Research Catalogue

Dr. Mónika Benedek, PhD is a Hungarian music theory and solfege teacher, choral conductor and researcher of music education. She has 20 years of teaching experience in both classical and jazz music education.  She finished her PhD in Music Education at the University of Jyväskylä in Finland in 2015.

The dissertation entitled" The role of piano improvisation in teaching harmony, using combined materials selected from the Baroque period and jazz standard repertoire: towards a comprehensive approach' explored the applicability of piano improvisation as a potential pedagogical tool in the combined teaching of baroque and jazz harmony and to investigate in what ways it supports the development of harmony knowledge and various musical skills. 

Furthermore she received her BMus and MMus degrees at the Liszt Academy of Music in Hungary in 2005 and 1997.

Currently, she is a researcher and curriculum developer at the Liszt Academy of Music working on the development of Hungarian music teacher education programme. At the same time, she lives in Finland and leading her jazz choir at the Jyväskylä Adult Education Centre. She has also been leading vocational courses of improvisation for aural skills and music theory teachers in Hungary, as well as solfege, choir conducting and Kodály-methodology courses both for Hungarian and international music teachers.

Her research interests are aural learning, peer learning, digital music education and improvisation in the classical music education including solfege, music theory, and choir singing, furthermore the development of Kodály's methodology in the today's music education enviroment.