Discussions with Teachers
GA 295
6 September 1919 P.M., Stuttgart
Translated by Katherine E. Creeger
Third Lecture on the Curriculum
This morning it was pointed out that we can give only general guidelines for music, just as it is possible to give only general guidelines for the visual arts. The details, of course, must be left to the teacher’s independent initiative. If you take these general guidelines in the right way, you will find that, basically, they are able to incorporate whatever you may find reasonable as musical instruction.
In the first, second, and third grades, we will essentially be dealing with very simple musical relationships, which should be applied with a view to developing the human voice and listening ability—that is, we should use the element of music to call upon the individual to use the human voice and the element of sound properly, and also to listen appropriately. I’m sure we all understand this.
Then come the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades. By then we will already be involved in explaining musical notation and will be able to do comprehensive scale exercises. Especially in the fifth and sixth grades, we will be able to go into the different keys and talk about D major and so on. We should wait as long as possible before introducing the minor keys, but by this point they too can be presented to the children.
However, the important thing now is to work from the opposite of our original point of view—that is, to get the children to adapt to the demands of music. This means leaning more toward the esthetic in our teaching. At first the children themselves were the focus, and we had to structure everything so that they would learn to listen and sing. But after having been encouraged in this during the first three grades, the children should then begin to adapt to the artistic demands of music, and the pedagogical element becomes the focus.
In the last two elementary grades—the seventh and eighth—I ask you to take into consideration the fact that the children must no longer have the feeling that they are being “trained” to do something, but must feel that they are making music for the pleasure it gives them, for the sake of enjoying it. This must be the thrust of our instruction in music. Therefore, during these two years the children’s musical judgment can be awakened and educated. We can make them aware of the different character of different pieces of music, of the difference in character between a work by Beethoven and a work by Brahms. In simple ways, therefore, we should encourage the children to form opinions about music. Earlier, it was important to refrain from such opinions and judgments, but now we must cultivate them.
Now it will be especially important to understand one thing. You know I said something very similar this morning about the visual arts—that the way we initially use drawing allows writing to develop out of it. Later, however, drawing is used as an end in itself, and art itself becomes the important thing. As soon as the children progress from utilitarian forms of drawing and painting to developing independent artistic forms—in the third or fourth grade—it is also time to make the musical transition just described. At first we must work to affect the children physiologically; our work must help them adapt to the art of music. There should be a correspondence between these transitions in the graphic arts and in music.
One thing in the state curriculum is to our advantage—that there is no physical education instruction during the first three grades. So we may take the opportunity to begin with eurythmy. It would be very nice if eurythmy could be done in harmony with music instruction in the first grade, so that eurythmy would in fact help the children adapt to geometry and music. Not until the second grade would we begin to develop the gestures for the letters. This would be continued in the third grade, always linking eurythmy to music, geometry, and drawing.
Forms are added in the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades—for concrete and abstract expressions, and so on—since by now the children will have made enough progress in grammar to make this possible. This is continued in the seventh and eighth grades, but the forms become more complicated.
Starting in the fourth grade, this slot in the schedule is divided between eurythmy and physical education. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth grades, instruction in physical education should focus on the movement of the limbs and include everything that has to do with running, jumping, and climbing. Any exercises on gymnastic apparatus should be kept simple.
More complicated exercises involving equipment should not be done until the seventh and eighth grades. Meanwhile, the free-form exercises should be continued, and they should still all involve running, climbing, and jumping. If you go through all of what you’ve been able to conclude, I’m sure you will find that it agrees with the way I have tried to present this.
Dritter Lehrplanvortrag
Wir haben am Vormittag schon darauf hingewiesen: in ähnlicher Weise, wie nur allgemeine Linien angegeben werden können für das BildendKünstlerische, so kann man auch für das Musikalische nur allgemeine Linien angeben. Das einzelne muß selbstverständlich der pädagogischen Freiheit überlassen bleiben. Und da würde ich nun bitten, diese allgemeinen Linien so zu betrachten, daß sie im Grunde genommen alles eingliedern lassen, was man für vernünftig halten kann im musikalischen Unterricht.
Im ersten, zweiten und dritten Schuljahr wird man es ja im wesentlichen zu tun haben mit einfachen musikalischen Verhältnissen. Und diese einfachen musikalischen Verhältnisse sollen so benützt werden, daß der Gesichtspunkt der ist: an dem, was man pädagogisch zurichtet im Musikalischen, Stimmbildung und Gehör des Menschen, des werdenden Menschen, heranzubilden. Also der Gesichtspunkt ist, das Musikalische so zuzurichten, daß es geeignet ist, den Menschen zum richtigen Bilden des Stimmlichen, des Tonlichen, und zum richtigen Hören aufzurufen. Wir verstehen uns wohl darin.
