As part of the DigiProSMK project, we are developing evidence-based training concepts for music teachers in the use of digital media, in accordance with the funding guidelines of the BMBF and the nationwide network “lernen:digital”. One of these formats, the Teacher Soundlab, is designed as a deliberately low-threshold opportunity for teachers to gain hands-on musical experience with digital sound generators in real musical situations. 

The Teacher Soundlab follows the core idea of consciously avoiding direct instruction by facilitators throughout the process. Instead, the concept adheres to key principles of Reggio pedagogy (Eriks, 2023), animative didactics (Opaschowski, 1990), and enabling pedagogy (Arnold, 2012). Participants in the Teacher Soundlab enter a carefully prepared, atmospherically designed "playground" that invites sound exploration and improvisational musical experimentation. Crucial to the success of the concept is the voluntariness and autonomy of the participants (Deci & Ryan, 1993): the playground can be entered and exited at their discretion. Participants decide whether to engage as listeners and/or players.  

As part of an accompanying research project, we are conducting an interview study with participants of the Teacher Soundlab, aiming to gain a deeper understanding of their specific listening and playing experiences within this exploration space. Our main areas of interest are: 

– To what extent are the music-making and learning experiences influenced by prior experiences? 

– How are the spatial concept and the conditions of autonomy and voluntariness in this training format perceived by the participants, and how do they contribute to successful learning? 

– To what extent does the designed play space, along with the instruments used, invite low-threshold, intuitive music-making? 

In our presentation, we will share the preliminary results of the qualitative content analysis of the interviews conducted so far. 

• Εμπειρίες, αξίες και πρακτικές της μουσικής και ηχητικής εκπαίδευσης

Benjamin Hecht is working at the Rostock University for Music and Drama in the field of digitaleducation. He focuses on the areas of videos in different scenarios of music education, AI in thecontext of music education and teacher training, using digital tools for asynchronous teachingmethods and digital music making.

Oliver Krämer is a Professor of Music Education at the University of Music and Theatre Rostock, where he leads the study programmes for music education in secondary schools. He holds degrees in composition, music education, and German studies, and earned his doctorate on the visualization of music. His research interests focus on the intersection of music and visual arts, the didactics of contemporary music, improvisation, and curriculum development. Currently, he is involved in a research consortium with ten universities (DigiProSMK), focusing on the professionalization of music teachers in the context of digitalization. In 2015, he organized the 23rd EAS Conference in Rostock, titled "Open Ears – Open Minds," which emphasized listening to and understanding music. From 2016 to 2017 and since 2022, he has co-led the EAS Student Forum together with Prof. Dr. Branka Rotar Pance from the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.