Musikalische Grundschule (Musical Primary School)

In many schools, musical education happens only in the brief time allotted to music class. We believe music should be incorporated into every possible aspect of classroom activities. After all, music - even if mainly popular music - plays a huge role in children's lives. And there's no question that children enjoy music, but Germany's primary schools often let this enthusiasm go to waste.

Hesse's Ministry of Education and the Bertelsmann Stiftung are working to give music a central role in learning. In each of two pilot phases during the 2005/06 and 2006/07 school years, 21 primary schools in Hesse will work toward becoming "Musical Primary Schools." The title designates an institution that places a special emphasis on music education beyond its traditional format.

Unlike programs that aim to strengthen music education itself, a Musical Primary School incorporates music into classroom instruction across the curriculum and throughout the day. The project involves a long-term development process, with faculty and parents joining forces to steer and support the necessary changes.

During each academic year, the Hessian State Music Academy in Schlitz offers four multi-day continuing education sessions. In these classes, certified music teachers learn and develop methods for making music-based experiences the cornerstone of general education. These trained music coordinators then provide basic training for other faculty members on ideas and methods for integrating music into everyday classroom activities. As the individual schools develop their own programs, they help create a broader profile of the Musical Primary School and its approaches, which can be multifaceted.

For example, children can all be encouraged to sing, make music, discover instruments and use their voices in new creative, ways - but they also learn to pay attention to sounds, noise and silence. The children learn to listen to and playfully experiment with tones and everyday sounds. In a Musical Primary School, they discover the rhythm hidden in speech, play musical games with numbers, match tones to colors, build sound installations and their own instruments and much more.

Studies have shown that music-based activities nurture children's creative abilities, augment their joy in learning, support their psychological and emotional well-being and improve their social interaction skills. The musical schools partnership allows schools to tap this potential, using lively and engaging methods for creating an imaginative learning environment.