Why Music Matters. Dr Rena Upitis. March 7, 2013.
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Description
Dr. Upitis is a recipient of the 2012 Queen’s Prizes for Excellence in Research. A leading international scholar in arts education and the relatively new field of educational architecture, she has a long record of successful and significant research. After researching innovative teaching techniques for music, and mathematics and science learning software, Dr. Upitis conducted a major study on how engagement with the arts supports teachers and improves learning. She served a six-year term as Research Co-director of the Royal Conservatory’s Learning Through the Arts Program, and her study was the first of its scope conducted in Canada and the largest of its type to date. Dr. Upitis also conducted ground-breaking research on the impact of school design on learning, achieving a Diploma in Architectural Technology in the process. Then, bringing together her previous work in the arts and digital spaces, she and her partners at the Royal Conservatory and Concordia University developed iSCORE, a unique and free online music tool that offers a wide range of features to teachers and students. The research partners are currently beginning a project to investigate the learning potential of iSCORE in North America that is being supported a SSHRC Partnership Grant worth nearly $2 million dollars, a Canada Foundation for Innovation Grant and additional funding (making the total nearly $4 million). If proven successful, iSCORE may be distributed throughout Europe and Asia (project news is available at iscorenews.com).