Universal Music Education in Poland as Viewed by Cultural Animation Students

Introduction: The study described in this paper was inspired by the willingness to draw more attention to the condition of music education, its challenges and related issues. Research Aim: The aim of the study was to learn the views of former school pupils, currently being university students, on music education they had received at schools of general education. The analysis of collected reports allowed to diagnose its current condition. Research Method: The author conducted a qualitative study. Students reported on their experiences in the form of written recollections, opinions and proposals. In total, 129 student reports encompassing nearly 500 pages of typescript were subject to inductive and interpretative content analysis. Results: Results of the study disclosed a fairly dramatic picture of universal music education. On their basis, it can be stated that in terms of the learning content and form, music classes are not acknowledged and approved by former school pupils, they fail to differ much from other school classes, they are primarily focused on transmission of theoretical knowledge, whereas practical activities are associated with stress of presenting one’s musical skills in front of the entire class. Conclusion: Universal music education needs to undergo radical changes.