The Orpheus Instituut welcomes visiting researcher Carla Reis.

Carla Reis is a brazilian pianist, PhD in Education by UFMG and Master in Music by UFRJ. She did her doctoral stay at the University of Porto (Portugal) and her thesis addressed piano undergraduate training from a sociological perspective. Since 2006, she is part of the faculty of the Music Department at UFSJ (Federal University of São João del-Rei) in Minas Gerais, working in the undergraduate and graduate courses. Carla is the creator and coordinator of the Extension Program "Piano.Pérolas (Piano.Gems), which aims to train piano teachers, as well as record and disseminate didactic works of Brazilian composers. She is the author of the book "The piano at university: trajectories in counterpoint" (Editora Appris) and co-author, with Liliana Botelho, of the books "Piano.Pérolas - quem brinca já chegou!" (Brazilian Piano Gems It is time to play!) and "Piano.Pérolas 2 - bichos da terra, da água e do ar". Carla Reis is the leader of the research group in Piano Pedagogy and Performance TeclaMinas/Cnpq and her main research interests are inclusive piano pedagogy, gender relations in musical education and performance, and the sociology of music education. (Text informed by the author).s

She joins the OI as a visiting researcher in regards to her research project 'LUDUS: A dialogue between the projects Piano.Pérolas and Peyotl'. This project is grounded in the observation that the use of extended piano techniques in introductory piano instruction remains infrequent—and, at times, stigmatized—within the Brazilian context. It aims to explore the applicability of this approach in pedagogical practices and the composition of works for novice pianists, engaging in dialogue with the Peyotl project coordinated by Prof. Luk Vaes. This proposal is part of my post-doctoral research undertaken in the Graduate Program in Music at UFMG, Brazil. The research is exploratory in nature and employs two methodological approaches: bibliographic research and autoethnography viewed through the lens of artistic inquiry. The anticipated outcomes of this study will facilitate the co-authorship of an article with my supervising professors and contribute to the publication of a new didactic resource within the Piano.Pérolas series, which currently encompasses two volumes released in collaboration with the Federal University of São João del-Rei (MG, Brazil)—where I teach in both undergraduate and graduate programs—and the Selo Minas de Som/UFMG.