Curriculum and Assessment in Music Education in Russia

Abstract

“Music education does not mean educating a musician—it means first of all educating a human being.” This quote from a famous Russian educator Sukhomlinsky was used as the motto for the music education program in the Soviet Union from 1970–1991. The Russian music education system was widely known for excellence in performance and musicianship. This chapter provides an overview of music education movements in prerevolutionary Russia, as well as the rich and controversial history of Soviet music education from 1917 to 1991 and presents an overview of “new” trends in the system of music education from 1991 until 2016. Currently music education is an integral part of the preschool, elementary, and secondary curriculum even though the quality of music program varies depending on region, setting, administration, and individual teachers. According to the 2011 State Educational Standards, music is part of core curriculum in grades 1–9 (ages 6–14) and part of elective curriculum in grades 10–11 (ages 15–17). New curriculum development is now taking place in the general school setting, however, most of it based on the guiding philosophy and methodology of Dmitry Kabalevsky. This chapter explores the scope of music curriculum in preschools, general schools, specialized music schools, and music teacher training programs. It unfolds the methodological approach of Dmitry Kabalevsky and its outcome on the development of Russian music education policies and practice. It provides historical perspective on assessment policies, overview of assessment practices in music education, and discusses the present state of affairs in educational assessment in Russia.