Stockholms Musikpedagogiska Institut 50 år – en tillbakablick

In the autumn of 1960 seven people met in Stockhom to found a (private) institute for music-teacher education destined to become an alternative to the established (public) conservatories. This was a clear reaction against the hegemony of traditional teaching practices, offering a distinct approach based on close ties to educational practice, group tuition and singing in all courses, as well as answering to the general lack of qualified music teachers in Sweden at this time. The aim of this article is to give an account of SMI’s legislative history and development. The review is based on archives from board meetings, annual reports, various registers and commemorative works. The Institute has undergone an institutional metamorphosis from the first decades relating to study centre for adult education, evolving into a college identity to become an established university college with accredited music education degree programs. SMI has played an important role as a complement and example in the areas of practice-oriented and distance education. Despite SMI’s marginal position, small-scale organisation and meagre economic resources, it was at the turn of the 1980’s the single largest producer of instrumental and vocal teachers in Sweden. Keywords: teacher-training, group tuition, institutional music-teacher education