The Renaissance in Musical Education at Secondary Schools

Early music seems to be rather unpopular with both students and their teachers at secondary schools. The reasons of this fact vary from case to case. Some consider it too remote from the contemporary world and as such they see no reason why it should be a part of general education. Some teachers may like the music but do not know how to make it appealing for the students. This is why I chose the Renaissance music as the topic of my diploma thesis. I think the music is still very attractive, even though about 500 years old. It can be profound and funny, complex and simple, graceful and rough as much as the Renaissance people were. In the first part of my work I have analyzed the school curriculum and the current textbooks to see to what extent the students are expected to learn about the early music and what sources do they and their teachers have to use. The second part comprises my own project of five ninety-minute meetings in which students experience both the authentic music (listening activities) and lively work such as elementary composition, dances, and class orchestra performance. The students are supposed to share the preparation for the meetings by preparing short presentations. These presentations are planned in such way that altogether they should create the whole picture of the Renaissance..