The Formative Process of Musical Knowledge Based on the Japanese National Curriculum: A Proposal from the Viewpoint of ‘Constructivism’

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to examine the characteristics of musical knowledge and the process of its formation from the perspective of constructivism.
In the rapidly changing and unpredictable modern society, the meaning of knowledge acquisition and its methods are being reconsidered. Instead of making the goal of education to memorize or accumulate a lot of so-called ‘one-line knowledge’, it is crucial to think about the underlying principles, causal relationships, or systems and make discoveries from them. For this reason, constructivist thinking is currently attracting attention.
Constructivism has significantly influenced various aspects of Japan’s school education, such as its philosophy, learning content, evaluation framework, and learning methods. Therefore, in this paper, I first provide an overview of constructivist thinking and then examine the process of developing musical qualities and abilities in the Japanese National Curriculum. Furthermore, I present three music lesson plans to cultivate musical knowledge: understanding the dynamics of music (6th grade), the relationship between music and work (8th grade), and the history of changes in popular music (12th grade). Finally, I propose some essential settings for us to design an environment that fosters self-directed learning among pupils and students.