Permanent Seminar of the Research Group on Education, Music and Theater in the Community
19 March 2026, 19.00-20.30
Escola Superior de Educação, Politécnico do Porto | Room 106
Free entrance, both online and in presence
Room Teams: Seminário Permanente do INET-md Grupo Educação, Música e Teatro na Comunidade | Reunião-Participar | Microsoft Teams
How Sensory Musicking enhances inclusive learning in music education
Maria Varvarigou
Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, Irlanda
Abstract:
Sensory Musicking is an approach to music education designed to foster meaningful and inclusive musical experiences for teachers and learners of diverse backgrounds, needs, and abilities. It promotes multisensory and interactive engagement, blending song, improvisation, storytelling, and the use of sensory materials, such as scarves, mirrors, bubbles, or scents, to allow multiple entry points into music learning and participation.
Through Sensory Musicking, participants explore music in a dynamic, participatory environment tailored to their individual sensory and creative needs, making music learning both inclusive and transformative. In this presentation, I will outline how Sensory Musicking experiences can be developed, including their structure, aims, teaching methods. I will also discuss how educators and musicians can use Sensory Musicking to create hands-on, person-centred and participant-led learning experiences within flexible frameworks. Finally, I advocate for music leadership that promotes co-creation, where participants are recognised as experts in their own learning.
Maria Varvarigou is a musician and music educator at Mary Immaculate College, Ireland, where she coordinates the master’s in educational leadership and management. Her work fosters a connection between higher education, professional music education, and community involvement. Her research explores inclusive music pedagogies, wellbeing, and professional development across the life course. She is co-author of Active Ageing with Music (2014), published by IoE University Press; and Contexts for Music Learning and Participation (2020), published by Palgrave.