The case method as a tool for improving the professional training of future music teachers

Abstract

The article is devoted to the scientific understanding and the search for practical solutions to the problem of improving the professional training of future music educators for their professional activity by means of case methods. Scientific sources concerning the origin and evolution of the case method as a pedagogical technology and the peculiarities of its implementation in the national education system are analysed. The universal characteristics and algorithms for working with educational cases are determined. The significance of case methods for improving the quality of professional training of future music educators is theoretically substantiated. The tasks of the case method in the professional training of future music educators are outlined. Its potential as a unique platform for the integrated application of various educational information, knowledge, and skills acquired through studying different disciplines, as well as for enhancing independent and team-based research and creative work of students, is highlighted. A number of performance- and methodology-oriented disciplines are identified, in which the specific features of the future professional activity of a music educator are most comprehensively reflected and which are the most appropriate for the implementation of the case method. Problematic areas of professional activity of a music educator that can serve as a basis for developing practical cases are outlined. The fundamental requirements for the content, structure, and pedagogical support of educational cases are specified, and approximate examples of their application in the process of professional training of future music educators in higher education institutions are provided. The effectiveness of case methods as pedagogical tools capable of improving the training of future specialists in the field of music education is proven.

Keywords: music educators; professional training; case method; fundamental requirements; areas of application; development algorithms; pedagogical support; music-pedagogical activity.