Didaktik of music: a German concept and its comparison to American music pedagogy

Didaktik of music is the science and art of teaching music in terms of determining goals, contents and methods. It is both a scholarly field of research and a teacher’s craft. Didaktik raises issues which neither curriculum research nor pedagogical methodology address in the same way. The main intent of this article is to present important issues concerning the German Didaktik of music, and to make comparisons to the approaches in the United States. By framing Didaktik in view of American music education as a prominent and famil-iar system, both practical and theoretical issues may be clarified. The concept of a compar-ative Didaktik of music is also introduced, allowing for more specific questions of pedagogy and curriculum to be raised which do not feature in studies to date. Key words American music education, comparative music education, curriculum studies, German music education, pedagogy In Germany as well as in other north European countries, Didaktik is at the core of teaching and teachers ’ education. The German Didaktik raises issues which neither curriculum research nor pedagogical methodology address in the same way. However, outside the German tradition, Didaktik is virtually unknown, particularly the Didaktik of music. The main intent of this article is to present important issues concerning the German Didaktik of music, utilizing a comparative approach in order to discuss concepts that may otherwise appear dense and theoretical. By framing Didaktik in view of American music education as a promi-nent and familiar system, both practical and theoretical issues may be clarified. The concept of a comparative Didaktik of music is also introduced, allowing for more specific questions of pedagogy and curriculum to be raised which do not feature in studies to date