exchange die kunst, musik zu vermitteln - Kunstdervermittlung.at

SUMMARY
Over the past 20 years, a new area of cultural
competence has emerged in Europe.
In the German speaking countries,
it was first called ‘Musikvermittlung’ [the
term encompassing communicating and
organising music education] and later
also ‘Konzertpädagogik’ [the execution of
music education by orchestras and concert
organisers]. Both expressions refer
to a pedagogical approach of orchestras,
ensembles and concert halls when organ -
ising various types of musical projects to
communicate with a predominantly young
audience. Orchestras, ensembles and
concert halls stage concerts for children,
organise series of workshops with musicians
or sponsored collaborations with
cultural institutions. These activities signal
the increasing ambition of arts administrators
to take responsibility for the musical
education of children and adolescents
and to develop sustainable strategies together
with schools and universities. In
English speaking countries, all these activities
are subsumed under the expression
‘music education’.
The two foundations Stiftung Mozarteum
Salz burg and Robert Bosch Stif -
tung jointly initiated a study, analysing
the quality of the music education activities
of international orchestras and concert
organisers. To this end, 40 guided
interviews with selected organisers and
developers of educational projects were
conducted in Europe and in the USA.
Their quality criteria were col lec ted and
systematically categorised. A documentary
film produced in association with
the study introduces five successful projects.
It gives a vivid insight into the diversity
of music education projects, covering
all ages from infants to adolescents
and all styles from classical to modern.
The study is based on the extensive
knowledge and experience of all participants,
reflecting many hours of intensive
communication between practitioners
and academics to identify results for discussion
in the world of music education.
Several parameters relating to the
work of education managers and music
educators can be used to evaluate the
success of any project or scheme. The
study introduces several criteria relating
to the structure, the processes and the
results of music education projects so
that they can be considered.
Education managers and music educators
apply their own personal standards to
their work. At the same time, they are
aware of regional and international trends
in their field, which is becoming more professional
and differentiated. The study is
a first step to provide a struc ture in which
to analyse and interpret the individual approaches
and to offer guidelines to concert
organisers and orchestras when developing
music education schemes.
THE RESEARCH DESIGN
The study was conducted in five stages.
The quality of music education offered
by concert organisers and orchestras
was explored from various perspectives.
A range of methods was used to develop
a systematic list of quality criteria covering
what is needed to produce quality
projects and how to ensure content quality.
The results are made available worldwide
in order to help education managers
and music educators to develop
strategies of self evaluation, as well as to
encourage further discussion about high
quality music education.
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Stage I
Assessment of the current state of music
education in German speaking countries.
Stage II
40 guided interviews (20 face to face, 20
via telephone) during which education
managers and music educators from
concert halls, orchestras and ensembles
in Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Great
Britain, Luxemburg, France, Spain, Portugal
and the USA were asked about
their work.
Stage III
Expert conference on quality definition
and quality criteria in music education
in Stiftung Mozarteum Salzburg from 8
to 10 July 2009. Results from the initial
interviews were discussed.
Stage IV
Film documentary featuring five successful
projects in Europe. Development of a
self evaluation questionnaire for education
managers and music educators to support
reflection on and documentation of their
work.
Stage V
Analysis, categorisation and documentation
of all collected data relating to quality.
Compilation of results and completion
of study.
Selection of interviewees
Concert organisers and ensembles were
selected to provide a representative
overview of music education activities.
Limiting the sample group to 40 interviews
means that only anecdotal evidence
can be given and not an all-inclusive
insight into all types of projects.