Johanna E. Abril, PhD

Research-informed, culturally responsive, and practice-embedded music education

Teaching Philosophy

Research-informed, culturally responsive, and practice-embedded music education

Core Commitments

  • Research-informed teaching: Learning design grounded in scholarship, with transparent rationales for methods and assessment.
  • Community-engaged practice: Participatory approaches that connect music-making with lived contexts and public-facing outcomes.
  • Culturally responsive pedagogy: Repertoire, inquiry, and projects that value students' cultural knowledge and foster critical reflection.
  • Inclusive design: Multiple entry points, differentiated pathways, and attention to accessibility across musical roles and modalities.

Instructional Design

My courses emphasize structured inquiry, iterative practice, and reflective synthesis. I use project-based and problem-based learning sequences that move from conceptual grounding to applied creation, analysis, and teaching design. Students build artifacts — lesson plans, research proposals, interventions, presentations — assessed with transparent criteria.

Assessment Orientation

  • Formative feedback early and often: brief reflections, check-ins, and drafts.
  • Performance of understanding via applied outputs: teaching demonstrations, design proposals, research syntheses.
  • Metacognition through guided reflection that makes learning processes visible.

Teaching & Curriculum

My teaching spans higher education, secondary education, and community-based contexts, with a focus on curriculum design that integrates research, practice, technology, and cultural context.

Course Clusters

My teaching is organized around five curriculum clusters, each linking scholarship to applied learning outcomes.

Music, Mind, and Learning
Cognition, memory, learning sciences, and educational applications

Music, Mind, and Learning · Psychology of Music · Neuropsychology of Music in Education · Music and Child Development · Advanced Seminar in Music, Cognition, and Culture

Music Cognition Learning Sciences Child Development
Music, Identity, and Social-Emotional Learning
Identity development, social-emotional frameworks, and applied projects

Music, Identity, and Social-Emotional Learning · Music, Memory, and Identity

Identity Studies SEL Applied Projects
Philosophy, Aesthetics, and Human Experience
Philosophy of mind, aesthetics, and lived experience through music

Music, Mind, and Consciousness · Philosophy of Music and Human Experience

Philosophy of Music Aesthetics
Community Music and Applied Practice
Participatory practice and community-based learning

Arts, Human Expression, and Community · Music Therapy and Inclusive Education

Community Engagement Inclusive Education Applied Inquiry
Research and Methods
Research design, qualitative/quantitative literacy, and ethics

Research Methods in Education

Research Design Ethics Methods Literacy

Curriculum Design and Course Development

This portfolio includes syllabi for courses taught as well as ready-to-develop course designs. Where a course is marked as in development, it is fully teachable: readings, outcomes, and assessments can be expanded to meet institutional requirements, modality, and credit-hour policies.

Applied Musicianship

  • Folk and Modern Instruments (MED 245) — guitar, ukulele, recorder, percussion; lesson planning; performance-based assessment
  • Music Learning and Pedagogy (University of Cuenca, intensive format)

Courses In Development

  • Community Music and Social Engagement — participatory practice and community-based learning
  • Contemporary Approaches to Music Teaching — interdisciplinary, technology-enabled pedagogy
  • Curriculum Design in Music Education — program design, policy, and implementation
  • Teaching Practicum / Applied Pedagogy — supervised field experience

Research–Teaching Integration

My teaching is shaped by scholarship in music education, culturally responsive pedagogy, identity studies, and interdisciplinary work in music cognition and psychology. I design learning sequences that make research legible and actionable: students read critically, translate theory into practice, and evaluate implications for curriculum, participation, and equity.

Scholarship

  • Music education policy and enactment in Latin American contexts
  • Culturally responsive and sustaining pedagogies in music education
  • Music, identity, and social-emotional learning in educational and community settings

Pedagogical Implications

  • Inquiry-centered course structures and transparent assessment
  • Critical engagement with repertoire, media, and context
  • Applied projects that translate theory into practice

Community and Culturally Responsive Practice

My service work connects higher education, school communities, and professional organizations. I view service as an extension of teaching: building infrastructure for participation, creating access to meaningful music experiences, and strengthening collaborative networks.

Professional Leadership

Role, organization, scope, and outcomes within professional music education communities.

Community Partnerships

Partners, projects, student involvement, and public outcomes through community-engaged music education.

Mentoring and Supervision

Graduate advising, capstone direction, and research coaching — including current thesis supervision at UNIR.

Syllabi and Teaching Materials

Selected syllabi illustrating my approach to course design, learning outcomes, assessment, and the integration of research and practice.

Sample Syllabi — Courses Taught

Research Methods in Education
Research design, ethics, quantitative/qualitative literacy

Syllabus coming soon

Folk and Modern Instruments (MED 245)
Guitar, ukulele, recorder, percussion; lesson planning; performance-based assessment

Syllabus coming soon

Music Learning and Pedagogy
University of Cuenca • Intensive format

Syllabus coming soon

Courses In Development

These courses are fully teachable and can be expanded to meet institutional requirements, modality, and credit-hour policies.

Community Music and Social Engagement
In development

Participatory practice and community-based learning in music education contexts.

Contemporary Approaches to Music Teaching
In development

Interdisciplinary, technology-enabled pedagogy for current and emerging music educators.

Curriculum Design in Music Education
In development

Program design, policy literacy, and implementation across diverse educational contexts.

Teaching Practicum / Applied Pedagogy
In development

Supervised field experience integrating theory, reflection, and mentored practice.

Teaching Evidence

Selected artifacts illustrating aspects of my teaching practice. This section will continue to grow as materials become available.

Coming Soon

  • Sample assignment prompts (methods-based and community-based)
  • Research-to-teaching map (course → concept → method → assessment)
  • Annotated bibliography of sources used across clusters
  • Assessment rubric excerpts
This section is actively being developed. Artifacts will be added as materials are finalized.

CV and Contact

CV coming soon

Location: Ecuador (available for international opportunities)
Email: — coming soon —