A rationale for and the development of choro courses as a proposed model for Brazilian popular music programs in colleges and universities of Brazil

This study sought to (a) establish a rationale for the inclusion of choro music experiences in Brazilian university music programs and (b) develop choro music experiences which would be relevant to the training of Brazilian university music students.Information leading to the design of the courses of study was gathered by means of survey questionnaires distributed to samples from three Brazilian populations: (a) choro music specialists, (b) university music faculty, and (c) university music students. Questionnaires included (a) seven philosophical statements concerning various aspects of choro music in relation to the Brazilian university music program, (b) a brief description of six suggested choro music experience courses, and (c) an open-end format section which was different for each sample and was designed to collect relevant background information from respondents.Respondents were asked to indicate their reaction to philosophical statements and suggested choro music experiences on a 5-point Likert scale. Quantitative data were analyzed using parametric statistical techniques, while data from open-end section of questionnaire were analyzed mostly through frequency count of response themes and report of topics.The major findings of the study were: (1) Respondents generally were supportive of the inclusion of choro music experience courses in the Brazilian university music curriculum. (2) Respondents generally gave three types of choro music experiences the highest priority ratings: (a) Choro history and literature, (b) Choro performance, solo and ensemble, and (c) Choro theory and improvisation.The proposed choro curriculum includes three instructional units, one for each type of recommended music experience. Each unit contains a unit description, instructional goal, and instructional objectives. Resource material and teaching strategies applicable to all units also are included. The objective of the proposed curriculum is to give the potential instructor of these units a breadth of topics and a variety of materials from which to choose in order to meet the needs of diverse teaching situations