MUSICAL TRAINING FOR CHILDREN IN MUNICIPAL PRIMARY SCHOOLS OF UKRAINE IN THE SECOND HALF OF THE 19th – EARLY 20th CENTURY.

Abstract

The article examines the reformation of the music elementary education system in Ukraine in the second half of the 19th to the early 20th century. It reveals that the essence of these transformations was manifested in significant improvements in the quality of educational activities. It also describes the literacy level in the population of Ukraine at the end of the 19th century based on statistical data, which indicates the then-existing need for expanding the network of educational institutions.
The article explores musical training for children in Ukraine during the mentioned period, using the example of municipal primary school practices. It identifies the prerequisites for establishing municipal primary schools and provides a list of documents regulating the activities of these educational institutions. Special attention is given to the class-and-lesson system as a special thing about the teaching methods in the municipal schools at that time, and the fact that the number of students willing to attend those schools far exceeded the vacant studying places, indicating a high demand for this type of educational institutions.
Although singing and playing musical instruments were not included in the regular curriculum of such schools and were taught outside school hours, many educational institutions paid great attention to musical training. The article provides examples of teaching singing and playing musical instruments to municipal primary school students in different regions of Ukraine. The study examines the purpose, content, methods, and forms of teaching singing, provides a list of educational materials, and highlights the use of musical instruments during lessons. Additionally, it analyzes how singing evolved as a study subject while reforming the general elementary education system.
Studying the experience of elementary educational institutions in Ukraine in the second half of the 19th to the early 20th century remains relevant in modern times. Exploring the history of music education in municipal primary schools allows for an investigation of the fundamental conceptual approaches to musical training matters during the infancy of primary education in Ukraine and the development of its methodological and legislative foundations, significantly enriching historical-pedagogical knowledge.