Piano pedagogy in Portugal

a discursive analysis from the perspective of Higher Education teachers

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35699/cc6dh808

Keywords:

Piano pedagogy, Higher music institutions, Teaching-learning methodologies, Narrative accounts, Portuguese context

Abstract

This research, based on the analysis of a collection of oral and written documents related to the piano within higher education institutions in Portugal, aims to foster the understanding, documentation, and dissemination of contexts, trends, and contemporary practices connected with piano pedagogy. The findings are based on interviews conducted with 14 teachers who currently teach or have taught at institutions such as the Universities of Aveiro, Minho and Évora, and the Polytechnic Institutes of Porto, Castelo Branco, and Lisbon. Content analysis followed Bardin's model (2016), enabling the identification of patterns and paradigm shifts in teaching/performance practices over time. Recurring topics include curricular plans, pedagogical practices, democratisation of piano education, social recognition of piano teachers, the role of the ‘stage’, and the integration of scientific research into professional’s daily lives. The results facilitated the construction of interinstitutional and intercontinental dialogues on piano education, providing a robust structural framework on procedures, ideologies, and practices in the Portuguese context.

Author Biographies

  • Vania Camacho, Federal University of Paraíba, Brazil

    Vania Camacho has been an Associate Professor at the Federal University of Paraíba (UFPB) since 1994, where she has been developing work on undergraduate piano teaching, piano performance, artistic research, and extension projects focused on early piano education. She has participated in HistedBR-PB, a group with a focus in the area of historical research, particularly the history of education in Paraíba. From 2009 to 2015, she worked on historical research into piano teaching in Paraíba, resulting in her doctoral thesis Piano teaching in Paraíba: memories, places and musical practices (1945–1985). From 2004 to 2016, she participated as a collaborating teacher and in field research for PENSAMus—Musical Education in Joao Pessoa: the reality of teaching and learning music in the municipality's formal and non-formal spaces. Currently, she coordinates the Piano Course of the University Music Extension Programme, and the GPP—Piano Research Group—interpretative practices, pedagogical practices, and history. She has published articles in journals and research results in conference proceedings. She participated in the recording of the CD "Works by José Alberto Kaplan" and has performed in several Brazilian states: Rio Grande do Norte, Pernambuco, Paraíba, São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Paraná, Rio Grande do Sul, and in international tours to Buenos Aires and La Plata. She has performed as a soloist with the University Orchestra and also with the UFPB Symphony Orchestra—OsufPB. She has worked in the areas of instrumental practice, mainly promoting Brazilian music. She is currently part of the four-hands piano duo Kûara.

  • Alfonso Benetti, University of Aveiro/INET-md, Portugal

    Alfonso Benetti is an Assistant Researcher at the University of Aveiro/INET-md, teacher at the Polytechnic University of Castelo Branco (ESART), and has developed extensive work on expressivity and piano performance, autoethnography, artistic research, music and technology, and experimentation in music performance. For the latter, he coordinates a project approved for funding by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology. He has published articles and participated in several conferences, is a member of editorial committees of scientific publications and events, a founding member of the IMPAR committee (Initiatives, Meetings and Publications on Artistic Research), and an associate editor and founder of the IMPAR-Online Journal for Artistic Research. Benetti was also the creator and coordinator of the Xperimus Ensemble—a group of artists/researchers devoted to the subject of experimentation in music performance. He is currently PI of the projects TransVariations—Music Beyond the Limits of Time and Technology (EEA Grants), and Ebony & Ivory—History of Piano in Portugal from the second half of the 18th Century to the 21st Century (FCT). As a professional pianist, his artistic work involves concerts, recitals, and participation in music festivals in Portugal, Brazil, Norway, Germany, England, Austria, and Poland.

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2026-03-10

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Vol. 27 (2026): General Topics

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How to Cite

“Piano Pedagogy in Portugal: A Discursive Analysis from the Perspective of Higher Education Teachers”. 2026. Per Musi 27 (March): 1-28. https://doi.org/10.35699/cc6dh808.