Aino Sallinen-Kuparinen: Advocate for Inclusive Education and Armas Launis

Aino Sallinen-Kuparinen, a trailblazer in Finnish education, dedicated her career to promoting inclusive education for all students. Let's explore her life, contributions, and enduring impact on the educational landscape.

photograph from: https://yle.fi/a/3-5873868

Early Years and Education:

Born in Finland, Aino Sallinen-Kuparinen pursued her passion for education early in life. Her academic journey focused on pedagogy, laying the foundation for her future advocacy work.

Championing Inclusion:

Sallinen-Kuparinen was a fervent advocate for inclusive education, believing in the potential of every student regardless of ability. She worked tirelessly to create supportive and accepting learning environments.

Innovative Teaching Methods:

Her approach to teaching emphasized innovation and adaptation, using technology and personalized strategies to meet diverse student needs effectively.

Policy Influence:

Sallinen-Kuparinen's influence extended to policy circles, where she shaped reforms to promote inclusive practices and remove educational barriers.

Legacy:

Her legacy lives on as a guiding light for inclusive education worldwide, inspiring educators and policymakers to create equitable learning opportunities for all.

Link to the audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19ncUTqXFmFVky78iD8XKA_EN15VI3U86/view?usp=drivesdk

 Armas Launis

Armas Launis was a Finnish composer as well as an ethnomusicologist, a professor, a writer and a journalist. He was born in Hämeenlinna  On April 22, 1884 and died on  August 7, 1959.

as opera composer

Armas Launis wrote ten operas (both libretto and music), also wrote chamber music pieces, cantatas, choruses, suites for orchestra, and the music of the first Finnish ethnographic film "A Wedding in Karelia, the Land of Poetry" (1921).

as Ethnomusicologist

Launis was one of the first scholars to research and collect folk music. He was very open-minded; passionately fond of travels, which he undertook alone; and eager to meet other people. He travelled to Lapland (1904, 1905, 1922), Kainuu (1902), Ingria (1903, 1906), Karelia (1902, 1905), and Estonia (1930). Everywhere, he was happy to meet local people and had long conversations with them, jotting down popular melodies. 

Launis also recorded famous singers, hired mourners, and kantele players. He understood the richness and vitality of sung poetry together with the importance of folklore. His numerous publications and the corpus he collected are still recognized and used; they are valuable additions to the common inheritance of the Finnish nation.

Later, Launis travelled in North Africa and became interested in Arabic, Berber, and Bedouin music. This influence can be felt in later works, especially the operas Théodora and Jéhudith.

As Professor

Launis earned a Ph.D. (1911) and was full professor at the University of Helsinki where he taught musical analysis and composition. He completed his studies in Berlin with Wilhelm Klatte and in Weimar with Waldemar von Baußnern. Deeply concerned with the availability of musical education for everyone, Launis founded and until 1930 directed the first popular conservatories in Finland, which still exist.

As early as 1920, Launis received a life pension from the Finnish State, with the permission to live abroad.

Link to the audio: https://drive.google.com/file/d/19p-uD9Q9ceGv4hW_iZaB7Hu7maVD7K8F/view?usp=drivesdk

Written by: Anyi N. Ramirez GIraldo and Valentina Florez