guagessuchasFrenchandEnglishtolanguagesofsmallcountriessuchasLatvianandSlovenian–usedinEuropeanmusiceducation.

Around4outof5institutionsimposesomelegalorpracticalrequirements.Inmostcases,theseareagelimits,eitherminimumormaximum.Themostoftenmentionedrequirementisthesecondaryeducationdiploma,althoughinstitutionsdonotspecifywhetherthisreferstogeneraleducationortomusiceducation.

Themajorityoftherespondentsarefairlyrigorousintheiradmissiontests,makingnoexceptionstotheadmissionprocess.ThosewhomakeexceptionsdosotoassiststudentsfromdistantcountriesbygivingtheoptionofsendingaCD,DVDorvideoinsteadofattendingaliveaudition.

What kind of music education did the applicant students receive prior to their admission?

Inrelationtothisquestion,theworkinggroupwasfaced,again,withchallengesrelatedtoterminolo-gy.Alreadyintheworkinggroupitself,consistingofexpertsfromvariousEuropeancountries,namesanddefinitionsofthevarioustypesofinstitutionsatpre-collegelevel(musicschool,conservatoiremunicipal,specializedschool,Musikgymnasium,etc)greatlydiffered.ThereforethegroupdecidedtodescribethevarioustypesofinstitutionsthroughthefollowingcategoriesthatwerebelievedtocovermostofthetypesexistinginthevariousEuropeancountries:

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Junior department/preparatory class/foundation year

Coursewithinthehighereducationinstitutionpreparingstudentsfortraininginhighermusiceducation.

general music school

Independentinstitutionformusiceducationoutsideofthecompulsoryeducationsystemandhighereducation,offeringeduca-

tioninmusictostudentsofallagesandallstages.

Specialised music school

Independentinstitutionformusiceducationoutsideofthecompulsoryeducationsystemandhighereducation,offeringspecial

curriculapreparingstudentsforprofessionalmusictraininginhighermusiceducation.

Secondary level educational institution specialised in music A

Schoolonsecondarylevelofferinggeneraleducationwithaspecialisationinmusiceducation.

Secondary level educational institution specialised in music B

Schoolonsecondarylevelofferingmusiceducationonanadvancedlevelincludinggeneraleducation.

Secondary level educational institution specialised in music C

Schoolonsecondarylevelofferingmusiceducationonanadvancedlevelwithoutgeneraleducation.

Privatelessons

Althoughthesecategoriesweredescribedinmoredetailinthequestionnaireandwereeventrans-latedinto3languages,itmustbepointedoutthatmanyrespondentsweresomewhatuncertaintowhichcategoriesthetypesofpre-collegemusiceducationintheircountrybelonged,whichledtomanyquestions.Formoreinformationseechapter5.

Nevertheless,itispossibletoidentifycleartrendsfromtheanswersgiven.Themostimportantoneisthatapproximately9outof10studentshavereceivedsomekindofinstitutionaleducationatpre-collegelevel.Theremainingstudentsreceivedtuitionfromprivateteachers(e.g.,inGermany,Swit-zerlandandU.K).

Outofthosereceivingsomeformofinstitutionaleducationatpre-collegelevel,amajorityreceivedthisingeneralorspecializedmusicschoolsoutsidethecompulsorysecondaryeducationalsystems.AnotableroleisalsoplayedbysecondarylevelinstitutionsandjuniordepartmentsofEuropeancon-servatoires.Itisinterestingtonote,however,thatincountrieswithwelldevelopedpre-collegemusiceducationsystems(e.g.incentralEurope),thehighermusiceducationinstitutionsdonothavesuchjuniordepartments,asapparentlytheycanrelyonthepreparationbeingdoneinthelowereduca-tionallevels.ThisobservationisalsoconfirmedbytheinformationcollectedinthesurveycirculatedtomusicschoolsinEurope(chapter6):incountrieswheremusicschoolsmentiontobemainlyaim-ingatmusiceducationforamateursandnotsomuchatthepreparationforprofessionaltraining,morejuniordepartmentsinconservatoiresexist.

Some preliminary conclusions

Despitetheabovementionedproblemsrelatedtoterminologyinthisstudy,someinterestingconclu-sionscanneverthelessbedrawn.

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ItisclearfromthesurveyresultsthatmoststudentsinEuropeanconservatoireshaveattendedsomekindofformalmusiceducationatpre-collegelevelbeforehand.Thiscanbeviewedasevidencetotheeffectivenessofstructuredpre-collegemusiceducation.Italsoemphasizesthelifelonglearn-ingcontinuumthatexistsinmusiceducation:similarkindsofskillsaretaughtfromthefirststagesthroughtothehighestlevel.Withoutastrongpre-collegesystemEuropeanhighermusiceducationwillnotbeabletofurtherdeveloporevenmaintainitscurrentlevelofqualityandtoplayanactiveroleintheestablishmentoftheEuropeanHigherEducationArea,whichisthefinalaimoftheBolo-gnaprocess.Astheeducationsystemswithinmanycountriesarecurrentlychanging,itwillalsobeessentialtomonitordevelopmentsatthepre-collegemusiceducationlevelonanongoingbasis.

Fromtheresultsofthisquestionnairewecansee,thattherearemanypossibleroutestostudymusicatpre-collegelevelacrossEurope,evenwithinindividualEuropeancountries.Thisisanessentialpoint:someyoungstersliveinbigcitieswithsecondaryschoolsspecializedinmusic,whileothersliveatthecountrysidewithonlysmallmusicschools.Itisessentialtorealizethepowerandimpor-tanceofthevariousschoolingsystems,asthevarietygivestoeverytalentedyoungpersonequalchancestostudymusic.

Inrelationtotheadmissionprocedures,furtherstudyisrequiredonhowtheseprocedureswillbeinfluencedbythestudent-centredapproachwiththeuseofcompetencesandlearningoutcomesinthe1stcycle,aspromotedbytheBolognaprocessdevelopments.Furtherconsiderationofthisissuecanbefoundinchapter7.

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5 national Pre-ColleGe MusiC eduCation systeMs: interestinG exaMPles froM around euroPe

MusiceducationatlevelsbeforehighermusiceducationisorganisedindifferentwaysthroughoutEurope.Thisismainlyduetohistoricallydifferenteducationalsystems,andthecloseconnectionofmusiceducationtothenationaleducationalandmusicalinfrastructures.Thereforethepre-collegeworkinggroupcollectedinformationonwhereandhowyoungmusiciansarebeingtrainedandde-scribedthis,asexplainedinthenextchapter,incomparablenationaloverviews.

