Goal 2: Quality

Assure that arts education activities and programmes are of a high quality in conception and delivery

Under goal 2, the Bonn Declaration focuses on the basic requirements for reaching high quality in music education. It examines how training institutions for educators, and educators themselves, meet these quality demands. Music education practitioners include music teachers, general teachers and pedagogues in formal, non-formal and informal settings.
A high quality of music education contributes to personal development. Therefore:

  • High quality music education practitioners need to be involved in music education at theearliest stage (already at pre-kindergarten and pre-school education) and to be included in all steps of music education throughout the life-long learning cycle.
  • All musicians who entering into music education must receive the pedagogical training providing the necessary academic, practical and social foundations for their work. Ideally this should be included as a compulsory element in the professional training of the musician. Likewise, all education professionals should receive musical training in order tounderstand the value of music.
  • Music Teacher Training:Training must be modernised to equip the teachers with the most up-todate methods and tools;Learning outcomes of music teacher training should be used as tools for the (re)development of curricula;The status of the music teacher and music educators must be raised.
  • Continuous professional development must be offered to all music education practitioners.
  • High quality evaluation systems need to be established for all levels of music education (higher education, music in schools, non-formal and informal sectors) in order to ensure the development of innovative pedagogies that will engage a diversity of learners. These systems should include criteria for defining the learning outcomes as well as the teaching.
  • A shared understanding of quality between the different educational settings should bedeveloped.
  • Cooperation between formal education institutions and non-formal and informal music educations settings should be increased and partnerships, for instance between musicians and teachers, encouraged.
  • The exchange of best practices at local, national and international level needs to be reinforced.

 

Go to Goal 3: Social & Cultural Challenges