Sustainable teaching and learning in music schools – a multi-perspect...

One of the central goals of music schools is to initiate sustainable teaching and learning processes that help inspire students to pursue long-term and self-directed engagement with a musical instrument or singing. In order to achieve this goal, education administrators, music school management, teaching practice and science must create appropriate conditions for success and develop empirically proven support frameworks. A number of measures for sustainable music school teaching are currently being developed in the Austrian province of Carinthia (Kärntner Landesregierung [Carinthian Provincial Government], 2023). One of these measures is the pilot project "Musikschule Plus", which was launched in two music schools in autumn 2021. All newly enrolled students at these schools attend a compulsory subject (the "Musikwerkstatt") once a week in addition to their instrumental lesson. The "Musikwerkstatt" is a group class in which the students are taught according to the GANZ in der Musik concept (Unterguggenberger, 2023). Verena Unterguggenberger's concept includes an interlocking of theory and practice and is intended to specifically promote both the motivation and the skills of instrumental and vocal students. 

In the first part of the panel, representatives of the music schools in the province of Carinthia will present their educational development concept and thoughts on increasing cultural and ecological sustainability. In the second part, the research team from the Gustav Mahler Private University of Music will explain the concept on which the accompanying research is based and discuss initial findings. Perspectives on the goal of "music-related independence", the pilot project "Musikschule Plus", and the underlying concept GANZ in der Musik will be discussed. In the third part, A. Lehmann-Wermser, M. Wieser and F. H. Müller, who are lending their expertise to the research project in Carinthia, will discuss aspects of sustainable teaching and learning against the background of their own research projects on instrumental teaching at primary schools (Lehmann-Wermser et al., 2014) and on motivation in music (school) lessons (Evans, 2015; Wieser & Müller, 2022). In addition, they will reference scientific findings on sustainable learning from other disciplines.

The panel will conclude with a discussion among all participants about the possibilities to sustainably develop the work of music schools through goal-oriented collaboration and the use of inter-institutional synergies.