One of the methods to collect information on a European-wide scale was the use of site visits. Duringthevisits,membersofthegrouptriedtolearnasmuchaspossibleaboutthenationalpre-collegesystemsandabouttheadmissionprocedurestohighermusiceducationthroughmeetingswithdecisionmakers,teachersandstudents.SomeofthevisitsalsoincludedvisitstomusicschoolsandMusikgymnasiawhenevertherewasalinkahighermusiceducationinstitution.Specialatten-tionwasgiventogeographicallybalancedvenuesforthesitevisits.This,togetherwiththeavailablenationalexpertiseofworkinggroupmembers,enabled thegroup tocollect informationcoveringallEurope.Intotal,13sitevisitsin12Europeancountrieswereconducted:Birmingham(November2005),EsbjergandOdense(November2005),Riga(April2006),Leuven(April2006),Prague(June2006),Dresden(June2006),Warsaw(October2006),Trieste(October2006),SanSebastian(October2006),St.Petersburg(October2006),Salzburg(November2006)andPécs(May2007).Asaresultofthevisits,anumberofexamplesofgoodpracticewerealsoidentified,whichweredescribedinmoredetail7.

Inbrief,thefollowingissuesrelatedtopre-collegemusiceducationwereidentified:

Systems for pre-college music education• Nationalsystems Insomecountries,clearlystructuredsystemsforthepre-collegephaseexistthatleadtothepro-

fessionaltraininglevel.Withthenationalsystemsasaframework,secondarylevelinstitutionsandmusicschoolsdevelopcourses for theirownworkarea (often incooperationwithhighermusiceducationinstitutions),whichoftenincludeanationalstandardofadmissionandwhichareaimedatdevelopingthestudentfromayoungagetobeingaprofessionalmusician.Insomecountries,thenationalministryofeducationisresponsibleforsettingrequirementsforeducationatvariouslevels.

7 Theseexamplesofgoodpracticecanbefoundatwww.polifonia-tn.org/precollegesystems.

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• Typesofpre-collegemusiceducation InEuropeancountries-withorwithoutanationalsystem-thefollowingdifferenttypesofpre-

collegemusiceducationwereidentified:

→ Generalmusicschools Institutions for music education outside the (compulsory) primary, secondary and higher educationsystems,offeringeducationinmusictostudentsofallagesandallstages.Both state-fundedandprivatemusicschoolsexist.

→ Specialisedmusicschoolsorschemes Institutionsorschemesformusiceducationoutsidethe(compulsory)primary,secondaryand higher education systems, offering special curricula preparing students for professional musictraininginhighereducation.

→ Institutions within the compulsory secondary educational system with a specialisation in music.Forexample:

* Aschoolatsecondarylevelprimarilyofferinggeneraleducationwithaspecialisationin musiceducation(e.g.theMusikgymnasiainGermany);* A school at secondary level primarily offering music education at an advanced level includinggeneraleducation(e.g.theconservatoriesintheCzechRepublic).Inrelationtothistypeofschools,itwasobservedthat:* Manyoftheseschoolsareboardingschools;* Teachersareoftenemployed thatalso teachathighermusiceducation institutionsor are recruited as specialists in pre-college training; sometimes these institutions are formally linkedtohighermusiceducation institutions.Thisway, there isaclearunder standingatthesecondaryschoolsabouttheentrancerequirementsforthehighereduca- tionlevel;

→ Juniordepartment/PreparatoryClass/Foundationyear Thesearespecialisedcoursesofferedbyhighermusiceducationinstitutionpreparingstu- dentsforprofessionalmusictraininginhighereducation.

→ Privatetuition

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Some preliminary conclusions from the site visitsThesitevisitsonceagainconfirmtheinitialimpressionthereisagreatvarietyofsystemsforpre-col-legemusiceducationinthevariousEuropeancountries.Someareconnectedtohighermusiceduca-tioninstitutions,whileothersareembeddedinsecondaryeducationsystems.Otherinstitutionsarenotconnectedtoanygeneraleducationsystemsatall.Thecurriculaalsovaryfromfocusingexclu-sivelyon instrumentalskills tocombinationsofartisticandpersonaldevelopment.Nevertheless,fromthisveryvariedlandscape,thefollowinggeneralobservationscanbemade:

• in various countries effective integrated systems exist, which combine music education and general education.Thesearemostlyinstitutionsatthesecondaryeducationallevelwithaspe-cialisation inmusic,whichareoftenaffiliatedtohighermusiceducation institutions.Someoftheseareboardingschools.Theadvantageofsuchschoolsisthecombinationofmusiceducationatanadvancedlevelandgeneralschooling,leavingtheoptiontothestudentstodecideattheendoftheirstudiesatthislevelwhetherornottheywanttocontinuetostudymusicinhighereducationorinothersubjectareas,astheyareoftenprovidedwithadiplomathatgivesaccesstohighereducationingeneral.Forthosestudentsthatcontinuetostudyinotherfields,thisisnota“lostinvestment”:ascanbeseeninchapter3,musiceducationcanbeinstrumentalinthedevelopmentofmanyskillsthatcanbeofuseinotherprofessionsaswellasindailylife.

• in some countries without such institutions, systems exist that are developed as a cooperative effort of music schools, higher music education institutions and (local) governments.Awell-developedexampleofthiscanbefoundinDenmark.

• Anotherinterestingsystemcanbefoundin(mainly)centralEuropeancountries,wheremusicstudentsattendspecialisedmusiceducationinstitutionsthatdonothavehighermusiceducationstatusandthereforeoperateatasecondaryeducationlevelbutneverthelessofferprofessionaltraining.the advantage of this system is that there is a clear continuum in music education throughout the secondary and higher education levels.

• AsystemintegratingthemusiceducationcontinuumitselfcanbefoundintheSouthEuropeancountries.in these countries, institutions can be found that provide music education from begin-ners’ level to professional level within one programme and one institution.Atthelowerlevels,studentscombinetheirmusiceducationintheseinstitutionswithgeneraleducationinnormalsecondarylevelschools.ThissystemisstillstrongintheFrenchsystemofregionalconserva-toires,butisbeingthreatenedinItaly,wherethereformoftheconservatoriosintotheBachelor/MasterstructureoftheBolognaprocesshasleadtoanunclearsituationofthelowerlevelsoftheconservatorios.

• Inadditiontoallthesesystems,higher music education institutions in various countries have set up junior departments or preparatory classes to contribute to the preparation of specially

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talented future applicants.Aprobleminrelationtojuniordepartmentsandpreparatoryclassesinhighermusiceducationisthattheyareoftennotbeingfundedbythegovernment,asfundingisexclusivelybeinggiventothehighereducationlevels.

