Carolina Faria

PhD candidate in Musical Sciences – Ethnomusicology at NOVA FCSH since 2024. Holds a degree in Music Education and a master’s degree in Teaching Music Education in Primary Education from the School of Education of the Polytechnic Institute of Porto. Has been working in a technical-pedagogical role at the Research and Documentation Office of the Directorate of Research, Communication, Publications, and Training at the Conservatory – Madeira Professional School of the Arts since 2022. Her research interests are related to music education and musical traditions. She has been part of the organization of various events, such as the "World Summit of Arts Education" (2023); the International Congress of Arts Education (2024), and the Historical Music Conference “Notas no Tempo” (2024). She has published articles in scientific journals and participated as a speaker at conferences.

Supervisor Manuel Deniz Silva

Abstract

The present study arises from the need to understand, analyze, and assess the vitality of the philharmonic culture in Portugal, particularly in the Madeira region, based on a theoretical model of risk assessment for musical cultures, associated with Catherine Grant’s framework. This framework, defined by Grant in her book *Music Endangerment*, enables professionals to understand whether a musical genre in a specific region is at risk of extinction, helps identify interventions that could benefit the preservation of the genre, and monitors whether the situation is improving or declining over time. In her book, Grant presents a "musical vitality and endangerment" framework with twelve factors (Grant 2014, 105–126), which will be considered in this study. Bands from Madeira Island, mainland Portugal (northern region), and the Azores (São Miguel) will be analyzed. The bands from mainland Portugal and the Azores will serve as comparative control elements, and they are not intended to represent the entirety of the philharmonic culture in their respective regions.