Kari Mette Holdhus

Kari Mette Holdhus serves as Professor of Music Education at the Department of Arts, Western Norway University of Applied Sciences (Stord campus). Her work bridges academic research with practical applications in school settings and teacher training programs, emphasizing transformative educational approaches through arts integration.

Research Focus: Holdhus pioneers relational pedagogy and dialogic encounters in arts education, investigating how communication between musicians, teachers, and students can foster creativity, ownership, and inclusive learning environments. Her scholarship centers on pedagogical improvisation, aesthetic experiences in schools, and reimagining artist-in-school programs beyond traditional dissemination models.

Publication Trends: Recent works analyze equity in music teacher education, access barriers in school arts, and collaborative university-school partnerships. Themes consistently address inclusion through sustainable development frameworks, with strong emphasis on student agency and dismantling 'outsiderness' in educational contexts.

Leadership & Collaboration: As former project leader of DiSko (2017-2020) and FUTURED (2019-2022), she developed dialogic models for artist-school engagements and explored Norwegian music teacher education reforms. She chaired the Nordic Network for Music Education Research (2020-2023) and contributes to the Grieg Research School while serving on editorial boards for Musikkpedpoden and the Nordic Journal of Art and Research.