• pre-college music education is funded in various ways, mainly supported by public funding.However,ascanbeseeninthestudyonmusicschoolsinchapter6,institutionsinsomecountriesdochargefees.Nevertheless,duringthesitevisitsexampleswereidentifiedinwhichstudentsfromfamilieswithfinanciallimitationswereexemptedfrompayingfees.

• the investment of the young music students is – of course – substantial study load.Inadditiontotheirregularschooldaysingeneralprimaryandsecondaryeducation,pre-collegestudentsmustbepreparedtoinvestsubstantialamountsoftimeforself-study.

Oneimportantconclusioncanbedrawnfromalltheseexamples:Studentsseemtobebetterpre-paredforhighermusiceducationwhenthereisastructuredsystemorcurriculumwithclosecon-nectionsbetweenthepre-collegeinstitutionsorsystemsandthehighermusiceducationinstitutions.Asaresult,itisvitalthattheresultsofthisinvestigationwillconvincepoliticiansandpolicymakersthatwhenmusiceducation ingeneralandahighqualitativehighermusiceducationprovision inparticularareseenasimportant,theremustbeaclearunderstandingthisshouldbesupportedwithappropriatelevelsofpoliticalattentionandfunding.

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6 Pre-ColleGe MusiC eduCation systeMs in euroPe: a MaPPinG exerCise

AEuropean-widemappingexercisewascommissionedtoEleonoorTchernoffinordertodescribesystemsandstructuresinpre-collegemusiceducation.Assaidpreviously,thiswasnotonlydonetoidentifyexamplesofgoodpractice,butalsotogaininsightintothecurrentsituationinpre-collegemusiceducationinEuropeandtocollectinformationthatwouldbehelpfulforhighermusiceduca-tioninstitutionsintherecruitmentandadmissionoffuturestudents.Theinformationwascollectedthroughcontactingexpertsinallrelevantcountriesbyemailandphonewithtargetedquestions.

Descriptions of national pre-college music education systems

Thismappingexercisehasresultedinacomprehensiveoverviewofpre-collegesystemsin26coun-tries,whichcanbefoundinasetofdescriptionsofnationalsystemsforpre-collegemusictraining.ThesenationaldescriptionswillbepostedontheAECBolognaprocesswebsite,wheregeneralde-scriptionsofnationalprofessionalmusictrainingsystemsaswellasmorespecificdescriptionsofmusicteachertrainingsystemsarealreadyavailablein3languages8.Inaddition,asummarypara-graphoneachnationalpre-collegemusiceducationsystemhasbeendrafted,whichwillbeincludedintotheabovementionedgeneraldescriptionsofnationalprofessionalmusictrainingsystems.Thenationaldescriptionsaremadeaccordingtoastandardisedformat,sothattheycanbecompared.Inadditiontothesenationaldescriptionsofpre-collegemusiceducationsystems,severalexamplesofgoodpracticeweredescribedbasedonthefindingsofthesitevisits,asmentionedinchapter5.

Music Schools in Europe

Aspartofthismappingexercise,the“Polifonia”pre-collegeworkinggrouphadtheopportunitytoworktogetherwiththeEuropeanMusicSchoolUnion(EMU),theEuropeanumbrellaorganisationofnationalnetworksin25Europeancountriesrepresentingacertaintypeofpre-collegemusiceduca-tion:themusicschools.TheworkinggroupthereforedecidedtolearnmoreaboutexistingmusicschoolsystemsinEuropeingeneral,butespeciallytocollectinformationontheactualroleofmusicschoolsinthepreparationtothehighereducationlevel.Aquestionnairewasdesignedbythepre-collegeworkinggroupincooperationEMUandcirculatedtoall25nationalassociationsconnectedtoEMU.

Thepre-collegeworkinggroupendeavouredtotouchuponcommondenominatorsthatwouldberelevantformusicschooleducationinallinvestigatedcountries.Thequestionnaireaskedforinfor-mationonthefollowingtopics:legislation,structure,qualitycontrol,finances,curriculum,lessontime,aimofeducation,linkstoprofessionalmusictraining,studentprogress,startingage,entranceexaminationsandteachers.

8 Seewww.bologna-and-music.org,section“CountryOverviews”.

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Theoutcomesofthequestionnairewereanalysedinthestudy“Music schools in Europe”9,whichisdividedinthreeparts:sectionAdescribetheresultsofthestudyinbothsummaryanddetailedform,sectionBpresentsasetofdescriptionsofeachnationalmusicschoolsystem,whilesectionCpro-videsappendices,suchasthequestionnaireusedandsomeadditioninformation.PleasenotethatthecountryoverviewsinpartBhavealsobeenincorporatedintotheoverallnationaldescriptionsofpre-collegemusiceducationsystemsmentionedabove.Thereareseveralobservationsthatcanbedrawnfromtheinformationpresentedinthestudy:

• TheinformationshowsavastrangeofdifferentsystemsandinstitutionsalloverEurope.Althoughtheterm“musicschool”suggestsasimilarityinthevarioustypesofinstitutionsthatexist,itisinfactanoverarchingtermapplicabletoarichdiversityofdifferentinstitutionsandsystems.

• Itseemsthatmusicschoolsfindthemselvesinachallengingsituation,operatingintheborderareaswhereeducationandculturecometogether.Theyoftenprovidemusiceducationtobothamateurmusiciansandtoyoungstudentsaspreparationtohighermusiceducation.Choosingonepointofattentionabovetheotherisoftennoteasyorsimplyimpossible,asmusicschoolsareexpectedtoservealargerangeofpupils.TheresultsofthequestionnairetotheEMUmembersshowthatmusicschoolsinallcountriesmakeaseriouseffortintryingtoprovidethebestpos-siblemusiceducationforasmanystudentsaspossible.Butisitfairtoexpectmusicschoolstohavethespecificknowledgetoprovideafulfillingeducationalprogrammeforamateursaswellasforfuturemusicprofessionals?Itisnoticeablethatschoolswithaspecialfocusonprepar-ingstudentsforhighermusiceducationinstitutionsareoftennotrepresentedbytheEMUandthereforenotrepresentedbytheinformationinthissurvey.Inanycase,itseemsthatifmusicschoolswouldwanttocontinuewithcateringforsuchwidetargetgroups,thefinancialsupportwouldneedtobesufficientforsuchatask.Althoughthishasnotbeentheremitofthisquestion-naire,severalrespondentsdidindicatethatduetofinancialchallengingsituationsandcontinu-ousbudgetcuts itwasdifficult tocontinueprovideaprovisionforstudentsthatneededmoreattentionaspartoftheirpreparationtohighermusiceducation.

