What the official curriculum for preschool in Galiza states about voice, singing and songconsiderations for the design of didactic materials

Resumo

In the study of didactic materials and teaching practices it is necessary to look into the official curricula, such as didactic programs/materials and work schemes, since these documents are the reference for teachers’ day-to-day work. The aim of this paper is to determine the weight and value given to “voice”/“vocal education”, “singing”, and “song” in the last two official curricula for Preschool Education in Galiza, published in 1992 and 2009 (currently in effect). We used a qualitative methodology based on documentary research, selective search, and categorization of references to the three aforementioned concepts. After the analysis, it was found that while a considerable significance is given to “vocal education” and “singing”, surprisingly, “singing” is present in the older curriculum but missing in the current one. For its part, “song” appears in both curricula, as the construct with the highest consideration, both quantitatively and qualitatively. In accordance with the curricular analysis, “voice” and “song” are not subject to particular work at preschool, giving more weight to “song”. The latter concept is highlighted as an educational resource that facilitates the development of not only music, but also cultural, social, and personal skills. With proper training in these skills, there may (and with a high degree of likelihood) be a positive impact on the holistic development of children. But how are “voice education”, “singing” and “songs” dealt with in Galician preschool? Are there any didactic materials for voice and preschool in Galician? Some final comments are provided in this paper to enlighten curricular considerations, the design of didactic materials, and practitioners’ work regarding these three concepts