Abstract:

The last third of the twentieth century has been a crucial period in our recent educative history because of the new Institutional Law on the overall structuring of the education system (L.O.G.S.E.). This law started an education reform process with a great significance, not only in relation to general education, but also with regard to music education.
In this paper, we will present a summary of the research which is being carried out with teachers in a music conservatory in the South of Europe. We try to go into the conservatory teachers figure in depth, with the purpose of knowing their academic and professional profile, and create pedagogical knowledge about the music education which is given by them in these centres, taking into consideration if their careers have been or are determinant in the educational relationships.
Opting for a naturalistic view of reality, this research project does not aim to generalise the results obtained, but rather to offer an in-depth account of the cases that are being studied. Due to the qualitative methodological approach that we adopt (based on interviews and document analysis), we expect many of teachers that are involved in this study to identify with the opinions that are expressed.
The following research questions have been formulated on the methodological and epistemological premise stated above:
- What was the training received by them as music students like?
- Does it correspond to what the educational system currently demands of music teachers or does it focus on the transmission of the cultural heritage of Western music without regard for whether this type of knowledge and skill is practical in educational processes?
- How highly qualified are they, not only as music professionals, but also as teachers?
- What views do conservatory teachers hold about the type of training which is offered since the last third of the twentieth century?
- Does the theoretical framework set out by the L.O.G.S.E. correspond to the educational reality and the teachers profiles who work in those centres within which it is being applied?
In order to address these questions, teachers from different specialities have been selected for the purpose of this study. They have been chosen bearing in mind the distinction that can be made between instrumental and theoretical specialities, and trying to include men and women between the ages of 25 and 50.
In order to carry out the interviews, a question and topic guide was previously elaborated. As such, these interviews could be classed as semi-structured in which the interviewer considered the same topics and questions with all the interviewees, but at the same time changed the order of the questions or introduced new topics in response to the interviewee's reaction or the information that he or she had provided. Moreover, this type of interview favours a more natural and receptive attitude on the part of the interviewer, and grants greater flexibility with respect to data collection.

Keywords:

Music Education, Professional profiles.