Meeting music pedagogy and music psychology: Contribution to the study of contemporary professional music education

This paper discusses the research of psychologists and pedagogues which are committed to issues of professional music education. The statement of Ksenija Radoš (2010) that the psychologist-researchers and music pedagogues pass each other on the same way, and that they go on parallel paths toward the same goals, encountering the same obstacles, and yet never really meet, is the starting point for the review of the relationship between these disciplines. as the first step of our research, the definition of a 'common way' is imposed, and then testing the connection of current issues of music education and music psychology. according to our understanding, there are several important reasons for the mentioned situation in music education: focusing music pedagogy on general music education and 'late' awakening of pedagogy of professional music education as a special scientific discipline; obsolescence of the curriculum of professional music education and insufficient cooperation between music pedagogues and psychologists-researchers. Interplay of these disciplines, implemented through the planned conducted research that focuses on the problems of professional music education, could be an important support for the development and improvement of specific areas of music pedagogy.