The Phylogeny and Ontogeny of Music: An Approach to Improve the Curriculum of Early Childhood and Primary Education

Desirée García Gil; Juana María Anguita Acero; María Cuevas Riaño

doi:10.55777/rea.v19i37.8599

Authors

Desirée García Gil Universidad Complutense de Madrid, UCM, España https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0591-6873
Juana María Anguita Acero Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, UCLM, España https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8390-857X
María Cuevas Riaño Universidad Complutense de Madrid, UCM, España https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5556-4853

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55777/rea.v19i37.8599

Keywords:

ontogeny, phylogeny, Early Childhood Education, Primary Education

Abstract

In accordance with the current regulatory framework, music in Early Childhood and Primary Education must be taught by means of a competence-based, inclusive and interdisciplinary approach, taking into account the degree of development of key competences. The basic skills to be achieved are organized by areas of learning which, in the case of Early Childhood Education, focus on dimensions of human development, while in Primary Education the focus is on essential musical skills. This paper is based on the premise that the sequencing of content (ontogeny) should be in line with the evolution of the musical-historical elements that are the basis of the discipline (phylogeny). It analyzes the friction between phylogeny and ontogeny in the teaching-learning of music through the qualitative analysis of the curriculum of Early Childhood and Primary Education in relation to the main historical musical milestones. The results show discrepancies between phylogeny and ontogeny, as well as the absence of several historical musical milestones not included in the curriculum. The conclusion is that music education should be better aligned with phylogenetic patterns, which would involve a reformulation of curricula.

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Author Biographies

Desirée García Gil, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, UCM, España

She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Musicology and Literary Theory; a Diploma in Music Education; and an Advanced Diploma in Piano. Her research focuses on the relationships between musical phylogeny and ontogeny, gender studies in music, and teacher training in music education. She has been awarded two six-year research grants (CNEAI). Principal Investigator of the R&D&I Research Project ‘Knowledge Generation: Phylogeny and Ontogeny in Music Education’ (PID2023-149162NB-I00). Director of the EIHEM Research Group: Studies on Innovation and History in Music Education. Senior Lecturer at the UCM.

Juana María Anguita Acero, Universidad de Castilla-La Mancha, UCLM, España

PhD in Education from Camilo José Cela University; Master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from Pablo de Olavide University and in Bilingual Education from Francisco de Vitoria University. Bachelor’s degree in Translation and Interpreting and in English Language and Literature, and a degree in Primary and Secondary Education. Expert in Intercultural Education, Migration, Bilingualism, English-Spanish Translation and the Teaching of English as a Foreign Language. She is currently a Senior Lecturer on the Early Years and Primary Education degree programmes, Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, University of Castilla-La Mancha.

María Cuevas Riaño, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, UCM, España

PhD in Education from Camilo José Cela University; Master’s degree in Teaching Spanish as a Foreign Language from Pablo de Olavide University and in Bilingual Education from Francisco de Vitoria University. Bachelor’s degree in Translation and Interpreting and in English Language and Literature, and a degree in Primary and Secondary Education. Expert in Intercultural Education, Migration, Bilingualism, English-Spanish Translation and Teaching English as a Foreign Language. She is currently a Senior Lecturer on the Early Years and Primary Education degree programmes, Department of Pedagogy, Faculty of Education, University of Castilla-La Mancha.

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