The following study and the compilation of the accompanying syllabus have been prompted by the fact that Music Appreciation opens up large fields of knowledge and social cooperations for the teen-ager, and the curriculum of the Seventh-day Adventist secondary schools does not yet take proper advantage of it as an educational means.

The Ward method of music education was created in the early part of the twentieth century to promote the use of liturgical chant by teaching children vocal music reading skills. Its author, Justine Bayard Ward, was a newcomer to the Catholic Church and to the field of education, yet her approach proved successful and spread throughout the United States, Europe and other parts of the world. The goal of this dissertation is twofold: to document the influences that led the author to write and promote her method, and to trace its origins from pedagogical and notational antecedents. The ancient tradition of choral training in the Church, Wards upbringing, her musical training and aesthetic inclinations, and her zeal in furthering the liturgical and musical reforms of Pius X fostered the ideal environment for the creation of the Ward method. Evidence shows, however, that the materials and procedures were largely appropriations of pre-existing ideas. For example, the work in sight-singing was taken from the Galin-Paris-Chevé school, which flourished in nineteenth-century France, and the educational philosophy originated from her publisher, Rev. Thomas Shields. Ward's mentor, Rev. John Young, S.J., had combined bel canto vocal technique with Chevé exercises and, under Shields's guidance, Ward reshaped it. Separation of musical elements, principally rhythm and pitch, and graduated exercises were key ingredients Ward inherited from Chevé. Students learned accurate pitch discrimination through daily sight-singing drills where numbers corresponded to the sung solfège syllables in moveable “do.” Justine Ward's contributions lie in skillfully incorporating the Chevé sight-singing drills, Young's vocal training, and Shields' theories of aesthetics and childhood development to attain her goal of teaching children music of quality. The repertoire consisted of classical melodies, European folk tunes, and Gregorian chant. The Ward method spread through several avenues. Catholic Education Press began systematic publication of textbooks in the 1910s. Leaders in Catholic education were won over by demonstrations led by Justine Ward. More importantly, the Ward method spread through teacher training courses. It evolved in subsequent publications largely due to her recasting the material to reflect trends in music education and newer rhythmic theories in Gregorian chant.

Text in German / The study at hand proceeds from the assumption that there is a catechetical as well as a music pedagogical teaching tradition for young children. The touch points of the two disciplines emerge rather by chance than by design because one discipline uses the other as an approach. This study raises the key question if a music catechetics is possible. The term music catechetics is used to describe a learning process based on an equal balance of both music pedagogy and catechetics. The debate of this question requires interdisciplinary conversations. The answers can be found in developmental psychology as well as music psychology, music sociology, anthropology and ecclesiastical history. In the end this gives rise to practical theological criteria which can be used to answer and justify the question of music catechetics. / Die vorliegende Untersuchung geht von der Tatsache aus, dass es für Kleinkinder sowohl eine katechetische wie ein musikpädagogische Lehrtradition gibt. Die Berührungspunkte beider Disziplinen ergeben sich eher zufällig, indem sich die eine Disziplin der anderen Disziplin als Methode bedient. Diese Untersuchung stellt nun die zentrale Frage, ob eine Musikkatechese möglich ist. Unter einer Musikkatechese wird ein gleichberechtigter Lernvorgang verstanden, der sowohl Musikpädagogik als auch Katechetik erfasst. Um diese Frage zu erörtern werden interdisziplinäre Gespräche nötig. Sowohl die Entwicklungspsychologie, als auch Musikpsychologie, Musiksoziologie, Anthropologie und Kirchengeschichte werden befragt. Schließlich werden praktisch theologische Kriterien erhoben, aus denen heraus die Frage nach einer möglichen Musikkatechese beantwortet und begründet wird. / Practical Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)

Text in German / The study at hand proceeds from the assumption that there is a catechetical as well as a music pedagogical teaching tradition for young children. The touch points of the two disciplines emerge rather by chance than by design because one discipline uses the other as an approach. This study raises the key question if a music catechetics is possible. The term music catechetics is used to describe a learning process based on an equal balance of both music pedagogy and catechetics. The debate of this question requires interdisciplinary conversations. The answers can be found in developmental psychology as well as music psychology, music sociology, anthropology and ecclesiastical history. In the end this gives rise to practical theological criteria which can be used to answer and justify the question of music catechetics. / Die vorliegende Untersuchung geht von der Tatsache aus, dass es für Kleinkinder sowohl eine katechetische wie ein musikpädagogische Lehrtradition gibt. Die Berührungspunkte beider Disziplinen ergeben sich eher zufällig, indem sich die eine Disziplin der anderen Disziplin als Methode bedient. Diese Untersuchung stellt nun die zentrale Frage, ob eine Musikkatechese möglich ist. Unter einer Musikkatechese wird ein gleichberechtigter Lernvorgang verstanden, der sowohl Musikpädagogik als auch Katechetik erfasst. Um diese Frage zu erörtern werden interdisziplinäre Gespräche nötig. Sowohl die Entwicklungspsychologie, als auch Musikpsychologie, Musiksoziologie, Anthropologie und Kirchengeschichte werden befragt. Schließlich werden praktisch theologische Kriterien erhoben, aus denen heraus die Frage nach einer möglichen Musikkatechese beantwortet und begründet wird. / Philosophy, Practical and Systematic Theology / M.Th. (Practical Theology)