Sofia Nygren
This project explores the concept of music educational expertise in contemporary Swedish municipal music schools and similar forms of voluntary music education for young people, with a focus on both explicit and tacit knowledge among experienced music educators.
Project title: Music educational expertise
Third-cycle subject area: Music education
Principal supervisor: Susanna Leijonhufvud, KMH
Assistant supervisor: Anna Backman Bister, KMH
Admitted to: KMH
Project period: 2025-2029
Purpose and research questions
The aim of the project is to investigate what constitutes music educational expertise in practice. The term refers to the knowledge and skills that highly qualified music teachers have developed through years of professional experience with diverse methods, students, groups, and teaching contexts. The project seeks to examine both explicit and tacit forms of knowledge. The research is practice-based, meaning that the final research questions are defined jointly by the researcher and the practitioners.
Method
The research is practice-based and organised in three phases. The first phase maps practitioners’ thoughts, needs, and expectations. The second phase involves data collection in collaboration with teachers from different schools, organisations, and educational levels. The third phase focuses on analysing the collected data together with practitioners, ensuring relevance and grounding in educational practice.
Expected outcome
The project is expected to generate new insights into music educational expertise that can support both professional practice and music teacher education, contributing to a deeper understanding of how music teachers can develop new tools and competencies in a changing educational landscape.
About the PhD student
Sofia Nygren holds a degree in Music Education from the School of Music in Piteå, specialising in instrumental and ensemble teaching. She has also studied French horn and brass methodology at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm (KMH), as well as Music and Event Management at Campus Nyköping. Her professional background includes work as a music teacher, inclusion and leadership development within adult education, and as Development Manager at the Swedish Orchestra Association.