Katarzyna Julia Leikvoll has conducted research on music reading from a cognitive perspective, as well as on beginner-level music reading instruction and instrumental teaching and learning. Her recent projects explore how composing and writing activities influence the development of early music literacy, and how music teacher students engage with research literature, with a particular focus on research literacy, democracy and inclusion.

In her doctoral research, she investigated the impact of various teaching activities on the development of music literacy among piano pupils at extracurricular Schools of Music and Performing Arts in Norway. Based on these findings, she has authored a number of method books for elementary-level piano students. In these works, she emphasizes a holistic approach to musical development, integrating a wide range of activities such as reading, writing, composing, and improvisation.

Research areas: music reading, instrumental teaching, music education, piano performance, research literacy

I am strongly committed to ensuring that my research reaches teachers who can apply it in practice. In recent years, I have delivered a number of courses and workshops for instrumental teachers across Norway’s Schools of Music and Performing Arts, focusing on music reading and the teaching of notation.

I have also contributed to several conferences and professional development events on music pedagogy and instrumental teaching, aimed at both community music school teachers and music teacher educators.

In addition, I have extensive experience as an instrumental teacher in the municipal Schools of Music and Performing Arts, with piano as my main instrument.

Seminar for instrumental teachers 2024: The joy of playing and musical understanding - with focus on music reading -  kmd (uib.no)

Seminar for instrumental teachers 2025:Music literacy in research and teaching practice - kmd

Online resource on music literacy: Notenett

Post graduate music and art teacher education (PPU), music didactics, pedagogy, piano methods

Research Literacy and evidence-based practices (2025-2026). This project examines how students in music teacher education engage with research-based knowledge. The aim is to gain insight into how students acquire, understand, and evaluate research, as well as the challenges and opportunities they encounter when working with research literature.

The study investigates, among other aspects, which sources and formats students find most accessible, how they interpret the concept of a “research article,” and how research may influence their perspectives on teaching. The findings will contribute to the development of more relevant and engaging ways of integrating research into music teacher education.

NOTENETT: Developing an Online Resource Bridging Research, Education, and Teaching Practice in Music Pedagogy and Instrumental Instruction (2025-2026). Notenett is a platform for knowledge dissemination and network building in the field of music notation literacy. It is intended for teachers and researchers in music education at all levels, including community music schools, choirs, bands, and higher music education.

Through podcasts and talk shows, Notenett presents research articles on music notation literacy, alongside concrete suggestions for how research can be translated into teaching practice through specific lesson designs. The platform also includes a network and forum section with an overview of relevant conferences and academic journals.

Website: NOTENETT - Notenett

Creative Activities in Instrumental Teaching. (2024-2025). Reading a language text and reading music notation involve similar cognitive processes: fluent readers recognize meaningful units, such as words or groups of notes, automatically. In general education, children learn to read and write simultaneously. In instrumental teaching students are typically taught to read music, while writing is often given less emphasis. This project aims to highlight this imbalance and to investigate whether writing, composing, and improvisation can positively influence the understanding of music notation, in much the same way that writing words, sentences, and original texts supports the development of reading comprehension.

Grieg in Rome (2023) - a series of concert lectures (Oslo, Rome) with focus at less know works of Edvard Grieg, composed during his four stays in Italy.

Write-read-play. Music literacy in instrumental music education (2022-2023). The project aims to shed light on an apparently little-explored research field within music pedagogy: the use of creative writing as a tool for the development of music literacy and musical understanding in instrumental students. In addition, we will be woring towards establishing a Nordic network around the topic of music literacy, consisting of researchers, as well as practitioners (instrumental teachers, conductors) and selected interest organisations.