training of music teachers in russia

7/28/2019 Training of Music Teachers in Russia

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Title:!Training!of!Music!Teachers!in!Russia!!

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Author(s):!I.!Pigareva!!

Source:!Pigareva,!I.!(1993,!Fall).!Training!of!music!teachers!in!

Russia.!The$Quarterly,!4(3),!pp.!36B38.!(Reprinted!with!permission!in!Visions$of$Research$in$Music$Education,$16(4),!Autumn,!2010).!

Retrieved$from$http://wwwCusr.rider.edu/~vrme/!!

It$ is$ with$ pleasure$ that$ we$ inaugurate$ the$ reprint$ of$ the$ entire$ seven$ volumes$ of$ The!

Quarterly! Journal! of! Music! Teaching! and! Learning.! ! The$ journal$ began$ in$ 1990$ as$ The!

Quarterly.! ! In$1992,$with$volume$3,$the$name$changed$to$ The!Quarterly!Journal!of!Music!

Teaching!and!Learning!and$continued$until$1997.$$The$journal$contained$articles$on$issues$

that$were$timely$when$they$appeared$and$are$now$important$for$their$historical$relevance.$$

For$ many$ authors,$ it$ was$ their$ first$ major$ publication.$ $ Visions! of! Research! in! Music!

Education$will$publish$facsimiles$of$each$issue$as$it$originally$appeared.$$Each$article$will$be$

a$separate$pdf$file.$$Jason$D.$Vodicka$has$accepted$my$invitation$to$serve$as$guest$editor$for$

the$ reprint$ project$ and$ will$ compose$ a$ new$ editorial$ to$ introduce$ each$ volume.$ $ had$

Keilman$is$the$production$manager.$$I$express$deepest$thanks$to$Richard$olwell$for$granting$

VRME$permission$to$reCpublish$The!Quarterly$in$online$format.$$He$has$graciously$prepared$

an$introduction$to$the$reprint$series.!


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Training of Music Teachersin RussiaBy I. PigarevaArt at School, Moscow

Prior to the Bolshevik revolution of1917, in Russia music education's pri-mary purpose was to support the reli-gious and moral upbringing of children. Mu-sical activity consisted mainly of church sing-ing and the use of other choral literature.After the revolution, as early as 1918, So-

viet schools incorporated a class called "Sing-ing Music" and the tasks of teaching wereconsiderably broadened. In the 1920s, thefoundation of modern music education inSoviet schools was formed by such outstand-ing figures in Russian culture as B. Asafiev, P.Blonsky, N. Bryusova, N. Krupskaya, A.Lunacharsky, S. and V. Shatskie, and B.Yavorsky. Nonetheless, Russian politicallife-the centralization of the country's gov-ernment-also affected the system of educa-tion. Soon, dictatorial policies were en-throned, and the artistic undertakings of mu-sic education were rudely trampled.Some rejuvenation of mass-scale musiceducation began in the late 1940s, and in the

1960s new programs in singing were ap-proved. Once again, choral singing was de-clared the basis of all school music lessons.By the end of the 1960s, however, the abso-lutely unsatisfactory condition of the arts inour schools became evident, as did the acutelack of qualified specialists in these areas.It is important to mention that in Russia,the government's departments of education

and culture exist independently, and eachmaintains its own educational institutions.Schools of the Ministry of Culture, for in-stance, accept musically talented young chil-dren at the musical elementary schools, and

1.Pigareva is thedeputy editor-in-chief ofArt atSchool and wasformerly a music teacher.

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the best pupils continue their studies in mu-sical high schools. Finally, the most giftedpupils study in the conservatories, thus ob-taining their higher education.Unfortunately, tradition holds that a con-servatory-trained person rarely works in mu-sic education, for that would mean "degrada-tion" to a "lower caste." While those whograduate from the conductor-choral divisionsof the secondary musical schools are offi-cially qualified in a secondary specialty as"teachers of music," they typically do notlong to work in our public schools. Further,these secondary music graduates' pedagogi-cal and methodical training leaves much tobe desired, and work in the general educa-tional schools of the Ministry of Education issimply too difficult for most.To remedy some of these problems, train-

ing for music teachers specifically for thegeneral educational schools was establishedin the early 1960s, and on the whole contin-ues to the present. As part of this process ofimprovement, pedagogical institutes wereformed and soon developed into music edu-cation faculties. Now Russia has about 20such faculties where students study for fourto five years to obtain their higher educationand qualify to become teachers of music inthe general education schools and the musi-cal high schools. Those who chose to be-come kindergarten music teachers, aretrained in high schools or special pedagogi-cal high schools.Generally, the future teacher of music,

prior to admittance to the musical-pedagogi-cal school or institute, attends elementarymusical school in either the performance orconductor-choral divisions or receives exten-sive musical training from a private tutor.Those entering a musical-pedagogical faculty

