“When the music teacher sings,

the whole nation sings”

Anu Sepp
Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
Estonians – a singing nation

2
 TRADITION

 CONTINUITY

3
Joint singing in Estonian musical heritage

• Runic songs – carry an important message to

participants and audiences and forms their feeling of
unity
• Congregational singing
- Singing in village and parish schools (at Laiuse
parish school in 1822, singing lessons were held
every day)
– The first Estonian music books for schools – 1864 by A.
Erlemann and in 1868 by F. Kuhlbars
• Choir singing
 Cimze seminar

• 1849 - 1881 in Valga to train

teachers and parish clerks of
Livonia
• about 120 Estonians studied there
• very good music education
(harmony, improvisation,
composition, choir singing, folk
songs (arrangements)
• the choir movement in Estonia that
lead to the first Song Festival in
Tartu in 1869
Janis Cimze
Innovative educational ideas at the beginning of the 20th
century

• Pupil centredness

• Nationality

• Integration between
different subjects
Johannes Käis
• Creativity
RIHO PÄTS
(1899-1977)

– Relative music reading

system (based on tonika-do
method - Vilho Siukonen)
– Shifting quater note
– Playing instruments
(recorder, percussion
instruments,mandolin)
– Joint singing

Anu Sepp 2010 7

1960s in Estonian music education

Prof. Heino Kaljuste in collaboration with

prof.Riho Päts
• JO-LE-MI method
• Orff-instrumentarium
• Music specialized classes
• Kabalevski’s method of
music listening
• New music syllabi and music
books
(1925 – 1989)
Anu Sepp 2010 8
Estonian general music education

• The whole concept of Estonian music education - by the end of the

1930s by Riho Päts
• Music education – from kindergarten to the end of upper secondary
school (gymnasium)
• Since 1962 – special Song festivals for children and youth
– 1st, 28.06–1.07.1962, Tallinn, 17 760 participants
– 11th, 1.–3.07.2011, Tallinn, 32 500 participants

• The holistic system of music education

(ideas of Orff, Kodaly, Päts + new
pedagogies)
Music education in Estonian general
education

• Estonian National Core Curriculum

(valid from January 28, 2010)
• Distribution of music lesson hours in
general education (per week)
– Basic school

• stage I grades 1−3 2+2+2 lessons

• stage II grades 4−6 2+1+1 lessons

• stage III grades 7−9 1+1+1 lessons

– Upper secondary school
• 3 courses 3 x 35 lessons
Estonian music syllabus

•singing
•playing musical instruments
•musical movement
•composing
•listening to music and musicology
•musical literacy
•educational outings
(National Curriculum,2011).
 Choir singing

• A voluntary subject
• About 555 choirs - 226 toddlers’, 168 childrens’,
55 boys’, 64 mixed, 11 male and 28 female choirs
(according to 2011 Youth song festival)
• TIMETABLE – as a subject but not in all schools
• So far, usually not added to music teacher’s
hourly working load
MUSIC TEACHER – THE KEY PERSON
Music teachers’ qualification

• music is taught usually by music subject teacher

(from kindergarten to upper secondary school)
• music teacher - choir conductor (up to 1990s)
• 2002 curriculum reform in university education
– “….is allowed to work in positions requiring the …. degree or
appropriate qualification”
• 2013 new teacher education requirements
– “…has received training in working as music teacher in
basic and upper secondary school”
 Music teacher training in
Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre

