Abstract
<jats:p>The professional publication Cultural Competence in Music Didactic Contexts and Examples was developed in response to the inclusion of the new key competence – cultural competence into the Czech educational curriculum, aligning with the European key competence of cultural awareness and expression. The book offers practical approaches and didactic perspectives on this topic in the teaching of music-focused subjects across all educational levels, while also providing insights into the cultural environment of the city of Pilsen. The introductory section of the publication clarifies the conceptual framework of competence, highlights the specifics of cultural competence, and examines its connection to key competences in education. It presents a selection of relevant scientific studies and identifies the unifying principles that lead to practical application, elaborated in twelve subsequent chapters featuring model lessons for music education and related disciplines. These chapters include model lesson plans designed for implementing music education in pre-primary and primary pedagogy (kindergartens and primary schools), in lower secondary level (and lower grades of eight-year grammar schools), offer perspectives on teaching music in secondary schools and conservatories, and conclude with a focus on instructing university-level music students. The lesson content emphasizes an activity-based approach to music education, incorporating active listening combined with music-movement activities, vocal and instrumental practices, and the principles of Orff and Kodály methodologies. It also features original musical compositions created for teaching purposes, examples of interdisciplinary integration with visual arts and digital technologies – including AI – the use of musical cryptograms, work with cultural heritage, tradition, and history, and their reinterpretation for contemporary contexts, as well as analyses of elements that contribute to fostering an inspiring cultural environment. The model lessons are accompanied by musical scores, descriptions or illustrations of teaching aids, and methodological guidelines. The individual chapters were authored by educators from the Department of Music Education and Culture at the Faculty of Education of the University of West Bohemia in Pilsen. The authors prepared these model lessons for various music-oriented subjects for the educational levels corresponding to their specialization and closely connected with their practical experience and understanding of the needs of the field.</jats:p>