For the first time, music will be taught at high school level.

The program also improved in terms of teaching content when instrumental and choral music were included in the program for the first time.

The program has both integrated content (music theory) and differentiated content (musical instruments); it is both a compulsory subject (from grade 1 to grade 9) and an optional subject based on aspirations and career orientation (from grade 10 to grade 12). The program is open-minded, allowing textbook authors and teachers to apply it flexibly, avoiding overload.

The program focuses on developing aesthetic and musical abilities, with four components: musical expression, musical appreciation, musical analysis and evaluation, and musical creation and application.

The program has innovations in teaching methods and assessment of learning outcomes, for example, reading music by hand notation, body percussion, harmony singing,...

The program has adjusted the names of some contents, for example: singing, reading music, music knowledge, music stories,...

The Music program helps students: Nurture aesthetic emotions and love of music, have a rich spiritual life, form and develop noble qualities; experience and explore musical art through many forms of activities, develop communication and cooperation skills; form and develop specific musical abilities based on a foundation of general music knowledge and skills, thereby developing autonomy and self-study ability; recognize the diversity of the music world and the connection between music and culture, history, society and other art forms, form awareness of protecting and popularizing traditional musical values; promote the potential of musical activities, develop problem-solving and creative abilities.

Music helps students form and develop aesthetic abilities expressed in the field of music as follows:

Musical expression: Know how to reproduce, present or perform music through singing, reading music, playing instruments, keeping time, moving,... in many forms and styles.

Music appreciation: Know how to appreciate and feel the outstanding values, the profound, subtle and beautiful things of music, expressed in a work or a part of a work. Express attitudes and emotions through spoken language and body language.

Music analysis and evaluation: Know how to apply knowledge, skills, and musical thinking to analyze and evaluate expressive means of music and performance styles.

Music creation and application: Know how to apply musical knowledge, skills and experience into practice; improvise and vary, come up with good and unique musical ideas or products. Understand and use music in relation to history, culture and other art forms.

Listening to music is a common activity in music education.

Singing is a popular and consistent content in the Music program, including: school songs, Vietnamese folk songs, foreign songs, choir. Choir content is only studied in high school.

Musical instruments are differentiated content, including: rhythm playing (from grade 1), melody playing (from grade 4), harmony playing (from grade 6). Depending on the practical conditions of the school (teaching facilities, teaching capacity), teachers can teach students to play body percussion, homemade musical instruments, Vietnamese musical instruments (small drums, song loan, clappers, bamboo flutes, flutes, moon lutes, popular local musical instruments,...) or foreign musical instruments (melodica, recorder, ukulele, harmonica, guitar, keyboard,...).

Listening to music is a common activity in music education, including listening to instrumental music and listening to music with lyrics. The content and requirements of listening to music are integrated in all subjects, especially in the section on authors and works.

Reading music includes the following contents: reading simple musical patterns in C major using hand symbols (from grade 1), reading melodies in C major using music notation (from grade 4), reading melodies in C major or A minor (from grade 6),...

Music theory is basic, general and applied knowledge, which is the foundation for music practice activities, including the following contents: music notation and rhythms, additional knowledge. Music theory is not learned separately but integrated into the contents: singing, musical instruments, reading music. Students only learn theory after having experienced it in practice. This is a change to overcome the situation of teaching dry and heavy theory.

Music appreciation includes: learning about musical instruments, music stories, authors and works, performance forms, musical genres and structures, music and life. The content is arranged to be taught in accordance with the cognitive ability and capacity of students at each level.

The program has additional instrumental music content.

According to the Department of Curriculum Development (Ministry of Education and Training), learning musical instruments makes the learning context more diverse, helping students develop musical abilities (listening, singing, reading music) and self-study, communication, and cooperation skills, while reducing theory, increasing practice, and improving applicability.

Through musical instruments, the subject helps students learn with multiple senses, can enjoy music lessons in an interesting way, enhance musical experience, express emotions in different ways, different from the usual way of singing.

Many students do not have the ability to sing, some of them often have broken voices when they reach the age of 12 - 14, musical instruments will be the means for them to learn and express themselves.

Learning musical instruments also contributes to preserving cultural identity and international integration, through learning Vietnamese and foreign musical instruments.

Teachers should be flexible in using musical processes.

Based on the teaching content, requirements, duration and characteristics of the class, teachers should flexibly use music processes (listening - reading - reproducing - reacting - creating - performing - analyzing, evaluating - applying) appropriately and effectively.

In primary school, it is necessary to focus on developing aesthetic emotions and love of music. It is necessary to choose learning activities that are suitable to students' interests and perceptions: listening to music, exercising, playing games, telling stories, etc. It is necessary to design music experience and discovery activities that integrate many contents and activities.

In secondary school, the focus will be on developing basic music skills. It is necessary to choose learning activities that suit students' interests and perceptions: listening to music, moving, evaluating, analyzing, creating, applying, etc. It is necessary to regularly consolidate and apply the knowledge and skills learned in primary school.

In high school, the focus will be on improving and perfecting practical skills, arranging and performing music. It is necessary to choose learning activities that suit personal style, create a habit of practicing music every day, and form aesthetic orientation and career orientation.

The teaching time (from grade 1 to grade 9) of the new Music program is still 35 periods/year like the current program. The new program inherits about 60% of the current program content, including the following parts: objectives, teaching content, knowledge and skill standards, teaching methods,...

Thus, music teachers today can teach and meet 60% of the content and requirements of the new program. In the coming time, teachers need to be trained to complete teaching this program.

The new program adds musical instrument content, so the author of the textbook needs to reduce the teaching time of some other contents, for example: song review, music theory, music reading. At the same time, singing should be used as the main axis, some other contents (listening to music, reading music, playing musical instruments, music knowledge, music theory) will be designed around this axis; ensure the number of songs, music readings, musical instrument lessons in the textbook are equal, linked together and easy to implement.

High schools can invite lecturers and artists to teach.

High schools currently do not have music teachers and at the high school level, music is an optional subject, not compulsory for all students, so it is not necessary for all schools to immediately have and have enough music teachers. Schools can also invite art school lecturers, artists or music teachers in middle school to teach some suitable content.

The Departments of Education and Training should select a number of high schools to pilot the implementation of music teaching before expanding it.

According to the Curriculum Development Board, teachers need to continue to promote the advantages of the teaching methods they are applying, and at the same time should have a positive view of the changes in the new Music curriculum.

The new program builds diverse learning contexts, with rich content and learning activities, to meet students' needs and interests; creating emotions, joy and excitement in learning.

Some teachers may be concerned about the content of musical instruments, however, instruments such as melodica, recorder, ukulele,... are all instruments with precise sound, easy to play, easy to play together. Most music teachers can play these instruments in a short time of study.

Teachers need to learn, refer to and apply some new teaching content and methods such as: reading music by hand signs, body percussion, singing harmony, etc. Based on each person's own experience, it is necessary to create interesting and lively music lessons, helping students to nurture aesthetic emotions and love of music, so that they can have a rich and healthy spiritual life.

Above is a summary of the Music program. The draft program of this subject will be introduced by the Ministry of Education and Training in January to receive comments.