Dann kommt das vierte, fünfte und sechste Schuljahr. Da wird man ja auch schon drinnen sein in der Zeichenerklärung, der Notenerklärung. Man wird schon umfassende Übungen machen können in der Tonleiter. Namentlich im fünften und sechsten Schuljahr wird man auf die Tonarten eingehen können. Man wird da schon D-dur und so weiter haben können. Mit dem Moll muß man möglichst lange warten, aber es kann doch schon auch in dieser Zeit an das Kind herangebracht werden.
Aber alles das, um was es sich dabei handelt, ist, nunmehr gewissermaßen nach dem Entgegengesetzten hinzuarbeiten: das Kind anzupassen an die Erfordernisse des Musikalischen, also den Unterricht mehr nach der ästhetischen Seite hinüberzutreiben. Zuerst soll das Kind die Hauptsache sein. Es soll alles so zugerichtet sein, daß das Kind Hören und Singen lernt. Dann aber soll das Kind, nachdem es in den ersten drei Schuljahren begünstigt worden ist, sich den künstlerischen Anforderungen der musikalischen Kunst anpassen. Das wird das Pädagogische sein, was dabei zu berücksichtigen ist.
Und in den beiden letzten Schuljahren, im siebenten und achten Schuljahr, bitte ich zu berücksichtigen, daß das Kind überhaupt nicht mehr das Gefühl hat, es werde «dressiert» zu irgend etwas, sondern daß das Kind schon das Gefühl hat, es treibe Musik, weil das ihm Vergnügen macht, weil es das genießen möchte, als Selbstzweck, zur Freude. Dahin hat der sogenannte Musikunterricht zu wirken. Daher kann in diesen zwei Jahren das musikalische Urteil geweckt und ausgebildet werden. Es kann schon darauf aufmerksam gemacht werden, welchen Charakter dieses musikalische Kunstwerk hat und welchen jenes hat. Welchen Charakter ein Beethovensches Kunstwerk hat und welchen Charakter ein Brahmssches Kunstwerk hat. In einfachen Formen also sollte man das Kind zum musikalischen Urteil bringen. Vorher muß man das musikalische Urteil zurückhalten, aber jetzt muß man es pflegen.
Es wird nun von ganz besonderer Wichtigkeit sein, daß eine gewisse Verständigung eintritt. Sie wissen, ich habe am Vormittag ganz das gleiche angegeben für ein bildendes Kunstwerk. Ich sagte: Zuerst verwenden wir das Zeichnen so, daß das Schreiben daraus hervorgehen kann. Dann wird das Zeichnen als Selbstzweck verwendet. Also es bildet dann die Kunst dasjenige, worauf es ankommt. In dem Moment, wo das Kind übergeht von den Utilitätsformen dazu, im Zeichnen und Malen die freien, künstlerischen Formen zu entwickeln, in dem Moment — also zwischen dem dritten und vierten Schuljahr - ist auch im Musikalischen überzugehen, so wie ich es bezeichnet habe; zuerst so arbeiten, daß es auf das Physiologische des Kindes ankommt; dann so arbeiten, daß das Kind sich der musikalischen Kunst anpassen muß. Also diese Übergänge im Zeichnerisch-Malerischen und im Musikalischen sollten eigentlich einander entsprechen.
Nun kommt uns im offiziellen Lehrplan eines zugute: da ist in den ersten drei Schuljahren überhaupt kein Turnen. Da beginnen wir also mit der Eurythmie. Und da wäre es schon sehr schön, wenn im ersten Schuljahre namentlich Eurythmie im Einklang mit dem Musikalischen getrieben würde, so daß tatsächlich die Anpassung an Geometrie und Musik in der Eurythmie besonders gepflegt wird.
Im zweiten Schuljahr würde man erst mit dem Ausbilden der Buchstaben beginnen, das man dann weiter fortsetzt im dritten Schuljahr; immer so, daß man immer wiederum an Musik und Geometrie und Zeichnerisches anknüpft.
Und dann im vierten, fünften und sechsten Schuljahr kommen hinzu die Formen, also für Konkretes, Abstraktes und so weiter, wobei solche Dinge für die Kinder ja möglich werden, weil sie in der Grammatik ja mittlerweile so weit vorwärtsgekommen sind.
