Melissa Bremmer: What the body knows about teaching music

Shulman (1986) has suggested that teachers develop a unique kind of knowledge through practice that blends pedagogical knowledge and content knowledge, hence the term 'pedagogical content knowledge', which is similar to the European idea of 'vakdidactiek'. In my presentation I will look at the 'pedagogical content knowledge' of music teachers regarding the teaching and learning of rhythm skills of preschoolers from an embodied cognition perspective. From an embodied cognition perspective there is an intimate relationship between body and mind, implying that the music teachers’ 'pedagogical content knowledge' is also manifested in their bodies. Through video fragments I will show how the bodies of music teachers take on different roles such as that of a model, adaptive curriculum, guide and assessor to facilitate the learning of rhythm skills.

Melissa Bremmer

Melissa Bremmer completed her Bachelor in Music Education degree at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, her Master in Educational Science at the University of Amsterdam and she obtained her PhD ('no corrections') at the University of Exeter. She currently works as a senior lecturer at the Bachelor Music Education and Master Arts Education, both part of the Amsterdam University of Arts.

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Download the powerpoint of the lecture here.

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