Dear Reader,
You are holding a joint publication by lecturers and professors at the Faculty of Music of the University of Debrecen.
The collection contains studies which are all closely related to music yet illuminate different fields in a kaleidoscopic manner.
The rich intellectual potential is provided by colleagues who understand, pursue, and represent their respective field skilfully.
Our publication can benefit students in higher music education as well as practising music teachers, music researchers, and any reader who is interested in the transformations of music education, the mechanisms and psychological contexts of music processes, or the changes in receptive attitudes.
Our rich collection comprises pieces of methodological and didactic research, the publication of which contributes to teachers’ and students’ activities becoming more effective and to the elevated efficiency of music teacher training by exploring the results and problems of musical art education.
Constantly changing educational structures and the requirements of the age require up-to-date information in the field of music education. The application of new methods, alternative music pedagogy, and the emergence of extracurricular settings in education are all forcing professionals to continually innovate.
The idea of the personality-shaping power of music education is as old as mankind, and has received great emphasis in all periods of human cultural history. The dichotomy of music as a cultural field draws attention to the relationship between affective and cognitive components. Scientific interest is focused on how the joy and ability to gain experience can be related to the acquisition of theoretical knowledge and elements of education, with respect to the fundamental nature of artistic activity. Research aims to help train music teachers more effectively.
New findings of methodological and didactic research provide assistance in raising the standard of music education at all levels. Innovative elements of novel teacher education also have an impact on primary and secondary education.
Studies about the developmental impact of musical abilities on cognitive functions have drawn attention to the fact that the effect of musical transfer extends beyond cognitive transfer. Examining the role played by public education and by the family in art education and cultural interest assesses the complementary effects of the two social spaces. The topic of socio-economic status is also explored; in particular, the issue of overcoming cultural disadvantages in family capital is assessed. The focus is on creating equal opportunities through music education in the framework of social responsibility. Researchers studying the subsequent effects of music education have found that effective education creates an adequate motivational foundation for higher values and promotes social mobilisation. The emerging taste quality becomes a formative factor in terms of social role and career. The studies depict the effectiveness, possibilities, and problems of music instructors’ and teachers’ work, thus aiding music teacher training, especially in concert pedagogy, and clearly contribute to the education of a more knowledgeable and empathetic generation with higher emotional intelligence. In relation to social responsibility, the possibility of creating equal roles and opportunities through music education is in the focus.
Judit Váradi
editor