Musical Propaedeutics

Too often, music is relegated to brief and marginal activities, based on the personal desires and inclinations of the class teacher. Under such conditions, we risk losing the fundamental value of educating "with" and "through" music, which contributes to the primary goal of all education: the individual's inner formation, that is, their growth through the development of intellectual qualities, for a better future social perspective. Since music, however, is a language full of meaning, it can become, if approached with the right and gradual methodology, both a valid subject for experimentation and an irreplaceable activity for the development of certain faculties, which would otherwise be under-stimulated and under-expressed.

Musical activity must connect, in an interdisciplinary manner, with other fields of experience, fostering the integration of all children, without sacrificing an active and playful methodology that characterizes it as an autonomous discipline. It is important to remember that musical activity in preschool should not be aimed at learning instrumental techniques as an end in themselves, nor at assimilating conventional musical codes, but should embrace a broader field of experimentation regarding sound and its qualities, including research into the timbre of musical instruments and, more generally, objects capable of producing sounds.

The Foundation therefore offers two different types of musical educational interventions, one more aimed at the daily discovery of the "musical environment" and one aimed at exploring only certain areas or topics agreed upon with the school teachers.

The project spans the entire school year, from mid-October to May, with 29 face-to-face sessions for each section of the school. During introductory music lessons, children will be exposed to the entire soundscape around them, exploring it musically with their bodies, voices, and instruments. The project also includes 10 hours during which the expert will plan and execute the musical aspects of the Christmas and end-of-year celebrations. At the end of the three-year program, children are invited to participate in a musical theater workshop, culminating in a major performance (including songs, choreography, scenes, fairy tales, etc.). This is one of the experiences that, if presented at appropriate times and in appropriate ways, can actively engage children not only in learning songs and dances, but also in enabling them to make musical choices for instrumental accompaniment. This involves evaluating the sound materials to be used, determining the duration and character of the performances, and discovering original performance techniques (both conventional and unconventional). The performance, in this way, emerges from the evocation of sounds that each child holds in their own personal experience, in particular sound spaces and familiar everyday situations.

The main contents

Discovering the immense sound heritage that characterizes the world around us through recognition, decoding, improvisation, imitation, and other practices is the first fundamental step in basic music education. These environmental-musical activities help children develop their auditory sensitivity, refine their memory skills, and understand the meanings of sounds.

Rhythmic activities, in turn, elicit new motor responses in children, at an age when they are not yet fully in control of their movements and the space around them. These stimuli foster the harmonious development of general motor skills, also contributing to the process of conscious identification and discovery of one's own body (psychomotor skills).

Singing is given considerable attention, both as a means of socialization and as a means of developing an instrument, such as the voice, with its numerous possibilities for sound, reproduction, imitation, and so on.

Listening plays an important role in the daily curriculum, and is aimed not only at listening to music from our own culture, but also from other cultures, to broaden our horizons of knowledge.” (From the project submitted by the C.G. Andreoli Music School Foundation)

The cost of the program is €47 per child; the school has chosen to offer this project to families as part of its District Improvement Project funding.