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.