Teaching Music History in Higher Education: Problems, Methods, and Challenges

Abstract

This article examines contemporary music-history pedagogy in second-level and higher education, focusing on changes to the education system and the evolving cultural and cognitive conditions in which pupils and students learn. It argues that music history should not be reduced to the transmission of facts; instead, it should foster an understanding of historical processes, develop cultural competence, and situate music within the broader context of the humanities.

Particular attention is paid to the decline in music-school graduates’ preparation in music history, attributable in part to reduced teaching hours, curricular changes, and the diminished role of the diploma examination. The article also considers the consequences of the ‘negative digitisation’ of culture: fragmented knowledge, shortening attention spans, the predominance of short forms of communication, and the unreflective use of the internet and AI tools.

In response to these challenges, the author proposes a pedagogical model that combines traditional academic rigour with active-learning methods and neurodidactics. It encompasses problem-oriented lectures, peer learning, the flipped classroom, the use of musical examples and timelines, and strategies based on emotion, passion, collaboration, and connecting information. A competent lecturer-mentor remains crucial and should balance the potential of digital technologies with the need for sustained reflection, critical judgement, and independent thought.