Basic Course (from 5th year)

The aim of the Basic Course is to combine educational content and practices so that the students in the 1st learning cycle can develop:

1. Musical language by playing / singing as a natural form of expression, but now more elaborate from the point of view of repertoire and written complexity;
2. Looking at the specific nature of each student from an instrumental point of view (facilitated by the fact the classes are individual), without neglecting the need to adapt and guide each one towards a musical career aimed more at a professional or amateur perspective;
3. Organising the entire cycle in order to provide the students with a complete music experience, where the musical training subjects, ensemble and instrument classes are combined to form a whole and where there is interdisciplinarity at the programme level, based on the outlined goals;
4. Using motivational strategies at this particular stage of their school career, using technological resources allied to the instruments and more traditional practices. In other words, bringing the school closer to the expectations of the students, with students reaching the end of this cycle being capable of continuing their studies, whether they are interested in a professional career or not.

The Basic Course consists of five levels, each one corresponding to one school year.

Students can be part of the coordinated system or the after-school system, according to the specific conditions of each one.

COORDINATED SYSTEM

What is Coordinated Education?

Coordinated Education allows students to do the Basic Music Course at CMSM in coordination with the mainstream school. With this system, there is an agreement between a basic education school and a specialised artistic school, where the former is responsible for general subjects and the latter for specific artistic education components. It operates in two schools at the same time.

Who can enrol in Coordinated Education?

Any student who will be attending their 5th year of schooling in a public school that CMSM has an agreement with can apply for coordinated education Currently, the schools where we have classes running are: Clara de Resende School, Fontes Pereira de Melo School and Cerco School. The students are selected through aptitude tests.

Is this education free?

Coordinated Education is free and operates exclusively under the scope of the coordination agreement between CMSM and the schools it has an agreement with. Students in Coordinated Education covered by Sponsorship Contract (financial support through the Ministry of Education) are exempt from paying the tuition fee related to the attendance of the subjects included in the curriculum (according to nº 1 of Art. 3 of Portaria No. 224-A / 2015 May 16).

Do I need to buy an instrument?

Students in the coordinated education system under the scope of the agreement between CMSM and the mainstream schools, Fontes Pereira de Melo and Clara de Resende, must buy their own instruments.

Students in the coordinated education system under the scope of the agreement between CMSM and Cerco Primary and Secondary School will be lent an instrument (while they are in the coordinated music education system with CMSM) by Porto Municipal Council, under the scope of the “Music for All” project.

What kind of costs might be involved?

Students must pay for their school supplies (notebooks and textbooks), as well as an annual fee of €90.00 (paid quarterly) for extra-curricular activities (optional).

Where are the music classes held?

Music and ensemble classes are given at Fontes Pereira de Melo Secondary School and Clara de Resende Primary and Secondary School, instrument classes are at CMSM at a time to be chosen by the parent or guardian (in the mornings and/or afternoons when they have no mainstream classes), up to 6:30 pm, according to the timetable availability presented by CMSM; student transport must be assured by the parents or guardians.

At Cerco Primary and Secondary School, all the classes are given at the mainstream school, on a timetable integrated into the school timetable presented at the beginning of the school year.

What subjects are the students excused from in their mainstream school?

At the mainstream school, the students are excused from Music, Technological Education and Civics classes.

What are the music subjects and what is the weekly workload?

• Musical Education: 1 x 90-minute class
• Ensemble Class: 1 x 90-minute class + 1 x 45-minute class
• Instrument: 1 x 45-minute class
• Introduction to Singing Practice (basic Gregorian chant course): 1 x 45-minute class (with a maximum of five students)

How long is the basic course in the coordinated system?

The basic course goes from 1st to 5th level and is for the 5th to the 9th school years, thus covering the 2nd and 3rd cycle.

Can students give up if they don’t like it?

In the 1st Level / 5th Year, students can give up until the end of the 1st term. In the following levels / years, they can only give up at the end of each school year, on presentation of written notice that they do not wish to re-enrol.

How does the assessment work?

Progress in music subjects is independent of progress in the school year. The marks achieved in music are not taken into account for passing or failing the year. The music subjects are independent of each other. A student can pass one and fail others. However, they may not be more than a year out of sync with the year they are attending at school.

When is enrolment?

Parents or guardians must contact the CMSM office in late April if they wish to enrol their charges in the following school year.

The selection auditions are usually held in June/July each year.

AFTER-SCHOOL SYSTEM

Specialised Music Training in the After-School System is conditional on the payment of fees. There is no coordination with the mainstream school. The study plan is the same as for coordinated education.