Music Education

Music educators – multi-skilled pedagogues present in everyday life

The skills and expertise provided by the music education programme has a broad and direct effect on the everyday lives of Finnish people. For example, professionals educated at Sibelius Academy can be found teaching in a local school's music classroom or researching the positive effects that music can have on the well-being of elderly people living in care facilities. A music pedagogue's expertise is weighed daily in interactions with various groups of people. Upon graduation, music educators are qualified to teach in schools, including specialist music schools and institutions for early childhood and adult education.
Approximately 25 students, 4 or 5 of who are educated in Swedish, embark on music education studies at Sibelius Academy annually. The three main cornerstones of studies are musicianship, pedagogic thinking, and research. Our collective goal is to provide students with a balanced education in music, a command of music subjects, and a personal pedagogic vision to help graduates when they move into the professional world. An individual's musical growth is evaluated as one continuum reaching from music playschool and early childhood music education to postdoctoral research.

Research improves pedagogic expertise

The purpose of the music education programme is not only to teach diverse musical and music teaching skills, but also to provide the opportunity to develop the field by actively researching the various forms of and possibilities for teaching and learning. The music education programme at Sibelius Academy is an active and appealing research community that is a member of international and national networks, such as Nordplus, the Nordic Network of Music Educational Research NNMPF, and the Hollo Institute. Researchers work on or participate in numerous projects that investigate and advance music education. Some of these projects are part of cooperative initiatives among several different institutions, whereas others are part of the academy's own teaching, development or research initiatives.

Vision for 2012

In 2012, Sibelius Academy's Music Education will:

• offer high-quality and broad-ranging education and research in music education's different sub-areas;
• hold a high-profile position within the music university, promoting the strongest expertise in pedagogic research and development of practices;
• take part in broad cooperation within music universities and in different sectors of society and be internationally networked in the areas of teaching, research, and artistic operations;
• have operations based on strategic management that acknowledges the significance of quality assessment based on research in the development of education and decision making;
• have a research and teaching position structure that will help us in achieving set goals.
• take into account that culture is dynamic and diverse, as well as the perspective of lifelong learning in its operations;
• educate creative pedagogues and researchers who will be capable of critical reflection and understand their own responsibility in developing the information society; and
• work to develop expertise in Finnish and Swedish research and instruction.