• The“Polifonia”pre-collegeworkinggroupwanted togainsome insight intohowmanymusicschoolstudentscontinuetheirstudiesinhighermusiceducationbycomparing,ontheonehand,informationaskedtoconservatoiresaboutwheretheirstudentswerecomingfromatadmission,with,ontheotherhand,thequestioninthissurveyaboutwhetherornotthemusicschoolsfelttheywereactuallypreparingfortheprofessionalleveladequately.Theoutcomesfromthiscom-parisonvary,butitisclearmusicschoolsplayanimportantroleinpreparingstudentsdirectlyforhighermusiceducationorindirectly(e.g.secondarylevelinstitutions).However,inmanycoun-trieshighermusiceducationinstitutionshavetakentheirownresponsibilityinthisareabyset-tinguppreparatoryclassesandjuniordepartments,whichseemstoindicatetheyarenotcontentwiththepreparationtakingplaceatthepre-collegelevel.

9 Thecompletestudycanbedownloadedatwww.polifonia-tn.org/precollegesystems.

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• Anotherquestion thatmayarise inrelation to thismatter, is that theremaybedifferences inmusicalgenresandthatthepreparationforstudentsinthefieldofclassicalmusicmayneedadifferentroutingthanforstudentsinpopandjazz.Again,theseareissuesthatwillneedfurtherinvestigation.

• Whenaddressingthestartingageofmusicstudents,whichisoneoftheissuesaddressedbytheliteraturestudy(seechapter3),evidencesupportingtheresultsofthisliteraturestudyseemstobepresentinthisstudyonmusicschoolsaswell:theconclusionitiscommonanddesirabletostartearlywithmusiceducationisconfirmedbytheinformationpresentedhere,although,asisthecaseintheliteraturestudy,additionalquestionsinrelationtodifferencesbetweeninstru-mentsandgenresarisethatneedfurtherstudy.

• Music schools are important employers of future conservatoire graduates. More informationshouldbecollectedaboutthecompetencesandqualificationsthemusicschoolsarelookingforin theirnewteachersandwhether thehighermusiceducation institutionsprovide trainingtoobtainthese.ThisissueisalsoimportantinrelationtotheincreasedmobilityofprofessionalinEurope:therecognitionofteachingqualificationsisanimportantissuetoaddressfrombothanationalandEuropeanangle.

Finally,asthequestionnairewasdevelopedfromthepointofviewofhighermusiceducationinstitu-tions,itsoughttoestablishwhethermusicschoolstudentsarebeingadequatelypreparedtoproceedtohighereducationinmusic,andifso,how.Thefollowingrecommendations,drawnfromtheout-comesofthequestionnaire,shouldbereadwiththisapproachinmind:

• Thequestionnaireshowedthatcountriesthathavemusiceducationlegislationgenerallyhaveasystemofqualitycontrolandkeeptrackofstudent’sprogress.Evaluationandreflectionareimportanttoolsforpreservingthelevelofamusicschool.

• Countrieswithmusiceducationlegislationoftenhaveanationalcurriculumaswell.Anationalcurriculumisawayofensuringthatstudentsbuildupasolidmusicalfoundation,whichgivesthemaheadstartwhenapplying for institutions thatprovideprofessionalmusiceducationathighereducationlevel.Nothavinganationalcurriculumputsaheavyresponsibilityonindividualteachersandpossiblywithholdsequalchancesforeverystudent.Everystudentdeservesawellroundededucation,whichimpliesawellstructuredcurriculum.

• Musicschoolsthatpreparestudentsforprofessionalmusictrainingshouldhaveformalisedlinkswithinstitutionsthatprovidethistypeoftraining.

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7 a set of CoMPetenCes for Pre-ColleGe MusiC eduCation

Introduction

Thevarietyofpre-collegetrainingmodelsthatexistinEuropeshowtherearemanypossibleeffectiveapproachestonurturingyoungmusicians.WithinsuchdiversityandinthespiritoftheBolognaproc-ess,theworkinggroupproposesthatthedevelopmentofaseriesofcompetencesforpre-collegetrainingwillfacilitateunderstandingofthecommonelementsthatexistinpre-collegesystemsaswellasarticulatetheconnectionswiththelearningoutcomesdevisedfor1stcyclestudy.Adescriptionofthelearningoutcomesforthe1stand2ndcyclestudiesinhighermusiceducationhasbeenarrangedinthreepartsbythePolifoniaTuningworkinggroup:practical(skill-based)out-comes,theoretical(knowledge-based)outcomesandgenericoutcomes10.Thepre-collegeworkinggroupappliedthesesamedivisionstothepre-collegelevelintheformofcompetences,aslearn-ingoutcomesarearesultofastructuredcurriculumwhichoftenisnotpresentinthepre-collegephase.Thissetofcompetencesisnotdesignedtosetstandardstowhichleveleachskillshouldbetaughtatpre-collegeinstitutions.Itratheremphasizesthecontinuumofmusiceducationandgivessomeideasabouttheskillsthatwouldbeimportanttogainalreadybeforethehighereducationlevel,sothatastudentwillbebetterpreparedtomeetthedemandsofthe1stcycle.Thismethod,whichiscurrentlyonlyatheoreticalmodel,willneedtobetested.Itmustalsobepointedout,thathighermusiceducation institutionsarenotexpected to testall thesecompetencesduring theentranceexamination.Thesetofcompetences,whichcanbefoundbelow,canbemoreusedasachecklistduringthepre-collegephase.Indevelopinganidealsetofcompetencesforthepre-collegepupilthatwillestablishastrongcon-nectionbetween thepre-collegephaseandhighereducation, it is important toacknowledge thepractical (skill-based) outcomes, the knowledge-based outcomes and the generic outcomes thataretaughtinprimaryandsecondaryschools.Thissetofcompetencesisdescribedinthefollowingform:

• Practical (skill-based) outcomes

TheBolognaprocessbringsanewwayofmeasuringpracticallearningoutcomes.Forexample,itadvisesusnottodemandacertainsetofpiecesastudentshouldmaster,butratherempha-sizestheartisticandtechnicallearningoutcomes(describedascompetences)astudentshouldachieve.

Thewayofformulatingthecompetencescanbeseenfromanexamplethatexplainswhat“skillsandartisticexpression”existafterpre-collegelevel:“Atthecompletionoftheirstudies,studentsshouldhavebeguntodeveloptheabilitytocreateandrealizetheirownartisticconceptsandstu-dentsshouldbedevelopingthenecessaryskillsfortheirexpression”.Thesamekindofdefinitionhasbeencreatedalsoforrepertoireskills,ensembleskills,forpracticingandrehearsing,read-ingandwritingmusicetc.

