I would like to draw your attention to a remarkable article, written by pianist and university professor Florian Hölscher of Frankfurt Music University, on hierarchies, abuse of power, and misconduct in classical music education. The author puts this sensitive issue into a historical perspective, relates recent developments to 19th-century Meisterlehre and aesthetics of artistic genius, elaborates on the example of the George circle as a prominent example of mental and sexual dependence, and introduces a typology of potential offenders in teaching relationships. This text was thankfully provided by courtesy of the author for the Pro Musik Magazine.
General
The Digital Music Theory Classroom
I tried to summarise all my recent experiences in technology-based teaching and developed some personal guidelines for the digitised music theory classroom. The comprehensive concept includes diverse forms of instruction, such as face-to-face, online and hybrid teaching, and also considers synchronous and asynchronous usage of collaborative cloud documents and whiteboards—a central element of my music theory classes during the last three years. Other components are learning management systems, open educational resources, and multimedial interaction by means of virtual music-making apps and MIDI devices. Please share your thoughts if this is somewhat inspiring to you, and let me know if you have additions or suggestions!
» View my teaching concept for the digital music theory classroom (in German language)
Schicksalslieder with Vokalsystem Berlin
Another intriguing choral weekend lies behind me, having performed music by Melissa Dunphy, Ēriks Ešenvalds, and Johannes Brahms with Vokalsystem Berlin, Johannes David Wolff and Adrian Heger at Martin-Luther-Kirche Neukölln in two subsequent concerts on 11 and 12 February. It’s been a fascinating event, taking place in sort of an enhanced-reality setting, featuring illumination, fog, and immersive surround vocalisation. Already looking forward to our next rehearsal period!
A Conspectus of Four-Part Harmony
The final week of my semester at TU Dortmund University is over, having reached an intriguing (and literal) climax in the examination of Scriabin’s Poem of Ecstasy, and finishing with the workshop concert of my historical composition seminar. Eleven pieces, created during the last months, were performed by the students themselves: Renaissance-style partsongs, Lutheran choral settings in Schütz’s and Bach’s idioms, and Romantic folksong adaptations in various four-part realisations. The vocal ensemble consisted of twelve dedicated students from the BA programmes in music education and music journalism, the latter of who contributed a number of written and spoken work introductions. This was quite a rewarding experience—many thanks to everybody involved!
Teacher Shortage and Issues of Qualification
Like many professions and businesses, music education in Germany is suffering from a severe lack of adequately trained staff, in particular at elementary schools. The umbrella organisation of German music life, Deutscher Musikrat, recently made a statement regarding the qualifications of music teachers and the demands and requirements set in their training. According to general secretary Christian Höppner, the standards of music teacher education should stay unaltered as they used to be in the past decades, emphasising the traditional subjects and ideals of our cultural heritage in order to prevent an allegedly impending deprofessionalisation.
In my opinion, this is a misjudgement and dangerously shortsighted strategy. The desolate current situation results from long-term adherence to outdated structures and values in the education of music teachers. Given that universities and cultural administrations have already changed their orientation and educational policies, the Musikrat’s claim appears highly anachronistic. Sticking to the elitist ideals of the educated middle class and lamenting the decline of formerly high standards is of no use and will lead even further into the crisis. Instead, we should foster the motivation of pupils and prospective applicants of music universities, and create stimuli to opt for a teaching profession in music by reshaping and diversifying curricula, integrating various musical styles and instruments to choose from, and reconsider the demands of entrance exams. Last but not least, the profession needs to grow more financially rewarding to strengthen its image and help to win higher numbers of applicants.
These strategies would account for the total opposite of deprofessionalisation, or even »betrayal of the educational chances of the youth«, as Höppner puts it. In fact, the situation would significantly improve if schools were able to hire well-qualified Bachelor graduates with sufficient practical experience instead of reacting to the declining numbers of Master graduates with a plethora of career changers and lateral entrants. We do not need long and difficult music education programmes, but larger amounts of university places and new applicants to satisfy present and future demands, and to comply with our responsibility to offer equal chances to the generations of students to come.