Music Education Special Interest Group
Research Seminar Announcement
Music Teacher Education in Brazil and the UK: Challenges and perspectives
Professor Graham Welch, Institute of Education, University of London, UK; Dr. Sérgio Figueiredo, State University of Santa Catarina, Brazil; Dr. José Soares, State University of Santa Catarina, Brazil.
Thursday 16th December 13.00 – 15.00
Room: 944
Abstract
In Brazil students have to follow a different route to become a music teacher to that of the UK. There are significant variations in the preparation of music teachers, both across and within individual programmes, and these are reflected in a range of trainee teachers experiences. It is a complex matter to make comparisons between the mechanisms that operate in different countries for several reasons, in particular the fact that Higher Education Institutions and educational systems in general can vary in a number of ways and are influenced by socio-economic factors, government policies and other external factors. However, an understanding of similar or contrasting features in the preparation of music teachers in Brazil and UK is of great value in tackling social, political and educational problems. The purpose of this seminar is to hold a debate on the current challenges that face prospective music teacher in Brazil and the UK. The seminar is organized as follows:
| Time | Presenter | Information |
| 13.00 | Dr. Sérgio Figueiredo | Dr. Figueiredo will present an overview of Music Teacher Training Courses in Brazil. He will also discuss the implications of a new Law 11.769/2008, which stipulates that music should be a compulsory part of the syllabus in the school curriculum at all levels of basic education, and should serve to prepare new music teachers in Brazil. |
| 13.30 | Professor Graham Welch | Professor Welch will discuss significant concerns about music teacher education in England. He will present the pathways to become a music teacher in the UK. |
| 14.00 | Dr. José Soares e Dr. Sérgio Figueiredo | Dr. Soares and Dr. Figueiredo will give a presentation on the preliminary results of a research project "Becoming a music teacher in Brazil". This is being carried out by the Music Education Research Group (MusE) and funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education (CAPES), a department of the Ministry of Education, Observatory Program. The aim of the project is to identify the determinants factors that affect the process of becoming a music teacher in Brazil. |
| 14.30-15.00 | All presenters | Discussion |
Biography of presenters
Professor Graham Welch
Professor Graham Welch holds the Institute of Education, University of London Established Chair of Music Education and is Deputy Dean of the Institute's Faculty of Culture and Pædagogy. He is elected Chair of the international Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE) and president-elect of the International Society for Music Education (ISME). He also holds Visiting Professorships at the Universities of Sydney (Australia), Limerick (Eire), Helsinki (Finland) and Roehampton (UK). He has acted as a special consultant: (i) on aspects of children's singing and vocal development to the USA National Center for Voice and Speech (NCVS) in Denver and the Swedish Voice Research Centre in Stockholm and (ii) on aspects of educational and research development in the areas of arts and music education, curriculum and teacher development to the British Council in the Ukraine and Argentina, the Ministry for Education and Youth in the United Arab Emirates and the National Research Foundation of South Africa. Publications number over two hundred and embrace musical development and music education, teacher education, the psychology of music, singing and voice science and music in special education and disability. Publications are primarily in English, but also in Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Swedish and Chinese. Graham Welch is member of the editorial boards of the: Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME), Music Education Research (MER), International Journal of Music Education (IJME), Research Studies in Music Education (RSME), International Journal of Research in Choral Singing (IJRCS) and Psychology of Music (PsyMus).
Dr. Sérgio Figueiredo
Sérgio Figueiredo is Associate Professor at the State University of Santa Catarina, Brazil. He holds a PhD in Music Education at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology – RMIT University, Melbourne, Australia. He also holds a Master degree from Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. He is member of the editorial board of the Revista ABEM (Journal of Brazilian Society for Music Education). He has published in English, Spanish and Portuguese. His main areas of research interest include initial and continuing education of generalist and specialist music teachers, choral education and Philosophy of Music and Music Education. He is the coordinator of the Music Commission at the Ministry of Education in Brazil, specifically at INEP, for evaluation issues. He also is a member of the CNIC – a National Committee for Cultural Issues, at the Ministry of Culture, Brazil. He is a member of the ISME Research Commission, representing Latin America and Caribe. Currently he is the President of Honour of the Brazilian Society for Music Education (ABEM), being the president between 2005 and 2009.
Dr. José Soares
José Soares holds a PhD in Music Education at the Institute of Education, University of London. He also holds a Master degree from Brazilian Conservatory of Music, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He has presented in conferences in Brazil and abroad. He is a member of the editorial board of the Revista ABEM (Journal of Brazilian Society for Music Education). His main areas of interests include creativity, research methods and music teacher education. He is a lecturer at the State University of Santa Catarina. He is involved in the research project 'Becoming a Music Teacher in Brazil', funded by the Coordination for the Improvement of Higher Education (CAPES), National Institute for Educational Studies Anísio Teixeira (INEP) and Secretariat for Continuing Education, Literacy and Diversity (SECAD).
