Statistics regarding music education in Poland in the interwar period

Abstract

Statistical issues regarding music education in the 2nd Republic of Poland have not been discussed thoroughly so far. This article attempts to do so. The source material comprises statistical data from the Ministry of Art and Culture, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Education, as well as articles published in music literature of the interwar period. Presented statistics cover music schools, solo singing schools, schools for organists, schools of eurhythmics and art dance, as well as drama schools. Music was taught in all the aforementioned institutions, therefore reports treated all these schools en bloc. Existing sources enumerate schools, their managerial staff and the establishments’ addresses. Preserved statistical data also enabled a more detailed analysis, such as, for instance, recognition of pupils’ preferences as regards their choice of instruments, as well as music education accessibility in various parts of the country. The preserved statistical source material is probably incomplete, does not show a full picture of the then music education. It presents, however, with great accuracy, the figures regarding this type of education. Statistical information was collected truly meticulously by the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Public Education, particularly in the late 1920s and in the 1930s. Along with primary and secondary education, music education became an important element of the overall education system in the interwar period.