Bachelor’s degree – usually 3 years, 180 EAP

A Professional subjects 30 EAP
–Music didactics ( Orff pedagogy, Kodaly method, pre-school music)
– Educational science and psychology
B Practical music subjects 100 EAP
–Choir
–Conducting and vocal training
–Music instruments (piano, recorder, 6-string zither, guitar) and solfege
–Rythmic music (pop, jazz, rock)
–Choir music (optional)
–Electronic music(optional)
C Music theory, history and general studies 35 EAP
–Music history
–Music theory and analysis
–Other humanitarian subjects and general studies
D Bacholor examination 10 EAP
E Elective subjects 5 EAP
 Music teacher training in
Estonian Academy of Music and Theatre
Master’s degree – usually 2 years, 120 EAP
emphasis on teacher training:
Master’s studies 100 EAP
- vocational studies (general studies 24 EAP; didactics 12EAP;
practice 24 EAP) - 60 EAP
- professional studies 24 EAP
- general studies 10 EAP
- elective subjects 6 EAP
Master’s thesis 20 EAP
Model of pedagogical thinking level
(Kansanen, 1991, 1993)
Model of pedagogical thinking in music
education context
   
THINKING LEVEL  ESSENCE OF MUSIC TEACHERS’ THINKING 
   
METATHEORY  - vision of music education’s task in the society and pupils’ everyday life 
LEVEL  - the ability to consider critically the traditions of music (subject) didactics and reflect one’s 
own teaching through this critical analysis 
- awareness of the history of music education, traditions, values 
- understanding about the philosophical underpinnings of music education 

OBJECT THEORY   
LEVEL  - perception of/about the music education syllabus as part of the school curriculum 
-  awareness  of  the  theoretical  criteria  of  the  music  subject:  objectives,  main  concepts, 
formation of the content and structure in teaching –learning process 
- ability to reflect on music teaching techniques, methods, approaches in one’s own practice 
 
   
ACTION LEVEL  - basic knowledge of music subject content and skills 
-  perception  of  different  techniques,  methods  and  models  that  are  most  suitable  for  music 
teaching 
-  ideas  of  the  musical  skills  of  the  students  and  about  the  main  problems  connected  with 
content learning 
- a vision of the main differences between different groups and its impact on the whole music 
teaching process 
-  contextual  solutions  in  music  subject  connected  to  content  prioritization  in  the  music 
syllabus of national curriculum 
- ability to create suitable music material and find appropriate repertoire 
 
Use of music teaching ideas and methods
Use of music practices
 Correlations between music practices and methods
(Estonia)
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2tailed).
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2tailed).
***. Correlation is significant at the 0.001 level (2tailed).

D2.25   D2.26  D2.27  D2.29   D2.210  D2.7C 

D2.23   D2.24  Listening to  Studying the  Learning  D2.28  Involved in  Improvise,  D2.7B  Emile  D2.7D  D2.7F 
D2.21   D2.22 Playing  Musical  Integrative  pieces of  history of  elementary  Concerts,  arts  compose their  D2.7A  Zoltan  Jaques- Shinichi  D2.7E  David 
Estonia Singing instruments movement creative tasks music music theory excursions teamwork own music Carl Orff  Kodaly  Dalcroze  Suzuki  Riho Päts  Elliot 

D2.21  Singing 1 0,060 0,013 -0,050 0,177 0,122 0,118 -0,153 0,128 0,082 -0,076 -0,022 0,074 0,018 0,032 0,062

D2.22 Playing instruments 0,060 1 ,514(**) ,277(**) -0,058 -,270(**) 0,115 0,092 0,178 ,447(**) ,276(**) 0,064 0,132 0,114 0,117 -0,064

D2.23  Musical movement 0,013 ,514(**) 1 ,320(**) -0,003 -,303(**) 0,137 0,117 ,205(*) ,442(**) 0,149 -0,077 0,168 -0,060 ,195(*) -0,013

D2.24  Integrative creative tasks -0,050 ,277(**) ,320(**) 1 0,123 0,065 -0,018 ,297(**) ,316(**) ,220(*) 0,130 0,056 ,245(*) ,199(*) -0,025 0,182

