San Marino Scuola Elementare Music Curriculum

The Istituto Musicale Sammarinese (IMS) collaborates with San Marino elementary schools, offering various music programs. These programs focus on active and cooperative musical experiences, emphasizing the emotional and affective dimensions of music. The IMS believes in music's value as a cultural and human asset, promoting it as an educational tool that integrates logical, perceptual-motor, and affective-social aspects of personal development. The programs primarily target first, second, and third-year students, with teacher training courses available for all elementary levels.

• "L'emozione mi fa.." (Emotion Makes Me..): This music animation project is for first and second-year students. The program runs from November to May and includes six workshop sessions with students and a preliminary organizational meeting with teachers. Two IMS facilitators lead the workshops within the school. The program aims to develop self-awareness and awareness of others through understanding, expressing, and regulating emotions. Activities include various musical listening experiences, vocal and instrumental production, sound effects, and body movement.
• "Suoniamo Insieme" (Playing Together): This introductory music project is for third-year students. The program runs from January to May and includes four workshop sessions with students and a preliminary organizational meeting with teachers. IMS instructors lead the workshops within the school, with sessions lasting one hour per class. The program focuses on active engagement with classical musical instruments like guitar, piano, flute, violin, cello, clarinet, and saxophone. Students experience and experiment with two or three selected instruments, learning to play simple pieces together. In schools with pianos, instructors offer specialized creative approaches to the instrument. The program aims to introduce children to music-making, fostering shared musical play.

Teacher Training Courses:

• "Vedere con le orecchie, udire con il cuore" (Seeing with Ears, Hearing with the Heart): This training course is for teachers of first, second, and third-year students. The course consists of two sessions throughout the school year, allowing teachers to acquire and consolidate new musical skills to implement in their classrooms. An IMS expert leads the course, engaging teachers in collective, hands-on musical experiences. Teachers whose classes participate in the music projects are required to attend this training to enhance and qualify the experiences offered by IMS facilitators.
• "Dentro la musica" (Inside Music): This training course is for teachers of fourth and fifth-year students. The course consists of two two-hour sessions led by an IMS expert. It aims to enhance teachers' understanding and appreciation of music by analyzing its structure and expressive value. Through listening and live examples, participants learn to recognize and analyze fundamental musical elements like rhythm, melody, harmony, and timbre. The course also highlights connections between music and visual arts, comparing musical compositions with paintings. Materials and ideas for classroom implementation are provided.