Journal article
Musikunterricht zwischen Sach- und Fachinteresse. Ergebnisse aus der Pilotstudie Musikunterricht aus Schülersicht
Publication Details
Authors: | Heß, F. |
Publication year: | 2011 |
Journal: | Beiträge Empirischer Musikpädagogik |
Pages range : | 1-26 |
Journal acronym: | b:em |
Volume number: | 2. Jg |
ISSN: | 2190-3174 |
eISSN: | 2190-3174 |
URN / URL: |
Abstract
Very little empirical research has been conducted on teenagers’ attitudes towards music lessonsin school. Our recent study “Musikunterricht aus Schülersicht” (MASS) collects comprehensivedata on this issue. Its major aim is to identify what students perceive as the centralcurricular contents of their music lessons. But MASS also asks: How do students experienceand evaluate their music lessons? What do they expect from music as a school subject?What image does the subject have in terms of relevance and difficulty? The study exploresthese questions by looking at the connections between students’ attitudes and curricular aswell as extra-curricular factors (such as musical preferences or prior instrumental training).Our data stem from an online survey, in which 735 high school (Gymnasium) students of allages participated, and from narrative interviews with students in their senior years. It becomesevident that attitudes are divided: music lessons in school appeal to teenagers withprior musical (instrumental) training, but less to those without; on average, girls like the subjectmore than boys do; teenagers who prefer “classical” music show a positive attitude towardsthe subject, those who prefer other kinds of music a more negative one. Overall, studentsperceive Western art music to form the core of music lessons even today; historicaland theoretical approaches to music are perceived to predominate, performance-orientedapproaches (such as dancing) to be largely neglected. All this raises the question of whethermusic as a school subject has an excluding effect, whether it misses important opportunitiesto offer new forms of interacting with music, especially to students without prior musicaleducation or training.
Very little empirical research has been conducted on teenagers’ attitudes towards music lessonsin school. Our recent study “Musikunterricht aus Schülersicht” (MASS) collects comprehensivedata on this issue. Its major aim is to identify what students perceive as the centralcurricular contents of their music lessons. But MASS also asks: How do students experienceand evaluate their music lessons? What do they expect from music as a school subject?What image does the subject have in terms of relevance and difficulty? The study exploresthese questions by looking at the connections between students’ attitudes and curricular aswell as extra-curricular factors (such as musical preferences or prior instrumental training).Our data stem from an online survey, in which 735 high school (Gymnasium) students of allages participated, and from narrative interviews with students in their senior years. It becomesevident that attitudes are divided: music lessons in school appeal to teenagers withprior musical (instrumental) training, but less to those without; on average, girls like the subjectmore than boys do; teenagers who prefer “classical” music show a positive attitude towardsthe subject, those who prefer other kinds of music a more negative one. Overall, studentsperceive Western art music to form the core of music lessons even today; historicaland theoretical approaches to music are perceived to predominate, performance-orientedapproaches (such as dancing) to be largely neglected. All this raises the question of whethermusic as a school subject has an excluding effect, whether it misses important opportunitiesto offer new forms of interacting with music, especially to students without prior musicaleducation or training.
Keywords
classroom research, music curriculum, Musikunterricht,
Online-Befragung,
online survey, Schülereinstellungen, teenagers’ attitude toward music lesson, Unterrichtsforschung, Unterrichtsinhalte
