The basis of artistic education is in the Czech Republic provided by elementary artistic schools. Activities in all four artistic disciplines (music, visual arts, dance and literature and drama) presuppose the application of practical skills and theoretical knowledge, which in interaction with each other influence the development of the artistic abilities of children and young people and create the conditions for their successful realisation, albeit at an elementary level. The Department of Music Education of the Faculty of Masaryk University focuses its research on the nature and level of music theory teaching in the music department of Czech elementary artistic schools. Most of the candidates for teacher training in Music Education have been educated in specialised art schools and the level of their music theoretical knowledge is tested, among other things, during the entrance examinations to the Faculty of Education. It turns out that the state of knowledge of the candidates has a very fluctuating character; in terms of long-term monitoring, we unfortunately note a rather downward tendency. The specific research should result in capturing the current state of music theory education in elementary artistic school, characterizing the educational trend in this area, and proposing optimization solutions.

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