Music in Maltese state secondary schools developing the syllabus and raising standards

Abstract

Music is considered a multisensory experience which encompasses and focuses on listening, seeing, moving and the emotional aspect of the human awareness. All these elements are considered important in the music curriculum as they enhance, stimulate and develop sensory perception and psychomotor skills. The main objective of this paper is to present detailed and structured revisions to the current Secondary Education Certificate (SEC) syllabus so as to reflect the ideal principles and standards that are required at this stage. Apart from providing the necessary materials and resources to support both teachers and learners, a more comprehensive approach and holistic organisation is needed in the syllabus and music curriculum. This paper also aims to enable the SEC syllabus to help pupils attain and sustain the standards required by other European universities/colleges.