The interdisciplinary value of music in school projects is one of the main aspects being researched by the TCIEM project. Two members of the project wanted to share the results of their research in this area at the 5th International Seminar on Music Education Research: Congress on Music, Inclusion and Transformation, organised by the Universitat Jaume I and held in Castellón de la Plana a few weeks ago.
On the one hand, Cristina González-Martín (Autonomous University of Barcelona) shared the results of her case study in which she analysed a primary school in Catalonia to assess the feasibility of integrating music into interdisciplinary projects. Although the school worked on a project basis, music was hardly included due to the limited musical training of the generalist teachers. Teachers needed practical training, specific resources and support to implement musical proposals. The study confirmed the interdisciplinary strength of music and the need for coordination between areas to ensure the viability of interdisciplinary projects. During the presentation, she also reflected on the role of the generalist teacher and the specialist. She finally concluded that adequate training for generalist teachers is key to effectively incorporating music into interdisciplinary projects, and that this requires training strategies both at the initial university stage and in continuing education.
On the other hand, Antonio Fernández-Jiménez (University of Granada) spoke about the knowledge that has been generated following the development of his case study at a secondary school in the province of Granada. In this case, five teachers (including the music teacher) formed a working group to design and implement an interdisciplinary educational proposal, using a PBL (Project-Based Learning) methodology, which emphasised working on student inclusion. This school project has contributed to improving student creativity, as well as motivation and the working environment in the classroom. In addition, it has been a transformative process for secondary school teachers as a form of ongoing training, as it has contributed to collaborative and interdisciplinary work at a stage when it is still difficult to break down the compartmentalisation of curricular areas. One of the main conclusions was the importance of the education administration and school management teams facilitating organisational strategies for the optimal development of interdisciplinary projects.
