Music literacy in higher education in Mexico: Current conceptions and teaching practices

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the perceptions of Mexican university professors about Music Literacy (ML), the practices used to teach it, and how the expectancies and values of professors influence the application of these practices. The literature review shows the relationship between the conservatory model and its influence on teaching ML in higher education in Mexico. Fifty-four professors from different states in the country answered a self-report questionnaire through Google Forms. The results suggest that the perceptions of ML are strongly linked to skills such as reading and writing traditional music notation. In their weekly planning, professors privilege the use of reading to learn repertoire from scores, over other aspects such as aural development and musical creativity. In addition, it was observed that professors tend to plan more frequently activities in which they feel competent, repeating the schemes under which they were taught. The article concludes by raising the need to develop alternative approaches, focused on a more holistic musical training, and the need to establish a basic set of skills in different areas that allows university graduates to have greater opportunities in the music profession.