Alexandra Kertz-Welzel

The Pied Piper of Hamelin: Adorno on Music Education

Whilst the German philosopher Theodor W. Adorno (1903-1969) is widely known for his innovative ideas on music, aesthetics and sociology, he was also one of the most prominent critics of German music education before and after World War II. He argued against humanistic and idealistic philosophies of music education, which pursued a transformation of human beings through making music. For Adorno, music education should be focused on the music itself and the education of musically critical and self-determined students. The main intent of this article is an examination of Adornos critique of music education, specifically in terms of the misuse of music education for ideological purposes. This article draws on examples of Adornos work not yet translated into English, to question and challenge current practices of music education.

Didaktik of music. A German concept and its comparison to American music pedagogy

Didaktik of music is the science and art of teaching music in terms of determining goals, contents and methods. It is both a scholarly field of research and a teacher’s craft. Didaktik raises issues which neither curriculum research nor pedagogical methodology address in the same way. The main intent of this article is to present important issues concerning the German Didaktik of music, and to make comparisons to the approaches in the United States. By framing Didaktik in view of American music education as a prominent and familiar system, both practical and theoretical issues may be clarified. The concept of a comparative Didaktik of music is also introduced, allowing for more specific questions of pedagogy and curriculum to be raised which do not feature in studies to date.

Music education in the twenty-first century: a cross-cultural comparison of German and American music education towards a new concept of international dialogue

Comparative Music Education is often considered to be an unnecessary subject because there seem to be more important issues for research than studying music education in various countries. Comparative music education is not a luxury, but rather a necessity in the twenty-first century. Scholars and music teachers in many countries are struggling with similar problems such as teacher training, performance-based or general music education, classroom management or standards in music education. It would be useful to improve the exchange between various traditions of music education both in terms of developing more effective methods in comparative music education and concerning teacher education programmes emphasising music education as an international endeavour. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the opportunities of comparative music education by comparing German and American music education, particularly investigating the fields of general, performance-based and multicultural music education.

In Search of the Sense and the Senses: Aesthetic Education in Germany and the United States.

The author asserted that art has educational power and is able to improve appreciation as well as activate creative energy. Art is a way to transform the individual through its aesthetic power. Although these ideas sound similar to some approaches in arts education, this quotation does not represent the ideas of an art educator or a music educator. It is a quotation from one of the most powerful and most dangerous believers in the transforming power of art and music, in particular-Adolf Hitler (1889-1945). His ideology matched perfectly with the ideas of German music education in the 1930s, and therefore music education was a significant part of the school curriculum during the Third Reich. One of the most tempting ideas for music educators is the claim that music is capable of transforming human beings and their society. The idea of the educational power of music starts at least with Plato. Since the 1950s, aesthetic education has emphasized the aesthetic value and educational power of music. The German and the American concepts of aesthetic education are significantly different, but as a result of historical developments, they also share some similarities. The main intent of this paper is to analyze crucial issues of aesthetic education that exist in Germany and the United States. By comparing the two approaches, some core issues of music education will also be revealed in terms of idealistic dreams that are intent on making the world a better place

General Music Education in Germany Today: A Look at How Popular Music Is Engaging Students.

Orff? Are German music teachers not using the Orff approach? Are students not learning instruments? What about German choirs? Music education in Germany today is general music education, which is meant to be comprehensive. It is an amazing array of musical styles, experiences, and possibilities. There are some characteristics of general music education in Germany today that might be interesting for music teachers who want to know about music education in other parts of the world.

The "Magic" of Music: Archaic Dreams in Romantic Aesthetics and an Education in Aesthetics

Music serves many different functions in human life, accompanying everyday activities such as working, shopping, or watching TV, as well as creating an individual world of sounds in which to relax, to enjoy life, or just to escape into one’s dreams. Tia DeNora describes this personal use of music as a technology for the self and quotes Mireille, a contract cleaner, who thinks that “everybody should listen to music. It helps you to be calm, relaxed, to see your life differently.”2 This desire to change minds or moods and perhaps to be personally transformed by music also motivates adolescents to listen to their music giving them a strong feeling of self-identity and helping to relieve boredom, get through difficult times, or reduce tension.3 Although this obviously everyday use of music is usually different from the life-changing strong experiences with music which Robert Panzarella4 or Alf Gabrielsson5 investigate in their research, it nevertheless shows the natural human desire to use music to transform emotions or experience life more intensively. Certainly, adolescents do have different kinds