Guro Gravem Johansen, Professor of Music Education
Guro Gravem Johansen is originally from Troms in northern Norway where she grew up on a farm close to the sea. She is a trained jazz singer with a bachelor’s and master’s degree as well as a PhD in music education from the Norwegian Academy of Music. This is also where she worked for 25 years before starting her employment at ý in 2023.
"My research mainly focuses on education, teaching and learning in jazz and improvised music at all levels; from children to the conservatoire level.I study this from socio-cultural perspectives and specifically based on cultural-historical activity theory, applying qualitative methods, including ethnography. The latter also includes diversity issues – inclusion and gender equality in music and music education. Everything from gender perspectives to challenging hegemony in musical knowledge, that is, which forms of knowledge are “accepted” and which are not. The history of jazz and jazz education also involves racism and hierarchies between “black” and “white” musical formats. Such issues are therefore undeniably historically embedded in institutionalised music education in Western countries."
Guro Gravem Johansen’s interest in these areas is closely related to her experience as a student; that the artistic value and learning techniques of jazz and improvisational musicians and students were overlooked and not respected within institutionalised music education compared to Euro-classical music.
"My research focuses on a diversity of musical forms of knowledge. I want to contribute to developing a better understanding of creative, exploratory and unpredictable learning processes, rather than focusing solely on learning that can be standardised and measured."
Guro Gravem Johansen’s book “Children’s Guided Participation in Jazz Improvisation: A case study of the ‘Improbasen’ learning centre” gained international recognition.
"It focuses on an instrumental teaching practice in Oslo that exclusively offers instruction in jazz improvisation aimed at children who are beginners on an instrument. It discusses the importance of improvisation as a foundation for musical ownership and socio-musical communication. In the long term, my research will probably focus even more on major and current international themes in music education, such as how opportunities for learning music can contribute to social sustainability, democracy and citizenship."
Guro Gravem Johansen is passionate about public singing and has been a choir director in various settings since she was 18 years old. Nowadays, she is the conductor of a rhythmic a cappella choir in Oslo and views Ingesund School of Music as the Mecca of choir singing in Sweden, which is a true stroke of luck!