Hi. I am a
01.
About Me
As a kid, I spent my days playing Monkey Island and running around dressed as a genetic engineer. Nowadays, I’m still at it, just in different ways: I play the piano, write my own songs, and perform with friends in various bands. I also teach many different things, all while researching new ways to approach music education
Beyond performing, I also spend a good deal of time writing about the music and topics I’m passionate about. My research focuses on the intersection of informal music learning and the role of improvisation as a core pedagogical tool. I’m particularly interested in how these approaches can be integrated into different educational settings—from teacher training to professional performance—to create more flexible and authentic ways of learning music.
1. Multiplying in the morning and playing Bach in the afternoon
One problem with using universals as a guide to discovering the origins of music is the difficulty in defining music in a way that is equally valid for all cultures, and valid as well in the eyes of different societies of humans. The world’s cultures vary (and varied in the past) in the degree to which they have the concept of music and in the value and function they assign to it.
2. Jazz & Informal Learning
Full text: Merino, M., & Calvi, J. C. R. (2024). The Role of Informal Learning in College Jazz Education in Ecuador: Contextualizing Students’ Musical Capital. Harmonia: Journal of Arts Research and Education, 24(2), 358-375. http://dx.doi.org/10.15294/harmonia.v24i2.16005
3. Jazz & Privatization
Full text: Merino, M. (2024). The jazz specialty in the Autonomous Community of Madrid: between pedagogical renewal and the privatization of higher music education. In Docent Innovation in the University Classroom: New Solutions for Old Problems (pp. 1421-1444). https://hdl.handle.net/10115/135637
04.
Gallery
Let’s work
together
Have a project in mind? I’d love to hear your ideas and create something meaningful together. Let’s bring your vision to life.