History of Music Education Division

The History of Music Education Division

Right after the proclamation of the Republic, with the Law on Secondary Education Teachers, it was clarified who could be an Art-work, Music and Physical Education teacher, and the teaching profession was given a legal basis and institutions that train teachers for secondary education began to be opened.

The first institution to train music teachers in the Republic of Turkey is the Music Teachers' School, which was accepted with the budget of the Ministry of Education in 1924 and was established on September 1, 1924 to train music teachers for secondary schools and started education on November 1, 1924. In a way, the academic year 1924-25 was the trial year of the school, and at the beginning of 1925-26, it became an institution that trains music teachers in a real sense. As a matter of fact, the school's directive was published on 29 July 1925 at the same time.

The first teaching staff of the Music Teachers' School in the period 1924-25 consisted of members of the Riyaseticumhur Philharmonic Orchestra. In 1926, it was decided to improve the quality and quantity of the teaching staff in order to achieve the goals expected from the school. In this direction, it was deemed appropriate to take the qualified students send to Europe. In 1928 and 1929, 10 teachers and 5 assistant teachers were employed at the Music Teachers' School.

The first students of the Music Teachers' School consisted of 6 people selected from the Male Teacher's School. Towards the end of the same academic year, 6 more students were brought from the Öksüz Dormitory in Balmumcu, Istanbul, and the number of students was increased to 12. Since the installation of the school was more or less completed in 1925-26, the students at the school was increased to 40 with the new students brought from Öksüz Dormitory. From 1927-28, boarding students began to be accepted to the Music Teachers' School. Thus, in this academic year, the number of students at the school reached 71, 24 of which were girls. In the following years, this number always increased and reached 149 in 1935-36, 67 of whom were girls.

In the Music Teachers' School, whose teaching period is 6 years after primary school, there were 2 periods, one for general secondary education and the other for vocational education. Students who graduated from the 4th grade were given a graduation exam from the Music Theory course with general courses other than Turkish and Foreign Languages. Examinations for Turkish and Foreign Language and vocational specialization courses were held at the end of the sixth grade.

A new directive of the Music Teachers' School was published in 1931 and the duration of the school was extended to 6 years in two parts, namely general secondary education and vocational education.

With the establishment of the National Music and Representation Academy in 1934, the Music Teachers' School, the Philharmonic Orchestra of the Presidency of the Republic and the Representation Branch took place within this institution, which was transferred to the High Education.

In the 1936-37 academic year, a conservatory called the Representation Classes of the Music Teachers' School became operational, and the Riyaset-i Cumhur Philharmonic Orchestra left this academy. As a result of all these developments, besides the aim of raising music teachers, the aim of raising artists began to gain weight, and the Music Teachers' School was transferred to the Gazi Secondary Education School and Education Institute as of the 1938-39 academic year, and it was named Gazi Secondary Education and Training Institute Music Branch.

Called between 1935-37 to deal with the establishment of the Conservatory and music problems in Turkey, Prof. Paul Hindemith suggested that this school be connected under the supervision of a foreign expert. After the building was built and the necessary preparations were completed, the Music Department started its education at G.E.E in the 1938-39 academic year. Leaving Hitler's Germany with the advice of Hindemith, Prof. Eduard Zuckmayer was brought in.

If the teacher resource of the G.E.E Music Department is analyzed over time, the following appearance emerges: 1) Benefiting from the accumulation of teachers and musicians in the Ankara State Conservatory, the Presidential Orchestra, and the Ankara State Opera. 2)Training teachers by recruiting assistants. 3) Benefiting from Department graduates who were sent and trained abroad. 4) Selecting and appointing personnel from the department graduates who have trained themselves in the profession, with the decision of the Department Board, 5) Calling general knowledge and vocational course teachers from other departments of the Institute or MEB institutions.

Until 1966, the building, which is still used as a practice kindergarten under the name of Zuckmayer Building, answered the building need of Gazi Education Institute Music Branch. The Zuckmayer building has two floors and has 45 rooms of various types.

The G.E.E Music Department has gained its building, which was put into service in the 1968-69 academic year, with the features required in a contemporary music school. The new building has 7 classrooms, 90 individual study rooms, a concert hall with a capacity of 437 people resembling a grand piano, a rehearsal hall for 200-250 people, musical instruments. It consists of various sections such as maintenance and repair workshop, recording studio.