IDENTITY, MUSICAL KNOWLEDGE AND PROFESSIONAL CHOICE:

Abstract

This article presents data concerning the profile of the students of the Music Education Program at UDESC, their prior musical knowledge, their choice of education, their labor activities during the university years, their expectations, their university entrance exam and so forth. The research was carried out over one year in the form of questionnaires, focus interviews and written documents. The investigation was theoretically and methodologically based on the work of seven research groups (ALFA-EVEDMUS). Similar studies carried out in Brazil were considered as well. The results show that more than half of the students are boys, they are more than twenty years old and have parallel professional activities; a majority chose the Music Education Program as second option with the objective to develop their music knowledge and mainly to study a music instrument; others did not express interest to work in public schools but as private instrument teachers. It is a study that aims to contribute to the debate about the education of music teachers and, as consequence, support the reforms of Music Education Programs.
Keywords: Music education; Initial education; Curricular reform.