10 Thelearningoutcomesforthe1st,2ndand3rdstudycyclesinhighermusiceducationcanbefoundatwww.bologna-and-music.

org/learningoutcomes.

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Thestudentsshouldalsomastersomeverbalskillssothattheyshouldbeabletotalkandwriteabouttheirmusicmakingandimprovisationalskills.Nowadaystheabilitytoimproviseatleastatsomelevelisalreadyconsideredtobeabasicskilltoallmusicians.Inaddition,performanceandcommunicationskillshavegainedinsignificance.

• Theoretical (knowledge-based) outcomes

Thetheoreticalorknowledge-basedoutcomescontainelementssuchastheunderstandingofmusicalmaterialandthecontextofdifferentissues.“Knowingarepresentativeselectionofthemainstreamrepertoireof theirprincipalstudy”and“musicalstylesandhistory”canbemen-tionedasexamplesofthese.Basicknowledgeofthepossibilitiesofmoderntechnologyisan-otherimportantoutcomeforyoungmusicianstoday.

• Generic outcomes

ThedefinitionofgenericoutcomesisagoodexampleoftheinfluencetheBolognaprocesshasbroughttomusiceducation.Traditionally,thefocusofteachinghasbeenmainlymusic-oriented,butrecentlythewidercontext(generaleducationandpersonaldevelopment)istakenmoreintoaccount.Institutionsareexpectedtoupdatetheirapproachestoteachingandlearningaccordingtothisdevelopment.

Studentsapplyingforhighereducationusuallyhaveasecondaryschoollevelqualification.There-fore,entrancepanelsinhighermusiceducationfocusonthemusical(PracticalandTheoretical)competences.Thegenericcompetencessuchas“independence,psychologicalunderstanding,criticalawarenessandcommunicationskills”donotnecessarilyhave tobe testedduring theentranceexamination,asthesecompetencesaretypicallydevelopedingeneraleducation.

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However,apre-collegeteachercanincreasetheawarenessofstudentsofthefacttheywillneedotherskillsthanjustplayingtheinstrumentandencouragestudentstodevelopanopenattitudesotheycancopeinaglobalizedandcompetitiveworld.Asmentionedbefore,highermusiceducationinstitutionsdonotnecessarilytestallgenericcompetencesatadmission,buttheycouldaskthem-selvesifitiswisenottodosoatall.

Lateron,whenthepre-collegepupilhasbecomeastudentinhighereducation,eachsubsequentlevelofstudy,e.g.1stcycle,2ndoreventhe3rdcycle,willhaveitsownentranceexaminationanditsownmixofgenericandmusicalcompetences.Thehigherthelevelofeducation,themoreprofes-sionalskillsandknowledgewillbeinvolved.

Thesetofgenericoutcomesforthepre-collegelevelcontainsfourdifferentgeneralcompetences:independence,psychologicalunderstanding,criticalawarenessandcommunicationskills.Thisdivi-sionisidenticaltothedivisionusedforthegenericoutcomesinthe1stand2ndcycle,butthewaythecompetenceshavebeenformulatedhasbeenadjustedtobemoresuitableandrelevantforthepre-collegelevel.Forexample:afterfinishingthefirstcycle,thestudentisexpectedto work inde-

pendentlyonavarietyofissues,likegathering,analyzingandinterpretinginformation.Attheendofthepre-collegelevel,theformulationmightbe:“thestudenthas begun to develop independenceingatheringandusinginformation”.Psychologicalunderstanding,forinstance,containselementssuchasdevelopingandusingimagination,intuition,emotionalunderstanding,creativeproblem-solvingandmanagingperformanceanxiety.Fromthispointofview,themainfocusshouldbetoencouragethestudenttoworkanddevelophis/hermusicianshipcriticallyandasindependentlyaspossible.Themainfocuswillthenbetobuildacontinuumfromtheearlystagestotheprofessionallevel.

practical (skill-based) outcomes

Skillsandartisticexpression

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstratesomeexperienceofcreatingandrealizingtheir

ownartisticconcepts,aswellassomenecessaryskillsfortheirexpression

Repertoireskills

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadyto

- showevidenceoftheirexperienceand,whereappropriate,performanceofsomerepresentativerepertoireofthe

PrincipalStudyarea

- theirexperienceofavarietyofappropriatestyles

Ensembleskills

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodescribetheirexperienceofinteractingmusicallyinensembles

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Practicingandrehearsingskills

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstratetheirexperienceofbasicpracticeandrehearsal

techniquesaswellastheirunderstandingofgoodhabitsoftechniqueandposturewhichenablethemtousetheirbod-

iesinaneffectiveandnon-harmfulway

Readingandwritingskills

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstratesufficientskillsforthecommunicationofmusi-

calscoresrelatingtotheirPrincipalStudyarea

Aural,creativeandre-creativeskills

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstratesomefluencyinrecognizingbyear,memorizing

andmanipulatingthematerialsofmusic

Verbalskills

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbeabletotalkorwriteabouttheirmusicmaking

Publicperformanceskills

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstratesomeawarenessofthebehaviouraland

communicativeaspectsofpublicperformance

Improvisationalskills

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshoulddemonstratereadinesstodeveloptheabilitytoexploresomeofthe

patternsandprocesseswhichunderlieimprovisation

theoretical (knowledge-based) outcomes

Knowledgeandunderstandingofrepertoireandmusicalmaterial

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstrateknowledgeofarepresentativeselectionofthe

mainstreamrepertoireoftheirPrincipalStudy

-Studentsshouldbereadytodemonstrateknowledgeofthebasicelementsandorganizationalpatternsofmusic

Knowledgeandunderstandingofcontext

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstrate

- knowledgeofthemainoutlinesofmusichistory

- familiaritywithmusicalstyles

- abasicunderstandingofhowtechnologycanbeusedinthefieldofmusic

- someknowledgeofthemusicprofession

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generic outcomes

Independence

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstrate

- someindependenceingatheringandusinginformation

- someindependenceindevelopingideas

- someevidenceofself-motivation

Psychologicalunderstanding

• Afterthepre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstratesomeeffectiveuseof-inavarietyofsituations

-theirimagination

- theirintuition

- theiremotionalunderstanding

- theirabilitytothinkandworkcreativelywhenproblem-solving

- theirabilitytothinkandworkflexibly,adaptingtonewandchangingcircumstances

- agrowingawarenessofhowtoself-manageperformanceanxiety

Criticalawareness

• AfterthePre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstratesomeabilityto

- reflectconstructivelyontheirownworkandthatofothers

Communicationskills

• AfterthePre-collegephase,studentsshouldbereadytodemonstrateeffectivecommunicationandsocialskills,

includingtheabilityto

- workwithothersonjointprojectsoractivities

- haveappropriateInformationTechnology(IT)skills

- showskillsinteamwork

- integratewithotherindividualsinavarietyofculturalcontexts

- presentworkinaccessibleform

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8 General ConClusions

1. Commonexperiencesinmusiceducationaswellasscientificresearchclearlyindicatethatmusictrainingshouldbestartedatanearlyage,especiallyforthosewantingtobecomeprofessionalmusicians.Furtherresearchneedstobedoneonthespecificneedsofthevariousmusicgen-res.

