96559 - Pedagogy and Didactics of Music

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student: - knows the history of Pedagogy and Didactics of music, also in relation to the History of music; - includes the contributions coming from the musicological disciplines and from various humanistic disciplines (philosophical, psycho-pedagogical, anthropological, sociological) to the modern conception of Pedagogy and Didactics of music; - learn some techniques of transposition of musical knowledge in terms of listening, production and History of music; - develop competences in the didactic planning of musical education learning unit aimed at understanding music in history and culture.

Course contents

The course aims to convey a music pedagogical and didactic model centered on democratic education and, therefore, aimed at teaching students how to understand music in history and culture. The course is divided into two parts (15 + 15 hours), the first being mostly theoretical and methodological in nature, the second more practical and operational, focusing on the didactics of listening and the didactics of musical composition and creative sound processes.

PART I (first 15 hours)

The epistemological foundations of Music Pedagogy and Music Didactics will be covered, along the following lines:

• the relationship with Musicology, on the one hand, and with Educational Sciences, on the other;
• the interdisciplinary contributions from various disciplines, both musicological and humanistic, particularly philosophy, psycho-pedagogy, anthropology, and sociology, to the modern concept of Music Pedagogy and Music Didactics;
• the most advanced teaching theories and methodologies applied to music education.

PART II (second 15 hours)

Several practices for transposing musical knowledge will be explored:

• didactics of listening;
• didactics of production (performance, composition, improvisation);
• didactics of the history of music.

The National Guidelines for the 2025 Curriculum will also be addressed as a reference for school planning:

https://www.mim.gov.it/-/indicazioni-nazionali-per-il-curricolo-scuola-dell-infanzia-e-scuole-del-primo-ciclo-di-istruzione

To this end, students will complete specific exercises led by tutors. The exercises will aim to conceive, design, and implement a learning unit ideally aimed at students of various levels. The exercises will help develop competences in designing music education programs aimed at understanding music in history and culture.

Readings/Bibliography

1. C. Cuomo – G. La Face, Music Pedagogy in relation to Musicology and Educational Sciences: three areas of intervention, con G. La Face, «Arti Musices», vol. 51, 2020, p. 95-104 (la docente renderà disponibile questo titolo sulla piattaforma IOL).

2. G. La Face Bianconi - L. Bianconi, The intellectual task of musicologists in the building of a European citizenship, «Musica Docta. Rivista digitale di Pedagogia e Didattica della Musica», IV, 2014, pp. 1-5. On line:

https://musicadocta.unibo.it/article/view/4301/3751

3. C. Cuomo, Dall’ascolto all’esecuzione. Orientamenti per la Pedagogia e la Didattica della musica, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2018.

4. C. Cuomo, Didattica della musica, in Enciclopedia della musica contemporanea, direttori scientifici E. Assante e S. Cappelletto, vol. D-J, Roma, Treccani, 2025, pp. 76-79.

5. G. La Face Bianconi, La didattica dell’ascolto, in «Musica e Storia», vol. XIV, n. 3, dicembre 2006, pp. 511-541.

6. C. Cuomo, Storia di un giovane romantico in cammino. I “Gesellenlieder” di Gustav Mahler, in “Musica e Poesia son due sorelle”. Percorsi di ascolto per la scuola, a cura di G. La Face e N. Badolato, Milano, FrancoAngeli, 2022, pp. 268-294.

7. C. Cuomo, La valenza formativa della musica d’arte a scuola, da «Nuova secondaria», XL, n. 6, febbraio 2023, pp. 48-54.

8. C. Cuomo, Formazione musicale storica e culturale e didattica della composizione musicale e dei processi creativi sonori: un’ipotesi metodologica, in Arti, linguaggi e panorami educativi. Il sostegno dell’educazione musicale al raggiungimento delle competenze chiave, a cura di M. Morandi e A. Rosa, Pisa, ETS, 2025, pp. 123-135.

 

For those wishing to delve deeper into the psycho-pedagogical and general didactic aspects, especially for the purposes of the thesis, we suggest:

- Cesare Cornoldi, Chiara Meneghetti, Angelica Moè, Claudia Zamperlin, Processi cognitivi, motivazione e apprendimento, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018;

- Patrizia Scelleri e Felice Carugati, Introduzione alla Psicologia dell'educazione, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2020.

Teaching methods

The course is delivered through lectures, which will also involve the collaboration of experts for some in-depth areas.
The second part, which will focus on laboratory work, will include exercises prepared during specific meetings, under the guidance of tutors.

Assessment methods

For the exam, students must:
1. deliver a 15-minute lecture (9,000 characters, including spaces, if written) on a topic (i.e., a title) of the candidate's choice. The lecture must be introduced, before the presentation, by at least four key concepts, to be explained to the instructor and on which the student has based their preparation. While remaining within the scope of the chosen topic, the student will take into account the entire exam bibliography in preparing the lecture.
2. write a learning unit on a short piece of Western art music intended for preschool, primary, lower or upper secondary school students (structural understanding and functional-contextual understanding): for this test it is essential to consult the National Guidelines for the 2025 Curriculum (for the link see above, section 'Contents').
3. Report on a recent concert or performance of art music: students should bring their program books (those who fail to bring a program book will be deducted one point from their exam score). For this exam, students will be required to:
- briefly outline the pieces from a musical-historical perspective;
- describe their overall structure or focus on just a part of it (for example, a Sonata, a Symphony, or individual movements);
- express a critical evaluation of the performance: to do this, students are recommended to carefully prepare their listening experience on a structural, formal, and historical-critical level before the concert.
A comprehensive understanding of the topics covered, mastery of the specific language, originality of the reflection, and familiarity with the concepts of music pedagogy will be evaluated with excellent to good marks. A predominantly rote or rote understanding of the subject matter, poorly structured synthesis and analysis skills, correct but not always appropriate language, and an unclear grasp of the subjects, content, and methods of Music Pedagogy will result in a fair grade. More or less serious learning gaps, inappropriate language, poor knowledge of Music Pedagogy, and a lack of bibliographical guidance will result in a barely satisfactory or failing grade.

PLEASE NOTE - Students with learning disabilities (LD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: please contact the relevant University office promptly (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it). This office will advise the students concerned of any adaptations, which must be submitted to the instructor for approval 15 days in advance, who will evaluate their suitability, also taking into account the course's learning objectives.

Teaching tools

Videos, PowerPoint presentations, Word documents.

Any teaching materials will be added to the IOL platform over the course.

Office hours

See the website of Carla Cuomo