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Abstract
In this paper I review the main trends that have been affecting music education in Brazil during the last few decades from my perspective as a professional in this domain. After mentioning some general philosophical, psychological, and educational approaches that broadly inspired the thinking in the Western world, I briefly characterize the main ideas of four internationally well-known pedagogical conceptions to teach music - Dalcroze, Kodály, Willems and Orff - and how they have been implemented into Brazilian music education. Finally, I discuss the application of these critically by taking into account new trends and challenges of musical education and teaching practice.
Key words: music education in Brazil, approaches, pedagogical conceptions, music teaching practice
Introduction
Educational paradigms of the 21st century undergo crucial changes in face of the complexity and challenges of the contemporary world, marked by political, economic and socio-cultural crises. In this turbulent context, music teachers are always challenged when faced with the diversity of cultures, preferences, and expectations found in the various student profiles which are increasingly heterogeneous. The demands of the teacher, called by D.Schön (2000) as 'artistic talent', not only in music but also in other areas such as architecture, psychology, education, is the competence involving "[...] 'reflection-in-action' (think what they do, while they do) that professionals develop in situations of uncertainty, uniqueness and conflict" (p. vii). In D.Schön's view, practical-reflexive teaching (practical rationality) is a key element of professional education, as students learn mostly by doing and reflecting on their action.
Much has been written about music education methods and many are the questions about how to teach children, adolescents or adults. ''Method is path, it is option for a way to reach the objectives that are synthesized in the learning" (Rangel, 2007, 13). For V.Gainza, author of more than 40 works on the pedagogy of music, "a method is an active and conscious form of individual response to inner demands and needs or those imposed by the environment" (1977, 49).
From this perspective it is essential for music educators to reflect on the objectives they intend to reach, to analyze the psycho-pedagogical bases of the method they intend to adopt, and to relate the method with their teaching practices and to the characteristics of the students...