2. Musiceducationistobeperceivedasacontinuum;itisthereforedifficulttopinpointtheexactbeginningofprofessionalstudiesandtoconceptualisethedifferentphasesofeducation.Nev-ertheless,pre-collegemusiceducationisaspecificphaseinmusicaleducationandneedstoberecognisedassuch.

3. Awell-structuredpre-collegeeducationleadstoahigherprofessionalstandardinhighermusiceducation,andasaresult,tohigherqualityinthemusicprofession.

4. Studentsarebetterpreparedforhighermusiceducationwhenthere isawell-structuredandcontinuouscurriculumorsystemwithcloseconnectionsbetweenpre-collegelevelinstitutionsorsystems,generaleducationinstitutionsandhighermusiceducationinstitutions.

5. Thecurrentproceduresforadmissiontothehighermusiceducationlevelarenotyetconsciouslyrelatedtoorcompatiblewiththeuseoflearningoutcomesinthe1st(Bachelor)and2ndcycle(Master),whichareincreasinglybeingusedinhighermusiceducationinstitutionsalloverEu-rope.

6. Musiceducationatthepre-collegelevelcanalsobeofgreatvaluetoyoungpeoplewithouttheambitiontobecomeprofessionalmusicians,asithelpsyoungpeopletodeveloptheparticipa-tioninandtheunderstandingofcultureandthemusicandarts,developscreative,personalandinterpersonalskillsthatcanbeessentialtransferableskillsforworkersinaknowledge-basedsociety,andprovidessocialcohesionandinterculturalunderstanding,whichisessentialforanEuropebuiltonculturaldiversityandinterculturaldialogue.

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9 reCoMMendations and further stePs to be under-taken

Basedontheabove-mentionedconclusions,the“Polifonia”pre-collegeworkinggroupwouldliketorecommendto:

Local, regional and national governments and policy makers in education and culture:

1. Toacknowledgetheimportanceofstrongpre-collegelevelmusiceducationasavitalconditionforahighlyqualitativemusicallandscapeintheindividualEuropeancountries;

2. To acknowledge the importance of strong pre-college level music education as a tool for thedevelopmentofcreative,personalandinterpersonalskills,aswellassocialcohesion,foryoungpeopleingeneral,notonlyforthosehavingtheambitiontoenterthemusicprofession;

3. Tothereforegivesufficientstructuralandfinancialsupporttopre-collegelevelmusiceducationinordertoensurethatthemusicalcultureinEuropemaintainsitshighlevelintheincreasinglyglobalizedworldofmusic;

4. Tosupport theestablishmentofcreativepartnershipsbetweengeneraleducation institutionsattheprimaryandsecondarylevel,institutionsforpre-collegemusiceducation,highermusiceducationinstitutionsandoperatorsinthefieldofmusicforthedevelopmentofinspiringandefficientlearningenvironmentsthatwillsupportmusiceducationatthislevel;

5. ToencouragemoreEuropeancooperationinthisfieldwhilerespectingculturaldiversitywiththeaimtoexchangeexamplesofgoodpracticeandenhanceexistingprovision;

6. To introducemeasures tostrengthen the trainingof instrumental/vocal teachers thatprovidemusiceducationatthevariouslevels;

Higher music education institutions:

1. Toengageinastructureddialoguewithandestablishcreativepartnershipsbetweengeneraled-ucationinstitutionsattheprimaryandsecondarylevel,institutionsforpre-collegemusiceduca-tion,highermusiceducationinstitutionsandoperatorsinthefieldofmusicforthedevelopmentofinspiringandefficientlearningenvironmentsthatwillsupportmusiceducationatthislevel;

2. Tousethesetofcompetencesforthepre-collegelevelandthelearningoutcomesforthe1st,2ndand3rdstudycyclesinhighermusiceducationdevelopedbytheAECasanopportunitytolinkthedifferentlevelsofmusicaleducationandatooltoimprovecurricula;

3. Tostartcollectingstatisticalinformationabouttheoriginsoftheirnewstudents;4. Toidentifythecurrentneedsforpre-collegemusiceducationrelativetothevariousmusicgenres

beingofferedathighereducationlevel.

Institutions and providers of pre-college level music education:

1. Toengageinastructureddialoguewithandestablishcreativepartnershipsbetweengeneraled-ucationinstitutionsattheprimaryandsecondarylevel,institutionforpre-collegemusiceduca-tion,highermusiceducationinstitutionsandoperatorsinthefieldofmusicforthedevelopment

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ofinspiringandefficientlearningenvironmentsthatwillsupportmusiceducationatthislevel;2. Tousethesetofcompetencesforthepre-collegelevelasanopportunityto linkthedifferent

levelsofmusicaleducationandatooltoimprovecurricula;3. Toemphasizethedevelopmentofgenericoutcomesinadditiontomusic-specificoutcomesdur-

ingthepre-collegephaseofmusicaleducationinordertoencouragestudentstobecomeopen-minded,self-confident,reflectiveandcommunicativeprofessionals.

Institutions for general education at the primary and secondary level:

1. Toreinstatemusicasanessentialpartofthegeneraleducationcurriculum;2. Totakeintoconsiderationtheneedsoftalentedyoungmusicstudentsingeneraleducationinsti-

tutionsbyprovidingflexiblelearningpathways;3. Toengageinastructureddialoguewithandestablishcreativepartnershipsbetweengeneraled-

ucationinstitutionsattheprimaryandsecondarylevel,institutionsforpre-collegemusiceduca-tion,highermusiceducationinstitutionsandoperatorsinthefieldofmusicforthedevelopmentofinspiringandefficientlearningenvironmentsthatwillsupportmusiceducationatthislevel.