The Quarterly Journal of Music Teaching and Learning


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or division must pass competitive exams re-quiring knowledge of an instrument and mu-sic theory. Education at these institutes isfree of charge, and the students receive a sti-pend from the State during their study. AllRussian music education institutions lack suf-ficient quality musical instruments, andequipment and music literature are some-times located in old, dilapidated buildings.Despite these and other difficulties, many mu-sic education institutions con-tinue to produce highly quali-fied teachers.Recently, music teacher

preparation has incorporatedthe new school music pro-gram developed by D.Kabalevsky. In general el-ementary and secondaryschools, music is taught ingrades 1 thru 8 for one to twohours per week. In addition,these schools encourage vari-ous specialized musical andartistic "circles." In grades 9thru l l n, pupils study an in-structional unit entitled "TheWorld Artistic Culture." Of-ten this subject is taught byteachers with specialties inmusic, fine arts, or literature,as well by other teachers ac-tively involved in art. Theseschools also maintain specialcourses and groups for moreintensive teaching in the arts.Today, Russian schools demand much of

the teacher of arts in general, and of musicteachers in particular. A high level of profes-sional training, the goal of our music teachereducation institutions, was defined as earlyas 1926 by Russian music educator Asafiev inhis article entitled "Music in the Present-DaySchool of General Education." He stated, " ...the teacher of music ... must be both a theo-rist and a presenter, but at the same time amusic historian, music ethnographer, and aperformer who has mastered instruments soas to always be ready to direct attention ei-ther here or there. But the major thing isthat he must know music literature, i. e., asmany musical composi tions as possible .. . "

During this purely professional musicaltraining of the future music teachers, whichincludes such obligatory subjects as specialinstrument, solo singing, conducting, andtheory and history of music, every studentlearns to play an instrument, sings in thechorus, and masters the elements of conduct-ing and methods of leading musical lessons.Great importance is attached to courses ineducational psychology and music methods.

Students learn about thepsychology of creative mu-sical work, the actors' skills,the basics of oratory, thehistory and theory of musicpedagogy, and musical per-formance. Students maychoose courses such as"Children's musical theater"and "Instrumentation andchildren's orchestra." Animportant goal of the musicteacher education programis to move prospectiveteachers from a "knowl-edge-mastery-skills" valuesystem to a "think-to-, feel-to-, act-to-create" paradigm.The music pedagogy fac-

ulties in Russia are also thecenters of research activityin the field of music educa-tion. Leading this work isthe music pedagogy facultyof Moscow State Pedagogi-cal University, which con-

ducts postgraduate courses and graduates indi-viduals with the highest qualifications. It ishere, in a specialized council, that these re-searcher-musicians defend their theses.The Russian music education system also

seeks the improvement of the knowledge ofteachers who have graduated and are workingin the schools. In some Russian institutions ofhigher education, special correspondencecourses allow music teachers to obtain highereducation without leaving their employment.In Russia, teachers are required to com-

plete a short continuing education course ofone to three weeks every five years. The In-stitutes for Advanced Training of Teachers( IAIT) , which coordinates such courses, only

No-w-Russia hasabout 20 such

[music education]faculties -w-herestudents study forfour to five yearsto obtain their

higher educationand qualify to be-come teachers ofmusic in the gen-eral educationschools and themusical high

schools.

Volume IV, Number 3 37


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Music Teacher Preparation in RussiaA few years ago, future music teachers engaged in field experiences only

after first completing three to five years of study. Now, however, practiceteaching begins during the first year. Students, led either by their musiceducation professors or by experienced music teachers, first attend'lessonsas observers and gradually become involved with school pupils r . In thebeginning, the practice teachers have short talks with children about music,perform brief musical programs, and learn with children some favoritesongs. The practice teachers then may lead small portions ofmusiClessons,and later they prepare and teach entire lessons under the guidance ofacooperating teacher who is usually among best school music teachers inthe city. Apart from lessons, practice teachers can work with school choirsand attend philharmonic concerts and theatrical musicals with pupils.Music teacher education institutions also hold annual. artistic/teaching

competitions among students within the institution; students from differentschools and institutes compete with each other as well. These contestscarry great importance and prestige, for it is here that. the studentsdemonstrate the scope of their professional training. Atthe contests, theyappear as music performers, demonstrate lessons designed for the generaleducation schools, and display their skills in working with the children'schorus. Such contests last for two or three days and are conducted bymusic pedagogy faculties of pedagogical institutes in various regionsRussia once a year.

recently began to include courses for musicteachers. Now every regional center in thecountry offers IATI-sponsored courses taughtby highly qualif ied music educators. IATTteachers form creative groups, evaluate eachother's lessons, share opinions and impres-sions, exchange working materials , and eventravel to visit colleagues. Teachers' expensesfor IATI studies are paid by the Russian gov-ernment. The IATI also organizes chorusesin which teachers participate for the im-provement of their personal performance andmusical enlightenment. All this has consider-ably elevated the prestige of music teachersand their subject.The combined efforts of all these Russian

educational institutions cannot immediately

solve the problem of providing qualif ied mu-sic teachers for all the schools of Russia andthe Commonwealth of Independent States.Within our recent borders are over 60,000schools. In cities and large townships, theseschools can be quite large, but in rural areasand villages are many small schools and el-ementary schools. Unfortunately, one rarelyfinds teachers of music in these rural schools,and any music lessons that occur are taughtby primary teachers who also have responsi-bil ity for teaching mathematics, Russian lan-guage, and other subjects. Many have verylittle skill in music. It remains to the futurefor all the children of our nation to have ahighly qualified music teacher for their les-sons in school.

training of music teachers in russia

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