Dr. Yannis Mygdanis (PhD, MMus, MEd, MEdL, MSc, BMus, BSc, LRSL, AmusTCL, DipLCM) is a music educator, composer, and digital educational software designer, as well as a postdoctoral researcher at the Music Pedagogy Laboratory of the Department of Music Studies at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens (NKUA). He completed his doctoral dissertation at the European University Cyprus (EUC), focusing on the design and development of educational software, as well as the use of emerging technologies in music education. He holds four master's degrees, including "Music Pedagogy" (MMus), "Advanced Teaching" (MEd), "Educational Leadership, Administration, and Emerging Technologies" (MEdL), and "Information Systems" (MSc). He is also a graduate of the Department of Music Studies at NKUA and the Department of Informatics at the Athens University of Economics and Business.
He obtained diplomas in piano, contemporary piano (LRSL), electronic organ (DipLCM), and music theory (AmusTCL). He completed his studies in advanced music theory in conservatoire education, obtaining degrees in Harmony, Counterpoint, Fugue, and Band Conducting. He also earned diplomas in Choir Conducting and Composition, both with "Distinction and First Prize."
As a presenter, he has participated in over 40 international scientific conferences on topics related to music, education, and technology, and over 40 of his articles have been published in chapters, peer-reviewed journals, and conference proceedings. In addition, he designs and conducts workshops, seminars, and educational programs for students and teachers, applying innovative practices and strategies in music education.
As a digital educational tool designer, he has developed numerous educational software programs focusing on music teaching and learning processes. The educational music software "Synth4kids" has been used as a digital teaching tool in various workshops, seminars, and teaching interventions. In 2021, in collaboration with the music schools team of the Greek Society for Music Education (GSME), he developed three interactive online music applications titled "MusApps" for future students of music high schools. In 2024, he collaborated with the Ministry of Education, Sports, and Youth of Cyprus to create the online application "C Blues Jam Keys!" This application was designed to introduce elementary school students to the world of Blues music.
He has composed music for theatre, short films, fairy tales, and has set to music both Greek and international poets. In 2017, he released his first album titled Ideal Voices, featuring the poetry of C. P. Cavafy, published by Entypois. His digital singles Small Suite in Red Major, based on the poetry of Yannis Ritsos, A word is dead..., set to the poetry of Emily Dickinson, and About Life..., with lyrics by Nâzım Hikmet, translated by Yannis Ritsos, were released by Protasis Music and Bo-Synthesis. In 2021, he released an EP titled Four Sketches for an Unfulfilled Love, which sets the poetry of Kostas Karyotakis and Maria Polydouri to music. In 2023, he published the digital single A Successful Poem, with lyrics by Kostis Gimossoulis, while in 2024, he will release the song Peace, based on a poem by Yannis Ritsos, featuring the Choir of Pierce – The American College of Greece. He has also released two children's songs, The letter D of the Dragon and The Fashion of the Jungle, with lyrics by Mai Kokidou, in 2021 through CDBaby.
He is a member of several academic associations, including the Greek Society for Music Education (G.S.M.E.), the International Society for Music Education (I.S.M.E.), the European Association for Music in Schools (E.A.S.), the Hellenic Scientific Association of Information & Communication Technologies in Education (E.T.P.E.), the Scientific Association for the Promotion of Educational Innovation (E.E.P.E.K.), the Hellenic Society of Acoustic Ecology (E.E.A.O.), the Gordon Institute for Music Learning (G.I.M.L.), the Society for Music Analysis (S.M.A.), and the Hellenic Association of Orff-Schulwerk Music. Since 2023, he has served as Vice President of G.S.M.E.
As a scientific collaborator at the Music Pedagogy Laboratory at NKUA, he teaches in the Master’s program (MA) Music Education in Formal and Informal Learning Environments. He is also an instructor in the programs The Digital World in Music Education and Culture: Sources, Tools, and Techniques and Practical Applications of STEAM Education in Music Teaching and Learning, both offered by the Lifelong Learning Center of NKUA. Since September 2022, he has been working as a music educator at Pierce – The American College of Greece's elementary school, while also organizing and conducting the school’s choir.
For more information, visit: www.yannismygdanis.com
Education
Research Interests
Representative Publications
Mygdanis, Y. (2021). Virtual instruments in music teaching and learning at kindergarten-age: an educational proposal using Synth4kids web-application. In M. Panagopoulos, A. Papadopoulou & A. Giannakoulopoulos (Eds.), Digital Culture & Audiovisual Challenges: Interdisciplinary Creativity In Arts And Technology (pp. 141-148). CEUR Workshop Proceedings.
Mygdanis, Y. (2022). Designing an educational musical software combining traditional music-pedagogical methods and emerging technologies: The case of Synth4Kids. International Journal on Integrating Technology in Education, 11(2), 103-120.
Mygdanis, Y. (2023). Educational Technology as a Pathway to Foster Inclusion and Equity in Music Education. In P. Escudeiro, N. Escudeiro & O. Bernardes (Eds), Handbook of Research on Advancing Equity and Inclusion Through Educational Technology (pp. 153-169). IGI Global.
Mygdanis, Y. (2024). Designing and implementing a STEAM proposal reflecting ubiquitous acoustic ecologies for connecting music and maritime. In W. Brooks and M. DeAmbrose (Ed.s), Proceedings of the ISME Music in Schools and Teacher Education Commission (pp. 125-141). ISME.
Mygdanis, Y., & Perakaki, E. (2023). Integrating ubiquitous music ecologies into STEAM scenarios in music teaching-learning processes. Asia-Pacific Journal for Arts Education,22(5), 1-30.
Mygdanis, Y. (2018). Synth4kids: A virtual musical instrument oriented towards music teaching-learning. In F. Gousias (Ed.), Proceedings of the 5th Conference "Neos Paidagogos" (pp. 1467 – 1477). New Pedagogue.
Mygdanis, Y. (2021). Modern technologies and digital media in teaching musical instruments. In A. Ververis & I. Litos (Eds.), Issues in teaching musical instruments: bridging theory and practice (pp. 342-362). Disigma.
Mygdanis, Y. (2022). Design and development of three original digital music games for future students of Music High School. In E. Kantartzi & G. Papadimitriou (Eds.), Proceedings of the 2nd Panhellenic Conference: Educational game and art in education and culture - Volume B (pp. 194-203). EKEDISY.
Mygdanis, Y. (2023). Criteria for selecting educational software in music teaching-learning processes. In T. Raptis & E. Perakaki (Eds.), Music Education in a changing world: Identities, Values, Experiences. Proceedings of the 9th Conference of E.E.M.E. (pp. 209-221). E.E.M.E.
Mygdanis, Y. (2024). "Little music makers & producers": design and implementation of an innovative technological-musical teaching proposal in primary education to enhance creativity. In I. Kazanidis and A. Tsinakos (Eds.), Proceedings of the 13th Panhellenic and International Conference "ICT in Education" (pp. 380-388). ETPE.
Mygdanis, Y., & Kokkidou, M. (2020). Creative Programming in Music Pedagogy. iTeacher, 23, 117-125.
Mygdanis, Y., & Kokkidou, M. (2021). The musical-technological experiences of conservatory education students through participatory music production practices in a distance learning project. Mousikopaidagogika, 19, 42-63.
Mygdanis, Y., & Papazachariou-Christoforou, M. (2021). Transformation of music teachers' perceptions about modern technologies in music teaching-learning through a training intervention in the STEAM model. International Journal of Educational Innovation, 3(3), 66-77.