The European Commission:

1. To support projects addressing the issue of pre-college music education through the variousfundingprogrammesduringtheEUYearforCreativity&InnovationthroughEducation&Culturein2009

2. TotakenoteoftheoutcomesofthisstudyinrelationtotheEU“CommunicationforaEuropeanagenda forculture inaglobalizingworld”and inparticularwhen identifying issues tobead-dressedthroughtheOpenMethodofCoordination,assuggestedintheCommunication.

3. Morespecifically,tomakeuseoftheexpertiseoftheAECinthisarea,forexamplebyconsultingtheAECinthedevelopmentofissuesandindicatorsrelatedtopre-collegemusiceducationintheframeworkoftheOpenMethodofCoordination.

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“ investinG in the Quality of toMorroW’s MusiC in euroPe”

Statement of the “Polifonia” pre-college working group of the European Association of Conservatoires

(AEC) on the importance of pre-college music education.

TheEuropeanAssociationofConservatoires(AEC),representingmorethan250institutionsinpro-fessionalmusictrainingin40Europeancountries,aimstopromoteEuropeancooperationinthepro-fessionalmusictrainingsector.Thisisbeingachievedthroughcongresses,variouspublications,andEuropeancooperationprojects.TheERASMUSThematicNetworkforMusic“Polifonia”coordinatedbytheAECwasrecentlychosenbytheEuropeanCommissionasan“ERASMUSSuccessStory”.

Within“Polifonia”,theAEChasaddressedpre-collegemusiceducation,thephaseinmusiceduca-tionprecedingthehighereducationlevelinmusic.Asyoungpeopleoftenstartwithmusicalactivitiesataveryyoungage,itisnotsufficienttoaddressprofessionaltraininginmusicthroughlookingatthehighereducationlevelonly.“Polifonia”studiedthisissuebyformingagroupofexpertsinthisfieldfromvariousEuropeancountries,realisingaseriesofsitevisitstoidentifyexamplesofgoodpractice,producingaliteraturestudyonscientificresearchonthedevelopmentofyoungmusicians,complet-ingasubstantialmappingexerciseofnationalpre-collegemusiceducationsystemsin26Europeancountries,researchingcurrentpracticeinrelationtoadmissiontoEuropeanhighermusiceducationinstitutions,andbyformulatingasetofcompetencesforthepre-collegephaseinmusiceducation.

Basedontheabove-mentionedactivities,thefollowingconclusionshavebeenformulated:• Commonexperiencesinmusiceducationaswellasresearchclearlyindicatethatmusictraining

shouldbestartedatanearlyage,especially for thosewanting tobecomeprofessionalmusi-cians.

• Musiceducationistobeperceivedasacontinuum;itisthereforedifficulttopinpointtheexactbeginningofprofessionalstudiesandtoconceptualisethedifferentphasesofeducation.Nev-ertheless,pre-collegemusiceducationisaspecificphaseinmusicaleducationandneedstoberecognisedassuch.

• Awell-structuredpre-collegeeducationleadstoahigherprofessionalstandardinhighermusiceducation,and,asaresult,toahigherqualityinthemusicprofession.

• Studentsarebetterpreparedforhighermusiceducationwhenthere isawell-structuredandcontinuoussystemorcurriculumwithcloseconnectionsbetweenpre-collegelevelinstitutionsorsystems,generaleducationinstitutionsandhighermusiceducationinstitutions.

• Musiceducationatthepre-collegelevelcanalsobeofgreatvaluetoyoungpeoplewithouttheambitiontobecomeprofessionalmusicians:ithelpsyoungpeopletodeveloptheparticipationinandtheunderstandingofcultureandthemusicandarts,developcreative,personalandinterper-sonalskills,andprovidesocialcohesionandinterculturalunderstanding,whichisessentialforanEuropebuiltonculturaldiversityandinterculturaldialogue.

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Therefore,the“Polifonia”pre-collegeworkinggroupwouldlikemakethefollowingrecommenda-tions:To local, regional and national governments and policy makers ineducationandculture:• Toacknowledgetheimportanceofstrongpre-collegelevelmusiceducationasavitalcondition

forahighlyqualitativemusicallandscapeinindividualEuropeancountries;• To acknowledge the importance of strong pre-college level music education as a tool for the

developmentofcreative,personalandinterpersonalskills,aswellassocialcohesion,foryoungpeopleingeneral,notonlyforthosehavingtheambitiontoenterthemusicprofession;

• Tothereforegivesufficientstructuralandfinancialsupporttopre-collegelevelmusiceducationinordertoensurethatthemusicalcultureinEuropemaintainsitshighlevel;

• Tosupport theestablishmentofcreativepartnershipsbetweengeneraleducation institutionsattheprimaryandsecondarylevel,institutionsforpre-collegemusiceducation,highermusiceducationinstitutionsandoperatorsinthefieldofmusicforthedevelopmentofinspiringandefficientlearningenvironmentsthatwillsupportmusiceducationatthislevel;

• ToencouragemoreEuropeancooperationinthisfieldwhilerespectingculturaldiversitywiththeaimtoexchangeexamplesofgoodpracticeandenhanceexistingprovision;

• To introducemeasures tostrengthen the trainingof instrumental/vocal teachers thatprovidemusiceducationatthevariouslevels.

To the European Commission:

• Tosupportprojectsaddressingpre-collegemusiceducation through thevarious fundingpro-grammesduringthe“EUYearforCreativity&InnovationthroughEducation&Culture”in2009

• TotakenoteoftheoutcomesofthisstudyinrelationtotheEU“CommunicationforaEuropeanagenda forculture inaglobalizingworld”and inparticularwhen identifying issues tobead-dressedthroughtheOpenMethodofCoordination,assuggestedintheCommunication.

• Morespecifically,tomakeuseoftheexpertiseoftheAECinthisarea,forexamplebyconsultingtheAECinthedevelopmentofissuesandindicatorsrelatedtopre-collegemusiceducationintheframeworkoftheOpenMethodofCoordination.

For more information, visit www.polifonia-tn.org/precollege or contact Mr Martin Prchal, AEC Chief

Executive, at aecinfo@aecinfo.org.

