Teaching laypeople

Where people warn against “musical illiteracy”

Teachers from outside the subject area are increasingly having to pick up the guitar in secondary schools

(Bild: Hronek Eveline)

What do biology and music have in common? Not, you say? Well, in many local secondary schools, at least the teacher does. And that's despite the fact that some of them have no musical training at all . . .

The positive effect of music on the development of young people is well known by now. And yet this knowledge is apparently only reflected very little in the domestic school system. At least this applies to secondary schools.

Acute staff shortage
Every second music lesson at this type of school in Lower Austria has to be taught by teachers without the appropriate specialist training. When looking for replacements, principals mainly rely on teachers who have a private interest in music, who may even play in a band or music ensemble, and the Directorate of Education offers further training for "non-professionals".

Imagine you are a geography or German teacher and have to stand in front of a class and sing or play music with the children. That will be difficult.

Eva Bauer, Präsidentin des Österreichischen Musikrats

Rapid remedy required
However, only around 500 certified music teachers currently teach "professionally" at local secondary schools. This is too few to meet demand, the Austrian Music Council has sounded the alarm. It is calling for the education authorities to react quickly: "Otherwise there is a risk of musical illiteracy," the experts say.

Lack of training places
The problem could only be solved by training music teachers. Specifically, there are now calls for a doubling of the corresponding study places at the Vienna University of Music or an additional training center.