The XXIX Latin American Forum of Music Education, FLADEM International, held in Monterrey (Mexico) from July 21 to 25, 2025, featured representation from Unicauca. There, Professor Jesús Edgardo Martínez shared the research and pedagogical advances of the Bachelor’s Program in Music, thus reaffirming the institutional commitment to comprehensive education, social transformation, and the international projection of its academic programs.

At our Alma Mater in Cauca, we are convinced that through art, lives can also be transformed, and dreams can come true! Hence the importance of our people participating in international events where they can enrich their experience and share knowledge: this way, they strengthen their profile in an exceptional way. In this context, since the creation in 1995 of the Latin American Forum of Music Education (FLADEM), a milestone that took place in San José, Costa Rica, this space has become the ideal stage for knowledge exchange, consolidating itself as a vital forum to reflect on the value of music education in the integral formation of the human being.

This is an international gathering that brings together professors, researchers, and artists from across the continent with the purpose of dignifying the work of music educators and strengthening music as a cultural heritage and social good for Latin America.

Photo: Professors at the 29th Latin American Forum of Music Education, FLADEM International.

In this edition, Professor Jesús Edgardo presented the lecture “Perspectives and Conceptions of Curriculum Perspective and Social Relevance of the Bachelor’s Program in Music at the University of Cauca”, a chapter of the book Curricular Perspectives and Social Relevance of the Bachelor’s Program in Music, which was published thanks to a research project made possible with the support of the Vice-Rectory for Research and the University Press.

His presentation opened a dialogue on the importance of envisioning music education through the lens of social relevance, in connection with cultural contexts, public policies, and open pedagogies that contribute to a more inclusive and transformative education, wonderful!

The presence of Cauca at the forum was also enriched by the lectures of Professor Lina Ospina and student Darío López, who shared pedagogical and academic experiences alongside representatives from Chile, Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, and Colombia. In this setting, the University of Cauca contributed to the collective construction of a more critical, diverse, and socially sensitive music education for Latin America.

“For me, it has been fundamental to belong to an international academic community, because this not only contributes to the strengthening of the high-quality accreditation of our program but also enriches my work as a professor. Sharing experiences with colleagues from different countries reaffirms me as part of a network of Latin American educators who work for a music education capable of transforming lives and consolidating a pedagogical thought of our own for Latin America,” highlighted Professor Jesús Edgardo Martínez with notable emotion.

Photo: Image of professors at the 29th Latin American Forum on Music Education, FLADEM International.

And it is no coincidence that Professor Jesús Edgardo has an active presence in these spaces. A Bachelor in Music Education, classical guitar student, specialist in Research in University Teaching Contexts, Master in Education from Diversity, and Doctor in Research and Teaching, he is passionate about knowledge. At our institution, he has held multiple academic leadership roles, including coordination of the Master’s in Music and faculty representation in the Faculty of Arts.

He is currently a spokesperson for the Master’s Program in Music, where he also led its curricular restructuring process, and he is part of both the Research Committee and the Program Committee of the Department of Music. Likewise, he has taken the research of the SON COLOMBIA group to national and international stages, projecting art as an axis of social transformation.

Thus, the fact that the name and unmistakable #SelloUnicaucano said “present” at FLADEM reaffirms our commitment to research, social outreach, and the preservation of our musical roots, strengthening an artistic education that transforms lives, builds peace, and consolidates the cultural legacy of an institution that, approaching its 200 years of history, continues to be #HeritageForAll.

 

Written by: Communications Management Center