32 33

aPPendiCes

32 33

aPPendix a

links

“Polifonia”pre-collegeworkinggroupoutcomesataglance:

• Literaturestudy“Preparing young musicians for professional training: what does scientific research

tell us?” www.polifonia-tn.org/literaturestudyprecollege

• Study“Music Schools in Europe” www.polifonia-tn.org/precollegesystems

• Pre-collegecountryoverviews www.bologna-and-music.org,section“CountryOverviews”

• Sitevisitreports www.polifonia-tn.org/precollegesystems

• Analysisquestionnaireonadmissionprocedurestohighermusiceducation www.polifonia-tn.org/admission

• NationaldescriptionsofsystemsforProfessionalMusicTraininginEuropeanCountriesincludingpre-collegeinformation

www.bologna-and-music.org,section“CountryOverviews”

aPPendix b

Questionnaire on the adMission to hiGher MusiC eduCation

Pre-college Working Group

Thisquestionnairehasbeendesignedbythepre-collegeworkinggroupofthePolifoniaproject1.Thisworkinggroupisstudyingissuesinrelationtothepreparationofmusicstudentsforandtheiradmis-siontoprofessionalmusictraininginhighereducation(Musikhochschule,ConservatoireSupérieur,University).Animportantaimofthegroupistogaininsightintotheadmissionprocedurestohighermusiceducation.Thisquestionnairefocusesonthisitem.

NameInstitution:

Namecontact:

E-Mail:

Phone: Fax:

1. Intheadmissionexamtostudiesata1stcycle(Bachelor)levelwhatofthefollowingdoyoutest?

1.1 TheoreticalknowledgeO AnalysisO MusichistoryO Technicalknowledge/skills(e.g.musicsoftware)O AuralskillsO Other,pleasespecify:

1.2PracticalskillsO ArtisticexpressionO KnowledgeofdifferentmusicstylesO EnsembleplayingO PrimavistaplayingO ImprovisationskillsO Other,pleasespecify:

2. Doyouinterviewcandidates? OYES ONO3. Doyougivecandidatesawrittenassignment? OYES ONO4. Doyouaskforreferences? OYES ONO

1 FurfurtherinformationontheThematicNetworkforMusic“Polifonia”,pleasehavealookatourwebpage

www.polifonia-tn.org.

34

5. Howmuchimportancedotheabovementionedcategorieshavefortheadmittanceofastudent?Please mark importance where applicable to your institution.

Not important Very important

Analysis 1 2 3 4 5 6 Musichistory 1 2 3 4 5 6 Technicalknowledge/skills 1 2 3 4 5 6 Auralskills 1 2 3 4 5 6 Other 1 2 3 4 5 6 Artisticexpression 1 2 3 4 5 6 Knowledgeofdifferent 1 2 3 4 5 6 musicstyles Not important Very important

Ensembleplaying 1 2 3 4 5 6 Primavistaplaying 1 2 3 4 5 6 Improvisationskills 1 2 3 4 5 6 Other 1 2 3 4 5 6 Interview 1 2 3 4 5 6 Writtenassignment 1 2 3 4 5 6 References 1 2 3 4 5 6

6. (a) Doyoumakeanyexceptionstotheadmissionprocess(e.g.askingonlyforsinglepartsofthe exam,CDreplacingliveauditionetc.)? OYES ONO

(b) IfYES,pleaseexplain.7. (a) Arethereanylanguagerequirementsatadmission? OYES ONO

(b)IfYES,pleaseexplain.8. Doyouofferpotentialstudentsapossibilitytohaveaninformalconsultationwithconservatoire

teachingstaffbeforetheadmissionexam(e.g.informationday)? OYES ONO

9. (a) Arethereanyother legalorpracticalrequirementstobefulfilledbeforeastudentcanbeadmitted(e.g.schoolleavingexamination,agelimit)? OYES ONO

IfYES,pleasename.10.Howisyouradmissionpanelcomposed?

O OnlyinternalexaminersO OnlyexternalexaminersO Internalandexternalexaminers

35

36 37

11. (a) Whoassignsadmittedstudentstoateacher?O AdministrationO AdmissionpanelO Other,pleasename(b)Arestudents’requestsforaspecificteacherconsidered?OYES ONO

12.Fromthetotalnumberofcandidatesthatyouconsideradmissibletoyourinstitution,whatfac-torsotherthanthestudent’scompetencewilldeterminewhichofthesewillreceivetheofferofaplace?O FinancialresourcesO Balancebetweendisciplines/instrumentsO TeacheravailabilityO Other,pleasename

13.Doanyexternalcircumstancesforceyoutoadmitstudentsthatdonotfulfilyouradmissionstan-dards? OYES ONO

IfYES,pleasename.14.Whichtypeofpreviouseducationhavestudentsfromyourcountryreceivedbeforetheyenterthe

1stcycle(Bachelor)atyourinstitution?Pleasenote:Itisnotnecessarytohaveexactnumbersaboutthisissue;wearejustlookingfortrends;yourpersonalexperienceshouldbesufficienttoanswerthefollowingquestion.

Please use numbers from 1-8 to mark frequency: 8 most students in my institution origin from this type of

education – 1 no students in my institution origin from this type of education; 0 not applicable.

Junior department/preparatory class/foundation year

Coursewithinthehighereducationinstitutionpreparingstudentsfortrainingin

highermusiceducation.

012345678

general music school

Independentinstitutionformusiceducationoutsideofthecompulsoryeducation

systemandhighereducation,offeringeducationinmusictostudentsofallages

andallstages.

012345678

Specialised music school

Independentinstitutionformusiceducationoutsideofthecompulsoryeducation

systemandhighereducation,offeringspecialcurriculapreparingstudentsfor

professionalmusictraininginhighermusiceducation.

012345678

36 37

Secondary level educational institution specialised in music a

Schoolonsecondarylevelofferinggeneraleducationwithaspecialisationinmusic

education.

012345678

Secondary level educational institution specialised in music B

Schoolonsecondarylevelofferingmusiceducationonanadvancedlevelincluding

generaleducation.

012345678

Secondary level educational institution specialised in music c

Schoolonsecondarylevelofferingmusiceducationonanadvancedlevelwithout

generaleducation.

012345678

private lessons 012345678

other - which? 012345678

16. (a) Doesyourinstitutionchargeenrolmentfeesfromstudents? OYES ONO (b) IfYES,Howmucharethey? €

17. (a) Doyouadmitforeignstudentstoyouinstitution? OYES ONO (b) IfYES,isthereanyrestrictionforthat?

AdditionalComments

Thankyouforyourcooperation!

Please send the completed questionnaire by e-mail, mail or fax to: Ester Tomasi, Polifonia research/project assistant,

Association Européenne des Conservatoires, Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC), PO Box 805, NL-3500 AV

Utrecht, The Netherlands

T: +31/302361242, F: +31/302361290, E:estertomasi@aecinfo.org

Association Européenne des Conservatoires,Académies de Musique et Musikhochschulen (AEC)PO Box 805 NL-3500AV Utrecht The Netherlands

Tel +31.302361242 Fax +31.302361290Email aecinfo@aecinfo.org Website www.aecinfo.org