D2.25  Listening to pieces of 
0,177 -0,058 -0,003 0,123 1 ,431(**) ,238(*) 0,127 -0,012 -0,077 -0,086 0,032 0,088 0,025 -0,029 0,020
music
D2.26 Studying the history of 
0,122 -,270(**) -,303(**) 0,065 ,431(**) 1 ,200(*) ,257(**) ,190(*) -0,115 -0,007 0,062 -0,006 0,045 -0,057 0,051
music
D2.27 Learning elementary 
0,118 0,115 0,137 -0,018 ,238(*) ,200(*) 1 0,072 ,203(*) ,237(*) 0,031 0,056 -0,028 -0,106 0,006 -0,066
theory

D2.28Concerts, excursions -0,153 0,092 0,117 ,297(**) 0,127 ,257(**) 0,072 1 ,257(**) 0,184 0,064 0,042 0,114 ,191(*) -0,102 ,191(*)

D2.29  Involved in arts 
0,128 0,178 ,205(*) ,316(**) -0,012 ,190(*) ,203(*) ,257(**) 1 ,327(**) 0,120 0,041 ,228(*) ,281(**) 0,057 ,263(**)
teamwork

D2.210 Improvise, compose 
0,082 ,447(**) ,442(**) ,220(*) -0,077 -0,115 ,237(*) 0,184 ,327(**) 1 ,373(**) 0,171 ,193(*) 0,175 0,095 0,133
their own music

D2.7A Carl Orff  -0,076 ,276(**) 0,149 0,130 -0,086 -0,007 0,031 0,064 0,120 ,373(**) 1 ,574(**) ,280(**) ,287(**) ,301(**) 0,163

D2.7B Zoltan Kodaly  -0,022 0,064 -0,077 0,056 0,032 0,062 0,056 0,042 0,041 0,171 ,574(**) 1 0,170 0,084 ,290(**) ,281(**)

D2.7C Emile Jaques-Dalcroze  0,074 0,132 0,168 ,245(*) 0,088 -0,006 -0,028 0,114 ,228(*) ,193(*) ,280(**) 0,170 1 ,559(**) 0,116 ,660(**)

D2.7D Shinichi Suzuki  0,018 0,114 -0,060 ,199(*) 0,025 0,045 -0,106 ,191(*) ,281(**) 0,175 ,287(**) 0,084 ,559(**) 1 -0,071 ,508(**)

D2.7E Riho Päts  0,032 0,117 ,195(*) -0,025 -0,029 -0,057 0,006 -0,102 0,057 0,095 ,301(**) ,290(**) 0,116 -0,071 1 0,035

D2.7F David Elliot  0,062 -0,064 -0,013 0,182 0,020 0,051 -0,066 ,191(*) ,263(**) 0,133 0,163 ,281(**) ,660(**) ,508(**) 0,035 1
Correlation of musical practices, their internal
connections and factor patterns in Estonia
Estonian Society for Music Education

• founded in 1990
• About 286 members
• Support music teachers in their
everyday work;
• Mediation of the newest
information in music education;
• Develop international
communication;
• Offer possibilities for inservice
training.
Curriculum Development: Theory and Practice
Hilda Taba, 1962

...schools function on behalf of the culture in which they exist. The

school is created by a society for the purpose of reproducing in the
learner the knowledge, attitudes, values, and techniques that have
cultural relevancy or currency.[---] ...of the many educative
agencies of society, the school is the one which specializes in
inducting youth into the culture and is thus responsible for
the continuity of that culture.
(Taba, 1962,11)

...Koolid toimivad selle kultuuri huvides, milles nad eksisteerivad. Koolid on loodud
ühiskonna poolt eesmärgiga kanda õppijas edasi neid teadmisi, suhtumisi, väärtusi ja
oskusi, millel on kultuuriline tähtsus või väärtus. [---] ...just kool on see paljudest
ühiskonna haridusasutustest, mille ülesanne on juhtida noor kultuuri
juurde ning seega kanda vastutust selle kultuuri säilimise eest.

17
 Music as part of identity

• If I forget the song

and the language,
will I remember
myself?

Jaan Kaplinski
Thank you for your kind attention!