Dann setzen wir das fort im siebenten und achten Schuljahr für kompliziertere Formen.
Vom vierten Schuljahr ab teilen wir die eurythmische Kunst mit dem Turnen, und zwar so, daß wir im vierten, fünften und sechsten Schuljahr «Gliederbewegen» im Turnen haben, dann alles das, was mit Laufen, Springen, Klettern zusammenhängt, und nur einfache Geräteübungen.
Kompliziertere Geräteübungen sind erst im siebenten und achten Schuljahr zu machen, in dem die freien Übungen auch fortgesetzt werden. Aber die freien Übungen sollen alle mit Laufen, Klettern, Springen zusammenhängen.
Wenn Sie das alles durchdenken, was Sie selber sich haben überlegen können, werden Sie das alles im Einklang finden mit dem, was jetzt auf diese Weise zu schildern versucht worden ist.
Third curriculum lecture
We already pointed this out this morning: just as only general guidelines can be given for the visual arts, so too can only general guidelines be given for music. The individual must, of course, be left to the freedom of the teacher. And I would now ask you to consider these general guidelines in such a way that they basically allow for the inclusion of everything that can be considered reasonable in music education.
In the first, second, and third school years, we will essentially be dealing with simple musical relationships. And these simple musical relationships should be used in such a way that the point of view is: to train the voice and ear of the human being, the developing human being, through what is taught pedagogically in music. So the point of view is to teach music in such a way that it is suitable for calling on people to develop their voice and tone correctly and to listen correctly. We understand this well.
Then come the fourth, fifth, and sixth school years. By then, the children will already be familiar with the symbols and notes. They will be able to do comprehensive exercises in the scale. In the fifth and sixth school years in particular, they will be able to learn about keys. They will already be able to learn D major and so on. You have to wait as long as possible with minor keys, but they can already be introduced to the child at this stage.
But all this is about working towards the opposite, so to speak: adapting the child to the requirements of music, i.e., shifting the focus of teaching more towards the aesthetic side. First, the child should be the main focus. Everything should be arranged so that the child learns to listen and sing. But then, after being encouraged in the first three years of school, the child should adapt to the artistic demands of musical art. That will be the pedagogical aspect to be taken into account.
And in the last two years of school, in the seventh and eighth grades, I ask that you take into account that the child no longer feels that they are being “trained” for anything, but that the child already feels that they are pursuing music because it gives them pleasure, because they want to enjoy it, as an end in itself, for the sake of joy. This is what so-called music education should aim to achieve. Therefore, musical judgment can be awakened and developed during these two years. Attention can already be drawn to the character of this musical work of art and the character of that one. What character a Beethoven work of art has and what character a Brahms work of art has. In simple forms, then, the child should be led to musical judgment. Before that, musical judgment must be held back, but now it must be cultivated.
It will now be of particular importance that a certain understanding is achieved. You know, I said exactly the same thing this morning about a work of visual art. I said: First we use drawing in such a way that writing can emerge from it. Then drawing is used as an end in itself. So art then forms what is important. At the moment when the child moves from utilitarian forms to developing free, artistic forms in drawing and painting, at that moment — that is, between the third and fourth school years — the transition should also take place in music, as I have described it; first working in such a way that the child's physiology is important; then working in such a way that the child has to adapt to musical art. So these transitions in drawing, painting, and music should actually correspond to each other.
Now, the official curriculum works to our advantage: there is no physical education at all in the first three years of school. So we start with eurythmy. And it would be very nice if, in the first year of school, eurythmy were taught in harmony with music, so that the adaptation to geometry and music in eurythmy is particularly cultivated.
In the second school year, we would first begin teaching the letters, which we would then continue in the third school year, always linking back to music, geometry, and drawing.
And then in the fourth, fifth, and sixth school years, forms are added, i.e., for concrete, abstract, and so on, whereby such things become possible for the children because they have progressed so far in grammar by then.
Then we continue this in the seventh and eighth school years for more complicated forms.
From the fourth school year onwards, we combine eurythmy with gymnastics in such a way that in the fourth, fifth, and sixth school years we have “limb movements” in gymnastics, then everything related to running, jumping, climbing, and only simple apparatus exercises.
More complicated apparatus exercises are only to be done in the seventh and eighth school years, in which the free exercises are also continued. But the free exercises should all be related to running, climbing, and jumping.
If you think through everything you have been able to consider yourself, you will find that it is all in harmony with what has now been attempted to be described in this way.