On peculiarities of musical education in junior classes

Straipsnyje atskleidžiama muzikinio ugdymo svarba jaunesniajame mokykliniame amžiuje bei muzikinio ugdymo ypatumai. Iškeliama pradinių klasių mokytojo muzikinės kompetencijos problema. Aprašomas tyrimas, kuriuo siekiama išsiaiškinti pradinių klasių mokytojų požiūrį į muzikos pamokas bei mokytojų muzikinį pasirengimą ir galimybes vesti muzikos pamokas.Pre-school and junior school age is favourable to the development of musical abilities. Untrained musical abilities at that age become stable, and further teaching of music becomes difficult. The syllabi of musical education at primary school present high requirements: the education has to be complex, well-balanced and consistent, it has to ensure the pupils' participation in the school's musical life, to provide them with necessary musical training and to meet their inborn need to create and to learn. The diagnostic survey shows that music at primary school is often taught by primary school teachers without special musical training. The analysis of their knowledge of the subject and the methods of its teaching, as well as their attitude to music, showed that these teachers feel a shortage of knowledge of music theory, do not play music instruments or can poorly play one instrument. All this determines a limited range of musical activities employed in music lessons, a negative attitude to music lessons, even attempts to substitute other activities for them. Such an attitude of teachers to music lessons (and to music at large) is fast adopted by pupils. On the basis of the results of our research, the attitude of pupils to music changes for the worse already in the third form. Music lessons do not appeal to the pupils any longer, and musical activities do not bring any joy. Having summarised the results of our experiment, we think music lessons at primary school should be taught by teachers with special musical education. The teacher's creativity, his personal qualities, a positive attitude towards music is the best way to bring pupils closer to the values of music