Abstract:

In my paper I intend to present the methodological premises and the characters of an activity on music education carried out in the Free University of Bolzano/Bozen (Italy) within the context of the JuniorUni.

JuniorUni is a series of lectures and laboratories for children that the University of Bolzano/Bozen has been organizing since 2011. It differs from similar initiatives promoted by other Universities because it involves not only children and teenagers but also their parents, in the perspective of the life-long education and of the promotion of dialogue between generations.

In this context, an activity of music and music culture education for adults can be very important. In fact, music plays a significant role in the definition of personal identity: it creates or increases a sense of belonging and of detachment. This is particularly evident in the case of young people and teenagers: through their musical tastes and choices, they express their own personality towards both other people of the same age and adults.
In this perspective it is important for parents and adults (teachers, educators, etc.) to know how they can “use” music as a factor of dialogue with their daughters, sons, pupils.

To this aim a special lecture about music and teenagers was organized during JuniorUni 2011. It demonstrated the processes through which music has become now an important element of everyday life for teenagers; how it acts in creating a sense of belonging and of detachment, not only for the young people but also for everyone; which is the most proper attitude for adults and parents in relating to young people through music.
It is not necessary that adults and young people listen to the same music. Since music is for teenagers an important factor in underlining individual and generational identity, such a behaviour can be useless or even have negative effects; on the contrary, the first step for the adults is to learn to understand what young people can mean through their musical choices, which ideals and views of life they want to express, which individual aspects or differences they want to underline, especially towards adults.

In promoting such a capability in adults and parents a new specific music education can be very useful, and this paper will provide an example.

Keywords:

Music education, music culture, intergenerational dialogue.