In elementary music education, it is important to us to react to social changes and developments and, where appropriate, to respond flexibly to them through special study projects or seminars. At the same time, there are certain offerings that have been an integral part of the course for many years and have shaped it. These include the following areas of emphasis.
Methodology & Didactics
In the EMP course at the HfMT Hamburg, students are continuously supported in the development of their methodological and didactic skills. For example, there are foundation courses in which basic theoretical knowledge and more general backgrounds are developed, followed by methodologically and didactically reflective seminars linked to teaching practice and, finally, subject-specific knowledge is also taken into consideration.
The following sound memory was created as a project in the "Fundamentals of EMP" class, when we looked at the possibilities of making music and communicating music in digital formats. Have fun playing it!
Sound memory (by Gesa Kaiser)
Artistic
In the "Artistic Design" class, all of the practical musical experiences gained during the course come together to form an artistic form and are put into final individual performances by the students, which are presented to the public as part of the final Bachelor's examinations. A public performance of the EMP course takes place every year.
The following videos were created in the "Artistic Design" class on the topics of "Theater in Public Space" and "Digital Performance Formats" on the overarching theme of "Proximity and Distance".
Through walls of glass (by Caroline Breuninger)
Sometimes - Homage to the song "Sometimes" by Gerda Bächli (by Mario Suzuki)
Scientific
In EMP subject studies, the many practical experiences and theoretical findings are bundled together once again towards the end of the course and deepened by scientific findings from neighboring disciplines and current findings from music education.
The following two videos were created in the EMP subject science lessons in the summer semester 2020 and winter semester 2020/21, when we experimented with how to present acquired knowledge online.
Creativity (by Verena Brune)
Mindset according to Carol S. Dweck (by Christian Meznaric)
Improvisation
The development of improvisation skills is anchored in all subjects of the EMP degree program in one way or another. Here, musical improvisation at different levels of difficulty plays just as much a role as the methodological ability to (re-)act spontaneously in teaching. A flexible artistic and pedagogical attitude is tested and reflected upon in various ways during the course of study and ideally leads to what is generally described as improvisation as the spontaneous practical use of creativity to solve problems or questions that arise.