Friedrich Froebel (1782 – 1852), a German educator who invented and created the kindergarten, is classified - along with Pestalozzi, among the main representatives of new humanism. His pedagogical system starts form the belief that man should be educated according to the  needs of  his human nature (Danassis – Afentakis, 1980).  Froebel focuses on the way the child learns through senses, movement, song and play. Music and play will take a leading place in his pedagogical system (Raptis, 2015). Rhythm songs, Gift and building Songs, storytelling, circle games, finger rhymes are daily activities in the kindergarten (Tovey, 2017). In 1844, four years after the founding of the first kindergarten, Froebel published the book Mother Songs and Play, starting with the observation of the music communicative relationship between mother and child. This illustrative family book includes finger – play songs  with themes from the natural and man made environment, intended to be performed by the mother (or other caregiver) and the child by imitation. Scores of the songs are released by the composer Robert Kohl, Froebel’s collaborator. The two of them will create Gift songs as well as movement songs, etc.  The influence of the Kindergarten music pedagogical tradition on the education of young children was great and remains directly recognizable even today in the practices of modern kindergartens. Froebel was a pioneering educator who introduced – with his child – centered education – children’s music culture (Campbell, 1998) into the learning process, heralding the approaches of 20th – century music educators such as Zoltan Kodály and Carl Orff, as well as new directions in the field of ethnomusicology and child psychology.  This paper looks into the processes through which Froebel comes to the conception of his music pedagogical approach in the context of kindergarten, the impact and the reactions  of the society of his time towards his ideas, the role his music pedagogical approaches played in the dissemination of Kindergarten. These issues will be analyzed through the investigation of primary sources of the time. This knowledge aspires to lead to a deeper understanding of modern music pedagogical approaches, but also to be a source of inspiration for the teacher as it describes the formation of an innovative educational venture that decisively defined the education of young children. This paper is part of the field of Historical Music Pedagody which examines the history of the theory and practice of learning and teaching music within the broader cultural and ideological context.  

• Πλουραλισμός και ιεραρχίες αξιών στη μουσική εκπαίδευση
• Σύνδεση της μουσικής εκπαίδευσης με την καθημερινή ζωή
• Μουσική εκπαίδευση και κυρίαρχη κουλτούρα

Chrysanthi Zepatou: Music Teacher. Piano Diploma - Piano Degree /Atheneum Conservatoire - Athens Conservatoire. PhD Candidate, P.T. Department of Pre-School Education, University of Ioannina,  Postgraduate Program of Interdepartmental Program  Faculty of Music Studies & Faculty of Communication and Mass Media Studies, University of Athens, Political Science and History Diploma of Panteion University, Co-author of: The current school text book “Music Grade 5” (2007),  New Greek National Music Curriculum [2014],  Teacher’s Guide for the National Curriculum for Music (2014), Conference publications:  2nd, 4th & 5th GAPMET, Art and Education IEP (2015), 8th GSME, Journal Music in the First Grade (2008), In –service teacher trainer: Cross –Thematic Curriculum Framework (CTCF)/ New Textbooks (2004), New School (2012), Pilot application consultant New Greek National Music Curriculum (2012), Evaluator “Music Grade 3- Grade 4”/ New School (2015), Mentor for Practical Training of students from the Department of Music Studies of NKUA (2008-today).   

Theocharis Raptis is Associate Professor at the University of Ioannina (Department of Early Childhood). He studied philosophy, pedagogy and psychology at the University of Ioannina and music pedagogy, philosophy and musicology at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität in Munich. After his Magister (MA) at the Institute of Musical Pedagogy (LMU), he received his PhD. During his studies he was funded by „The Panayotis & Effie Michelis Foundation” in Athens. His special interests include music education in early childhood, philosophy of music education, systematic music education and music education and the emotions.