Erika Janeth Cardona Gonzalez is Shanghai United International School Qingpu Campus’ Primary School Bilingual Team Coordinator and Music Team Coordinator.
For Erika, education is the key to change. When she teaches, she endeavors to make her lessons not only a space to learn specific music knowledge but to also learn about life, to learn to respect each other and to practice good behaviour, and to be able to appreciate and respect different cultural and musical manifestations. For her, music is a means, not an end; it is a way to learn discipline, develop aural, vocal, corporeal, cooperative, and analytical skills, and express emotions that allow us to communicate between different countries and cultures using a common language. Music is not an excuse to play but a powerful tool to develop more capable and integral human beings.
Erika Cardona has had the blessing of working alongside very competent professionals in each area in which they work. As well as being excellent people, her colleagues are responsible, respectful, and dedicated to giving their best to offer an excellent education to their students. In addition to the founding of the Bilbook as a bilingual curricular structure for Art, Music, PE, Psychology and STEAM subjects, the Bilingual Team is in the process of strategizing a clear platform that provides quality learning to students, focusing on the development of the key skills appropriate for primary school aged children.
Erika believes in education through example, so she strives to continue studying and staying active in the academic and performative world as a Music Research master student from the Universidad Internacional de Valencia, Spain, and as an active musician, a performer, a conductor for both the Hujiang Orchestra from University of Shanghai for Science and Technology and the Nightingales Choir, a composer, and a representative for Colombian musical traditions in different events. At SUIS Qingpu, she supports and promotes the active participation of her fellow musicians, artists, athletes, and science teachers in the opening ceremonies of the main events held each school year, such as the Artistic Performing Corner (APC), the Intercontinental Carnival, and the Art Festival, encouraging them to be live examples and role models for their students.
As a winner of the Shanghai Government Scholarship from 2016 to 2019, she finished her PhD in Art Theory and Contemporary Music Research under the guidance of Professor Han ZhongEn at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music, where she founded the Contemporary Music Students Ensemble. With a Chinese Government Scholarship from 2012 to 2016, at the same place, she finished her Master’s degree in Choral Conducting under the guidance of the conductor Zhang Ru, founding the choir “Voices of the World” and winning the 2014-2015 scholarship for Outstanding International Students in China. In Colombia’s Escuela Superior Tecnológica de Artes Debora Arango, she graduated from Technological and Technical Musical Practices, receiving later her Bachelor’s degree in Music Education at the Universidad de Antioquia with high honours.
TEACHERS COMMENTS


During her time with us, Erika has spearheaded important new campaigns such as the Personal Performing Corner, the APC and the development of a well-organized bilingual subject curriculum. She has played a vital role in the Intercontinental Carnival opening and closing ceremonies, the Arts Festival and other events, too numerous to list.
On a personal level, Erika is sunny in disposition, kind in both thought and deed, and a colleague who chooses to always see the best in others and seek a personal connection with those around her. We are fortunate to be blessed with her presence here at SUIS Qingpu.



我们非常幸运能有这样一位优秀的外国组长。她的双语沟通能力不仅为我们提供了宝贵的学习机会,还为整个团队创造了一个充满活力和多元化的工作环境。

