ABSTRACT

In elementary school music education, the text book is one of the main materials for music learning. The text book is developed basing on the music currciulum. In 1955, a music curriculum was developed for the first time and have changed in 1963, 1973, 1981, and 1987. According to the curriculum, music text books were developed and have changed every time a few years late. The purpose of this study was to observe the contents of those text books in each period and to make suggestions appropriate for the development of music text books for the next periods. The following suggestions were addressed: 1) Since 1973, music educators have developed a relatively advanced music curriculum gradually emphasizing the ideas of the conceptual approach. However, the contents of music text books have been structured according to difficulty and in seasonal order of musical pieces. The contents of the books should be re-structured basing on the spiral and conceptual approach to music teaching and the concept of confrehensive music education by framing lesson units according to the concepts of musical elements and activities. 2) Korean-based repertoire should be provided with as the main materials for school use. Musical materials based on the traditional Korean music idioms provide students with oppertunities to cultivate appreciation for their cultural heritage and to become acquained with other cultures. 3) The contents of music text books should be structured with the aim of integrative musical activities including singing, playing, listening, moving, and creating to develop the concepts of musical elements. 4) The most rewarding experience in music learning is creating and performing students` own compositions. Exploring and observing of musical phenomena, deciding why it occurs and what its effects are, and creating their own music are very special experiences and serve as the greatest motivation for music learning. Therefore, the contents of music text books should be structured with the aim of providing a variety of creative musical activities. ECN