Carol Jean Gillanders

Carol Jean Gillanders is a Professor at the University of Santiago de Compostela, affiliated with the Applied Didactics Department under the Faculty of Education Sciences. She holds a Doctorate from the same university (2011), focusing on media in music education practices in Galicia. Her research interests span music education, teacher training, educational technology, and interdisciplinary approaches to arts and culture. She is part of research groups like LITER21 (Galician literature and literary research) and TecnoEduc (educational technology).

Her work emphasizes the role of music in early childhood education, integrating arts into curricula, and fostering gender perspectives in teaching practices. Notable contributions include studies on music’s impact on mathematical thinking, service-learning projects, and the use of audiovisual materials for dance education. She collaborates extensively with co-authors across Europe, addressing topics like ecological music, cultural heritage, and teacher preparation.

Her publications highlight innovative pedagogical strategies, such as storytelling with music and interdisciplinary projects linking arts to environmental education. Gillanders advocates for holistic education, merging theory with practical classroom applications. Her research also addresses challenges in teacher training, such as adapting to EU work placements and integrating somatic education in piano studies.