ABSTRACT
The Nordic Network for Music Education (NNME) has been an essential platform for discussions and opportunities to consider the body of theoretical research as well as both artistic and pedagogical practices of Nordic and other Baltic countries. The aim of this chapter is to reflect on Latvian contributions to music education research, in cooperation with NNME partner institutions, in the period of 2008-2017. Specifically, we analyze the cooperation between participants of Riga Teacher Training and Educational Management Academy and other NNME partner institutions and its contribution to research results. We will discuss the outcomes of five selected PhD dissertations, all developed under the supervision of professor Mara Marnauza, to illustrate the paradigm shift to a competency-based approach in Latvian music education. Several related topics are covered in this chapter: future teachers’ research competence, music teachers’ emotional competence, development of the choral conductor’s listening skills, instrumental (trombone) performance skill development, and cooperation skill development in jazz singing. In the period of 2008-2017, cooperation between NNME partner institutions was organized in the form of intensive courses, and both teacher and student mobility. Other forms of cooperation have also arisen from the context of NNME, e.g., artistic projects, concerts, master classes, publications in international peer-reviewed journals and scientific conference proceedings, and conferences. International collaboration through NNME has contributed to completion of both Master and PhD theses, and bolstered general research development in Latvia.
