Educational Initiatives of Mykola Leontovych All-Ukrainian Musical Society (Exemplified by Savelii Futorianskyi Children’s Music Studio)

Author

Sheremeta Iryna

a junior research fellow at Musicology and Ethnomusicology Department of M. Rylskyi Institute of Art Studies, Folkloristics and Ethnology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (Kyiv, Ukraine).

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8484-2026

Educational Initiatives of Mykola Leontovych All-Ukrainian Musical Society (Exemplified by Savelii Futorianskyi Children’s Music Studio)

Abstract

The article highlights the activities of the Children’s Music Studio at the All-Ukrainian Mykola Leontovych Music Society (AMSL), which existed for only six months in 1923. Using archival materials and contemporary periodicals, the chronology of events has been reconstructed, and some of the Studio’s educational disciplines have been outlined. Special attention is given to Savely Futorjansky, who was the key educator and head of the Studio. Among the Studio’s collaborators were Hryhoriy Veryovka, Pavlo Tychyna, and Lydia Paparuk.

The Children’s Music Studio was established within the framework of the cultural policy of the time to promote music education, particularly the musical upbringing of children and the training of future music professionals. The Studio’s educational program included two main areas: basic music education (choral singing, music theory, music history, music listening, and rhythmic gymnastics) and children’s creative activities (piano performance, conducting, percussion ensemble, theatrical productions, as well as musical, literary, and plastic arts). The Studio fostered the all-around creative development of children by combining elements of formal music education with artistic practice.

The main pedagogical principles of S. Futorjansky were based on a rigorous approach to music education, the use of high-quality musical works that were thematically and musically appropriate for children, and the application of a comprehensive teaching method. Futorjansky personally taught most of the Studio’s subjects, including musical creativity, piano, music listening, music theory, and, together with L. Paparuk, choral singing. He was also the initiator of a children’s music magazine. Pavlo Tychyna was assigned to teach literary creativity, and Lydia Paparuk was to lead musical-theatrical productions. Vacant teaching positions were one of the factors that ultimately contributed to the Studio’s closure.

Chronology of the Studio’s activities: On January 20, 1923, S. Futorjansky prepared the “Detailed Report on the Children’s Music Studio,” which was preliminarily approved by the Presidium of the Society on February 11. On February 24, Futorjansky presented the concept of the Studio at the General Assembly of the AMSL, where the Organizational Bureau was also approved. On February 28, he was officially appointed head of the Studio. Classes began in March–April, and on May 1, the Studio held its only concert. Financial difficulties, combined with a shortage of premises, teachers, and students, ultimately led to the cessation of the Studio’s activities on August 29, 1923, by decision of the Presidium of the AMSL.

Although short-lived, the Children’s Music Studio at the All-Ukrainian Mykola Leontovych Music Society was a significant attempt to advance children’s music education. Its closure was a notable loss for Ukrainian music pedagogy, particularly regarding experimental approaches to teaching children. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the development of music education in Ukraine, especially in the 1920s, and opens new avenues for further scholarly study in this field.

Keywords

Children’s Music Studio of the All-Ukrainian Mykola Leontovych Music Society (1923), music pedagogy, children’s music education, S. Futorjansky.

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