B8730 - PEDAGOGIA E DIDATTICA DELLA MUSICA (1) (LM)

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, musicale production (performance, composition, improvisation) and History of music; Such knowledge provides the student with: - competences in the intuitive reading of music and in its correlation with the cognitive processes associated during musical listening; - competences in the methodology of listening didactics; - competences in the didactic planning of musical education learning unit aimed at understanding music in history and culture.

Course contents

The course aims to provide a pedagogical and didactic model for music education centred on democratic education; to this end, it fosters an understanding of music within its historical and cultural context and promotes the development of critical and creative skills through the practice of musical composition.

The course is divided into two parts (8 + 7 hours). The first part, which is theoretical and methodological in nature, explains the fundamental structures of music pedagogy and didactics, their core epistemological content from the perspective of the general development of the human being, and their implications for music education in schools, viewed from a historical and cultural perspective. The second part, which is practical and hands-on, focuses on the teaching of listening, music composition, and creative sound processes, all of which are interconnected in a continuous relationship. AI will also be utilized through a critical and reflective approach. In this part, students will also learn basic techniques for planning school learning units, guided by the Curriculum Guidelines for Preschool and Lower Elementary School 2025 and the National Guidelines for High Schools 2026 (see item PLEASE NOTE in the Bibliography below).

Readings/Bibliography

The bibliographical references should be studied in the exact order given here:

1. M. Baldacci, Saperi scolastici e formazione democratica, in "Musica Docta", vol. 3, 2013, pp. 7-12. On line:

https://musicadocta.unibo.it/article/view/4014/3465

2. L. Aversano, Sostenibilità del 'classico' nell'educazione musicale scolastica, in "Musica Docta. Rivista digitale di Pedagogia e Didattica della musica", vol. 14, 2024, pp. 7-12, on line:

https://musicadocta.unibo.it/article/view/20899

3. C. Cuomo Educazione all’ascolto versus inquinamento musicale, in Musica sostenibile. Politiche culturali, ambiente, comunità, qualità della formazione, a cura di Simone Caputo, Fulvia Caruso, Lorenzo Chiarofonte, Carla Cuomo, Giorgio Ruberti, Lucca, LIM, 2025, pp. 169-178.

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

5. 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.

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. B. Martini, C. Cuomo, M. De Luca, Trasposizione didattica del sapere musicale: aspetti di contenuto e di metodo, in La musica tra conoscere e fare, Atti del convegno (Bologna, 16-17 maggio 2008), Milano, Angeli, 2011, pp. 123-156.

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.

PLEASE NOTE - An integral part of the course is the study of the Curriculum Guidelines for Preschool and the First Cycle 2025 (a) and the National Guidelines for High Schools 2026 (b):
(a) https://www.mim.gov.it/documents/20182/8952594/Indicazioni+nazionali+2025.pdf;

(b) https://www.mim.gov.it/-/pubblicato-il-testo-delle-nuove-indicazioni-nazionali-per-i-licei- .

The National Guidelines will be covered in detail during class, and students should refer to them for Part 2 of the exam.

For those wishing to explore the psycho-pedagogical and general didactic aspects in greater depth, particularly for the purposes of their thesis, we recommend the following:

- 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 entirely through lessons that alternate between traditional lecture-based teaching and workshop-based sessions founded on cognitive and metacognitive learning. This second approach involves the student’s active engagement in their own classroom learning experience through inductive-deductive problem-solving strategies, as well as through modelling (the teacher solves problems by showing students the thought process involved, thereby making mental processes, thinking strategies and potential errors visible), coaching and scaffolding (students perform certain tasks on their own, while the teacher offers help and support in problem-solving, gradually stepping back until the students gain increasing operational and conceptual autonomy) and, more generally, a continuously reflective approach that fosters critical thinking.

The second part, which involves workshops on the pedagogy of listening, music composition and creative sound processes, will also feature the collaboration of a number of experts.

Assessment methods

During the examination, students must:

1. deliver a 15-minute presentation (equivalent to 9,000 characters, including spaces, if written down) on a topic (i.e. a title) of the candidate’s choice, preceded by at least four key concepts to be declared to the examiner and on which the student has based the preparation of the presentation. Whilst remaining within the scope of the chosen topic, the student must take into account the entire examination bibliography when preparing the presentation;

2. write a learning unit on a short piece of Western art music, intended for pupils in nursery, primary, lower secondary or upper secondary schools (structural comprehension and functional-contextual comprehension): for this assessment, it is essential to consult the National Curriculum Guidelines for Preschool and the First Cycle (2025) and those for High Schools (2026) (for the link, see above, under “Texts/Bibliography”);

3. give an account of a concert or performance of art music they have recently attended: students must bring the relevant programme notes with them (students who do not bring the programme notes will have one mark deducted from their exam score). For this test, students must:

- to provide a brief historical and musical context for the pieces;

- to describe their overall structure or focus on just one part (for example: Sonata, Symphony, or individual movements);

- to provide a critical assessment of the performance: to do this, it is recommended that students prepare thoroughly for the performance in terms of structure, form and historical-critical analysis prior to the concert itself.

A holistic understanding of the topics covered, mastery of the specific terminology, originality of thought, and familiarity with the concepts of music pedagogy will be assessed with marks ranging from excellent to good. Largely mechanical or rote knowledge of the subject, poorly articulated analytical and summarising skills, correct but not always appropriate language, and an uncertain grasp of the subjects, content and methods of music pedagogy will result in moderate marks. More or less serious gaps in knowledge, inappropriate language, a poor understanding of music pedagogy and a lack of bibliographical guidance will be assessed as barely passing or failing.

PLEASE NOTE – Students with specific learning difficulties (SLD) or temporary or permanent disabilities: it is recommended that you contact the relevant University office in good time (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/it): the office will be responsible for proposing any necessary adjustments to the students concerned; these must, however, be submitted for the lecturer’s approval 15 days in advance, and the lecturer will assess their suitability, taking into account the course’s learning objectives.

Teaching tools

Videos, PowerPoint presentations, Word documents.
Any teaching materials will be provided to students as and when required throughout the course.
Non-attending students can access these materials on Virtuale or request themto the teacher.

Office hours

See the website of Carla Cuomo