Martin Straus, ein europäischer Musikpädagoge aus Luxemburg

in Ars Inter Culturas (2020), 8(2019), 203-216

Martin Straus (1946-2019) was one of the music educators of the last decades who attracted attention beyond Luxembourg with his new creative and innovative ideas. His work “Music – Playing with Sound“ ... [more ▼]

Martin Straus (1946-2019) was one of the music educators of the last decades who attracted attention beyond Luxembourg with his new creative and innovative ideas. His work “Music – Playing with Sound“ which was developed in cooperation with a teacher and a second teacher, is based on a “parameter concept“, in which the six musical parameters – tone color, form, rhythm, dynamics, melody and harmony – are connected to the six activities of singing, playing, moving, composing, listening, recording/understanding so that it results in 36 points of contact for didactic-methodical considerations. The visual symbol is the “Klangmännchen“ (« little sound man“), a cephalopod figure, which, much as a soap bubble, you can see, but which you cannot hear. From this elementary direction of thinking, the “Luxembourg Model“ works well for both non-specialist teachers in the elementary field and for advanced music lessons in general education schools. The first scientific studies have shown that it is also of practical use in special needs education programs. The concept “Music – Playing with Sound“ is suitable for multi-perspective lessons using examples of music from the past and the present as well as for pedagogical challenges in the areas of inclusion and integration. [less ▲]