The amount of music lessons to be taught in primary schools is determined in the Stundentafeln (time tables) of the federal states. According to information from the Ministries of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder, in 2023 music was taught as a regular school subject with one to two hours per week per grade level in Berlin, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt. In Bavarian regular primary schools and in Lower Saxony and Saarland, music was taught as a regular school subject only in grades 3 and 4. In Bavarian primary schools that offer extended music education, music lessons per week may extend to up to 5 hours per week in grade 3 and 4.
In the other states or grades, music was indirectly a component of larger learning areas or combined subjects. Here, as a rule, a pool of lessons or a quota of lessons is specified. The internal distribution or the proportion of the individual quota can be largely determined and set by the schools themselves according to local circumstances.
Note
Shown are the Stundentafeln for music in primary schools in 2023. The table shows target values in hours per week (school units) for the lessons to be taught class level for each federal state. They are therefore not the actual values of the lessons taught in primary school. The primary school period in Berlin and Brandenburg is 6 years.
Footnotes
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The teacher does not assign special instruction subdivided by hours.
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The lesson allotment plan assigns a total number of hours in the relevant subjects for grades 1 and 2. The lesson hours are distributed among the subjects on the basis of the individual learning achievements in the class.
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Elementary instruction in grades 1 and 2 is often interdisciplinary and holistic.
Source information
Compiled by the German Music Information Centre using information from the state ministries of education and cultural affairs (as of 24 February 2023).
