TRAINING IN MUSICAL EDUCATION
Primacanta
Singing is the simplest way for children to discover their own musicality – and the earlier they start, the better. But singing often gets the short end of the stick in primary schools because teachers haven’t been trained to teach music. So we devised Primacanta in 2008 as a qualification enabling primary school teachers to give singing lessons to children.
For whom?
Primary school teachers in Hesse
Aim
Qualifying primary school teachers to give supplemental music lessons as a way of encouraging primary school children to enjoy singing.
Duration
Two years, ten days
Location
Throughout Hesse
A voice for each and every child
It was an ambitious goal: if possible, all Frankfurt children should be able to say ‘I can sing and I like singing!’ by the time they leave primary school. Yet Primacanta is now offered throughout Hesse by the Landesmusikakademie, the state’s own music academy. The training programme for primary school teachers extends over two years, and between phases at the academy the teachers receive coaching for teaching their own lessons.
A systematic change
Thanks to Primacanta, the Crespo Foundation has been able to achieve a real change in the way music is taught. The training has been offered regularly since 2008 and has been run by Landesmusikakademie Hessen since 2017. The Frankfurt University of Music and Performing Arts (HfMDK), which is responsible for training students to teach music in Frankfurt schools, has also integrated ‘singing with children’ into its curriculum.
In 2012, Primacanta was acclaimed as an excellent educational idea at the Ideen für die Bildungsrepublik (Ideas for the Land of Ideas) competition. In 2009, Primacanta received the Inventio award for music education from the German Music Council and the Yamaha Music Foundation in Hamburg.
Public highlights of the programme are the annual singing meet-up on Frankfurt’s Römerberg square, on Melsungen’s market square, and at other locations in Hesse. Other big singalongs are planned for 2023 and 2024, as well as a revival of the sister programme PrimacantaKita for educational staff in nurseries and childcare facilities
Primacanta in numbers
140.091
children
369
teachers
15
schools
‘Since I’ve been implementing what I learned from Primacanta in music lessons, we’ve all – the pupils and I – found music lessons more fun! The children join in more which leads to a noticeable vocal and tonal improvement.’
Primacanta on Video
Partners
Primacanta has been run by Landesmusikakademie Hessen since 2017 with the support of Hesse Ministry of Culture, Sparkassen-Kulturstiftung Hessen-Thüringen and the Crespo Foundation.
Contact
Martin Richter
Landesmusikakademie Hessen
