Research
Designing musical worlds that help learners move between diverse musical perspectives.
I'm a researcher and music educator developing fiction-based heuristics that expand educator agency in inclusive and transcultural music education.
Research questions
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What remains of music education when we stop assuming the agenda of one particular musical system?
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How can fiction function as a rigorous framework for designing musical worlds with pedagogical intention?
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In what ways can fiction expand educators’ agency over their teaching practices?
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Can games, stories, and imaginary worlds guide parents and educators without specialized musical training to learn music alongside children?
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How can the design of musical worlds contribute to more inclusive spaces for music teaching and learning?
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How can fiction function as a transcultural space where educators integrate diverse ways of knowing, making, and living music?
An ongoing process
My work is grounded in an action-research framework, where inquiry unfolds as an ongoing, reflexive, and adaptable process. It brings together academic research, educational practice, and artistic creation, allowing each dimension to inform the others. Through continuous cycles of trial, observation, and reflection, each outcome shapes the next steps and opens new possibilities for development. This way of working has shaped my practice for more than a decade.
A Framework for Designing Musical Worlds
At the center of my research is the design of musical worlds: coherent learning environments shaped by the relationship between educational goals, pedagogical pathways, sound structures, and contextual framing. Rather than beginning from a fixed musical system, this approach invites educators to imagine music learning as an adaptable environment that can respond to the needs of diverse learners.
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I approach fiction not simply as a storytelling device, but as a framework for educational design. Through world-building and narration, we can experiment with how learning is organized, how learners participate, and how musical experiences are situated within meaningful contexts. In this way, fiction becomes a creative space for gaining agency, integrating diverse pedagogical tools, and designing musical learning environments with coherence, flexibility, and care.
Suggested citation: Gutiérrez Ortúzar, Ana. “Designing Musical Worlds: Fiction-Based Frameworks for Inclusive Music Education.” anaortuzar.com/research, 2026.
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This framework is part of my ongoing doctoral research at the University of Ottawa. If you are interested in citing, adapting, or exploring it in your own context, I would be happy to hear from you.​
