Education, Music, and Theater in the Community

About this Group

This Research Group investigates the role of music education in contemporary societies, focusing on formal, non-formal and informal contexts. Within the Strategic Project of INET-md, the group has explored community music practices and innovative concepts of music teaching and learning. Its members, from the INET-md Branches P. Porto and U. Aveiro, have worked together and collaborated with other RGs. The diversity of research topics and methodologies, along with projects interweaving research with educational and artistic dimensions, has enriched the group and developed its orientations. Internationalization has been achieved through participation in international projects (eg Erasmus) and in boards of international organizations (eg ISME Research Commission).

Main Contributions:

• Developing research projects on two main themes: (a) musical practices for social inclusion and development in marginalised contexts, such as unhoused people, mental health hospitals, mothers with their young children in prison, and school-aged children in disadvantaged communities; (b) innovative practices in music teaching and learning in different contexts, such as school music education, music teacher education, professional specialist schools, pedagogical approaches for instrumental teaching and learning, poems and songs for children by Portuguese authors, digital transformation and sound-centred approaches to music education, and musical creation through interacting with nature and exploring new technological tools.
• Organizing academic events to disseminate research and share the expertise of renowned scholars with academic and educational communities: in Porto, the CIPEM Seminar “Research and Practice”; the International Conferences IC CIPEM, “Challenges in Music Education”(2019), and “Perspectives in Psychology of Music and Music Education” (2021); the “Autumn School” (2023); hosting a SIMM Symposium and a Seminar; and, in Aveiro, the International Conference MusiChildren (2022). Three books edited by group members explore current topics in music teaching and learning, including challenges in music education, research and practice in string teaching, and democratization of artistic education.
• Educational and artistic events have included open lectures and talks on various topics (musical development, creativity and digital culture in music teaching and learning) for researchers, students, and teachers, some of them in virtual format to reach a wider audience; workshops and pedagogical demonstrations in choir direction, music therapy, and music pedagogy, the latter involving children from local communities. The U. Aveiro Labeamus provides a space for experimentation and sharing.
  Artistic production included compositions and concert performances, some in local communities and educational settings. Knowledge transfer and collaborative projects in musical and social intervention were also carried out with partner institutions.

In 2023, the name of this Research Group changed to “Education, Music, and Theatre in the Community” (EMTC) to include Theatre and Drama as new fields of research to be explored. New researchers were integrated in these and in other areas (eg the project “Music Performance Anxiety in Adolescents”), thereby broadening the scope of research topics.

The main objectives for the coming years are to deepen the study of ongoing themes, such as musical creation and innovative practices in educational and social contexts; explore new topics and emerging issues; continue to collaborate with other INET-md RGs and with national and international researchers; include post-graduate students in team projects and encourage undergraduates to engage in research; and disseminate results through conferences and publications.

Future research projects cover themes in the two areas mentioned above, including practices in music teaching and learning, such as digital transformation in specialist music education; professional music schools; creativity and musical expression; theatre and drama education in basic school, teacher education, and community settings; theatrical practices and curricular flexibility; music, drama, and dance in children’s development; and music and social intervention, such as extension programs of the Portuguese Sistema-inspired orchestra and the case of an Afghan music community in Portugal.

The proposed new Thematic Lines (TL) contribute to the interdisciplinary approach of research at the RU.The TL Digital and Technological Performativities, coordinated by EMTC members, will explore how digital and technological tools participate in the development of artistic practices in diverse social and cultural contexts and how practice-led methodologies can inform educational contexts.

In Portugal, where research in music and arts education is still scarce, strengthening research and practice in our group will be crucial for both academic contexts and local communities.