Reality of ‘Enjoyable Life’ of the Elementary School in a Historical Viewpoint of Music Education

Abstract

This research proceeds from posing a question whether the ‘enjoyable life’ in Korea is justified from a vantage point of music education. The writer highlights historical contexts between the general school music class and the ‘enjoyable life’ as an integrated subject. And then, the curricular for the ‘enjoyable life’ are analytically examined for the connection between music class and the ‘enjoyable life’. In ancient times, a comprehensive music education was recommended as it is shown in works of Confucius or Plato. Music was also a significant subject matter in elementary schools in the Christian culture where singing hymns established an educational tradition as a process of socialization. However an aesthetic and humanistic approach, for example by Rousseau or Pestalozzi, is regarded as the cornerstone of modern music education in elementary school. The ‘enjoyable life’ in Korea emerged in 1980s which seemingly succeed to traditional music class, and eventually claimed an independent subject, but from the perspective that music curricula can lead holistic development in children, it has been unsuitable for integrative education. Thus, the writer proposes to restore the music class instead of ‘enjoyable life’ in elementary school and to enhance teaching methods for integrated music education.