Research Plan of the Music Education Department

Priority Line of Research of the Faculty of Education

Music-historical, music-pedagogical and theoretical-aesthetic probes into the musical culture and regional subcultures

Sponsors

Involved Academics

Description

The subject matter of the priority line of research is the music culture and regional subcultures that are examined from three, mutually interconnected aspects: music-historical, music-pedagogical and theoretical-aesthetic. Original research in the field of music historiography, music regional studies, music pedagogy, music theory and music aesthetics will be implemented through team cooperation of the academic workers of the Music Education Department at the Faculty of Education, and the Regional Music Culture Study Centre. The ambition of the priority line of research is to generate monographs and scientific studies applied, above all, in the assessed databases of WoS and SCOPUS; the study results will also be presented at national and international conferences.

The following methods will be used within the priority line of research: musicological methods – historical-comparison method, including the more specific method of the philological-historical study of sources, the method of critical comparison of related manifestations and cultural-historical analysis; music-pedagogical methods; methods related to music theory and music aesthetics – complex analysis of musical work, interpretation procedures of depth hermeneutics, semantic analysis and narrative analysis.

Reasoning

The priority line of research continually follows the music-historical and music-pedagogical studies in the music and cultural space of Ostrava and at the Music Education Department in Ostrava from the mid-20th century to the present (e.g., František Míťa Hradil, Vladimír Gregor, Ivo Stolařík, Luděk Zenkl, Jan Mazurek, Karel Steinmetz etc.). Representative and current topics in the music culture and regional subcultures that have social and economic consequences within the context of cultural life will be resolved within the priority line of research. The priority line of research has an interdisciplinary attribute from the view of musicological discipline systematics. The fulfilment of the priority line of research presumes intensive cooperation with domestic (such as the Ostrava Municipal Archive, Ostrava Museum, Silesian Regional Museum, school facilities, libraries) and foreign institutions, as well as with selected external colleagues. The stated line of research is closely related to the conception, implementation of the doctoral field of study of Music Theory and Education, and to the outputs in the form of dissertation work themes.

More Detailed Characteristics of the Priority Line of Research of the Faculty of Education on Music-Historical, Music-Pedagogical and Theoretical-Aesthetic Probes into the Musical Culture and Regional Subcultures

1. Music-Historical Probes

The musicality of teachers in Austrian Silesia in the 18th and 19th century, the effect of song folklore on the work of local composers in the past and present, music culture of the Polish, Germans and other ethnic groups living in North Moravia and Silesia in recent times (Karel Steinmetz); the life and works of Ostrava musicians (Jan Mazurek); the history of Czech/German general and specialised music education and music educational activities in Ostrava in 1890-1945, music-educational literature until 1918, in 1918-1938 and 1939-1945, music and dance folklore in Ostrava in the past and present (Jiří Kusák); Czech music education in the inter-war and protectorate period, reform tendencies in inter-war Czech music education (Jiří Kusák, Jan Mazurek); music-historical research in the field of choral music – personalities, trends (Jan Spisar); choir culture (Daniela Střílková).

2. Music-Pedagogical Probes

Probes into the area of the history of didactics/methodology of music education as a source of inspiration for contemporary music-educational practice (Jiří Kusák), history and listening to music with emphasis on music and culture of the 20th century and non-artificial music, namely on the relation between music and film, music-pedagogical research of a cross-cutting, comparative, field, individual as well as complex character, film as a means of music popularisation and school education in music history, specifics of Romany music culture and music-pedagogical work with Romany children, a musical project as a means of self-realisation of talented grammar-school students (Veronika Ševčíková); a specific pedagogical style as an identifier of a high form of professional expertise of the teacher, known as pedagogical mastery (Veronika Ševčíková, Jiří Kusák); contemporary choral compositions and dramaturgy of high-school choirs, modern didactic methods, new and unusual approaches promoting progressive principles of studies of choral scores (Jan Spisar), stylistic interpretation, conducting (Daniel Střílková); playing the piano, including composing piano accompaniment, piano improvisations and the issue of choral/orchestral scores with didactic crossover, current trends in teaching students at elementary schools of art in the field of music (Jaromír Zubíček).

3. Theoretical-Aesthetic Probes

The first area of the research includes the application of the theory of archetypes and central terms of depth psychology in musicology, or music theory and music aesthetics (archetype and symbols) in music as an interpretation category. The reach of exploration of the possibilities in using archetype in music is also aimed at interpretation of movement and transformations of music cultures as a global whole with inner dynamics and autonomous processes. The second area of the research focuses on music narratology, narrative analysis of the music discourse, namely in the 20th century. Music structure is understood as a specific narrative, various narrative strategies in music interpretation are examined. The specifics of the interpretation of choral compositions (Daniela Střílková).


Updated: 19. 01. 2024