Entre as regras do jogo e o jogo das regras: a atuação profissional do licenciado em música na rede privada de ensino da cidade do Rio de Janeiro

Abstract

This research investigates the private education system through the perspectives of ten music teachers working in early childhood education at schools in the city of Rio de Janeiro that offer all three stages of basic education. The study aims to uncover and understand the rules, challenges, and key characteristics that define this professional environment— particularly those that are not immediately visible to those within it. Based on the teachers' narratives, we sought to identify the demands placed on their professional performance and to examine whether it is possible to outline a set of common rules across the private education sector that transcend individual institutions. We also analyzed the explicit and implicit norms that shape this field in order to assess how music classes and music teachers are valued within private schools. Our theoretical framework draws on concepts developed by French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu (1930–2002), such as habitus, field, point of view, capital, rules of the game, and refraction. The data were coded and analyzed following the methodological guidelines of Bogdan and Biklen (1994), using analytical categories and subcategories. The findings of this thesis suggest that the "rules of the game" within private education are closely tied to the business logic that underpins these institutions. While many perceptions of professional norms are shared with other educational settings, distinct refractions emerge from the fact that these teachers operate within a corporate structure. As a result, music educators entering this field must actively interpret and adapt to its tacit rules in order to maintain their positions. The study concludes with a set of propositions for the field of music education and a compilation of operational rules intended to support those seeking to engage with this educational context more consciously and strategically.