Methodological Centre

In 1992, on the initiative of the Ministry of Education and Science, a project was developed and approved, which led to the establishment of a special-purpose interdepartmental workplace for the further education of teaching staff (DVPP) of primary art schools, conservatories, secondary schools and universities with a focus on the teaching of playing a musical instrument. The author of the project prof. Alena Vlasáková has been leading courses in piano playing since the beginning. In the academic year 1992/1993, in addition to piano, courses in string and wind instruments were opened. Initially, these were four-semester courses, which included: group instruction in the methodology of the instrument, Pedagogy and Psychology, Pedagogical Seminar and Interpretation Seminar; individual instruction in the instrument and Pedagogical Consultations. The piano studies were concluded after the first year with classified credits before a committee, and in the second year with committee examinations in the subjects of Methodology, Psychology, Pedagogy, Piano Playing, Teaching Practice and the defence of the final written thesis.

The training of piano teachers was constantly expanding, and the high demand for inclusion in continuing education and DVPP courses significantly exceeded the school’s staffing and space capabilities after the first two years. In the academic year 2003/2004, over one hundred teachers from all levels of art education were trained in the courses of the Method Centre for Piano Performance. Thanks to the great interest in the possibility of other forms of professional training, the range of courses is constantly expanding, along with the number of top-level lecturers and the equipment of the Method Centre with modern study materials and aids.

After the first six years of these courses, 150 teachers graduated in piano pedagogy and requested the establishment of a subsequent four-semester course in which they would have the opportunity to further deepen their knowledge and practical skills. Therefore, the original project was expanded to include an additional four-semester course for graduates of the previous course. In addition to the Methodology, Piano Playing, Individual Teaching of Correpetition, Consultations with Pupils, Pedagogical and Interpretation Seminars, the course included courses in Piano Performance Theory, History and Literature of the Piano, Instructional Literature, Four-hand Piano Playing, and the teaching of the Methodology of Piano Playing at the Conservatory and at the Faculty of Education. In the fourth semester, graduate students had the option of choosing at least two courses in which to take a board examination. At the same time, a basic four-semester course was also taught throughout the course. A further 120 graduates completed this course. At the end of the basic and subsequent four-semester course, graduates were issued with a Certificate of Completion (later changed to a Certificate for legislative reasons) indicating the subjects studied and an evaluation of the results achieved. Courses were held on Saturdays, when both collective lessons for a given year and individual lessons took place; in addition, all students were given the opportunity to participate in pedagogical and performance seminars common to all years. Depending on individual possibilities, students attended lessons on one to three Saturdays a month. The basic scope of compulsory attendance was one hundred hours per year.

The courses were attended by teachers mainly from the Czech Republic, a large group from Slovakia, as well as individuals from Sweden, Turkey, Ukraine, Russia, Poland and Japan. For several years, piano teachers of the blind or severely visually impaired, graduates of the Deila Conservatory for the Visually Impaired, have also taught in a special group. HF JAMU created suitable conditions for them to be able to fully learn with other students.

At a time when there was a need to help piano teachers to master their knowledge and skills in professional English and German, the MC education was expanded to include four additional courses, English at the Piano and German at the Piano, where students were introduced not only to their chosen languages, but also to practical teaching of model pupils, orientation in professional text or understanding of spoken text at masterclasses, depending on their language maturity. The courses used specially designed study materials and multilingual dictionaries; the students of the time concluded their language studies with a board examination. This offer is not up-to-date today, given the increasing level of language training for piano teachers at conservatories and universities.

For each of the current graduates, the Method Centre provides an opportunity for permanent contact with new knowledge in the field of piano playing and pedagogy in two ways. Firstly, in the form of further continuous study in four-semester courses, where the graduate can freely choose subjects from the offer of four types of courses according to his/her needs, and within their framework, he/she can also draw up his/her individual study plan, and secondly, in the form of studying a two-semester course (MC Club), where students can choose individual lectures, seminars and individual lessons of their choice.

The MC has an extensive collection of study materials, sheet music, books and other teaching aids, it is equipped with audiovisual equipment and audio and visual media as well as an ever-growing electronic library on the JAMU document server. This equipment also serves the students and teachers of the Department of Piano Performance of the JAMU Faculty of Music, especially in the study of piano pedagogy, and allows for richer consulting and research activities of the MC. MC listeners are also provided with access to the JAMU library, and are invited to concerts and other professional events of the school related to their profession. During the covid pandemic, the Methodology Centre made use of its technical facilities and courses were conducted online, including education on how to deal with the issue of teaching students online.

The “Koncertík Agency” developed its consultancy and organizational activities on the premises of the MC, which enabled piano teachers to offer each other exchange concerts of their classes and related trips at home and abroad, mutual friendly acquaintance, rich experiences of pupils and professional discussions of teachers. These activities continue to be organised by student teachers in MC courses and by graduates of the courses, to provide further opportunities for informal exchange of experiences and greater motivation for pupils to study piano and apply their achievements.

MC HF JAMU lecturers are renowned artists and teachers, regular members of juries of national and international piano competitions, perform at lectures, seminars, concerts and lead performance courses in the Czech Republic and abroad. They also lecture more and more frequently in cycles with a long-term educational programme, which are dedicated to different age groups of students or professionally specialised groups of teachers, and are organised at primary schools, conservatories and universities or in cooperation with Pedagogical Centres in various regions of our country and abroad.

At the performance seminars of MC courses, participants are introduced to the performances of outstanding piano students at the JAMU Faculty of Music and exceptional performances of students of conservatories and ZUŠ. Winners of national and international piano competitions are regularly invited to these seminars.

Many graduates of the Methodology Centre are now actively involved in MC lectures and seminars, where they pass on their experience to other colleagues.

In the long term, the influence of the Method Centre on the quality of piano pedagogy and performance can be observed and documented. It is reflected in the pedagogical work of the students and graduates of the Method Centre in many ways. Statistically clear are, for example, the high participation and success of their pupils in artistic competitions, the performance of pupils and teachers at performance and pedagogical seminars, the rising level of preparation of pupils for conservatories and universities of artistic direction, and the considerable expansion of the activity of teachers in their places of work, where they bring not only new knowledge and study materials, but also an atmosphere of cooperation and enthusiasm for finding new ways and possibilities for improving the quality of teaching. However, the fact that they are able to educate pupils to understand valuable music, to develop their taste and to evoke love for art and respect for its creators is also an important moment for evaluating the success of the graduates’ pedagogical work. Many of MC’s graduates are not only educators, but also leaders and managers or serve as methodologists. Within the MC, a wide range of cooperation has been established, both between Czech and Slovak teachers, and more and more international contacts are being established. The department has also concluded a cooperation agreement with the Central Arts Council of the Czech Republic. The Methodological Centre publishes a specialised magazine Pianissimo, available free of charge on the portal https://pianissimo.cz/, where you can also find the topics of individual lectures, seminars, concerts and other current MC information.