Wednesday, December 14, 2011

IMR: Music and Shape conference (12-14 July 2012)

Music and Shape

12-14 July 2012

 

Senate House, University of London 

 

Call for Papers

 

/--Please see also the important note on accommodation at the end of this call for papers/--

 

Musicians habitually describe music as being shaped, especially when speaking of performance. This conference contributes to the AHRC-funded Research Centre for Musical Performance as Creative Practice and its project, based at King's College London, on 'Shaping Music in Performance' (www.cmpcp.ac.uk/smip.html), and is organised in collaboration with the Institute of Musical Research. The aim of the conference is to explore, from as many perspectives as possible, relationships between music and shape. Proposals for papers, sessions, lecture-recitals, research reports, soft-/hardware demonstrations, and posters will be welcomed from specialists in any discipline from the sciences, social sciences, humanities, engineering or performing arts that may be able to shed light on the creation, perception or reception of music (and especially musical performance) in relation to shape.

Following the conference, submissions will be invited to an edited, peer-reviewed book on music and shape.

 

Papers should last 20-30 minutes, research reports 10 minutes, and sessions 90 minutes. Lecture-recitals may last up to 45 minutes. The deadline for conference proposals is 19 December 2011. The conference programme will be published in February 2012.

 

Submissions should be made electronically in Word or PDF format to daniel.leech-wilkinson@kcl.ac.uk. Please provide your name, postal and email addresses, and any institutional affiliation on the first page.

Start your proposal on the second page and write no more than 300 words.

State your audio-visual or other equipment or space requirements after your proposal. All proposals should fully and clearly describe the topic of the presentation and should include the following information:

 

     * Background

     * Research questions

     * Aims

     * Summary of content

     * Significance

 

NOTE ON ACCOMMODATION

 

The Music & Shape conference happens two weeks before the start of the Olympic Games. Accommodation in or near London will be hard to find and very expensive. 100 rooms have been reserved for the conference at Travelodge Euston (£109 per night) and King's Cross (£99). Please book as soon as possible via the Institute of Musical Research (music@sas.ac.uk), and in any case before 1 June 2012. No rooms can be booked after 1 June 2012.

 

A booking form for meals and registration will be published at the same time as the conference programme in February 2012.

Friday, November 18, 2011

‘Rock and Roles’ conference abstract submission: deadline extended

Deadline Extended for Abstract Submission
'Rock and Roles' conference,
Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
London, England
July 23 & 24, 2012

www.icmp.co.uk/conference2012

Important news from UNESCO

The 36th Session of the General Conference of UNESCO agreed to:

 

1.       Adopt and support the The Seoul Agenda: Goals for the Development of Arts Education

2.       Designate the fourth week of May as International Week of Arts Education

3.       Support a Third World Conference on Arts Education.

 

The full resolutions as recorded at the UNESCO General Council are outlined below (Thanks to Canadian and German Commissions for UNESCO)

 

The World Alliance for Arts Education (WAAE: International Drama Education Association, International Society for Education in Art, International Society for Music Education and World Dance Alliance) has been active in developing and advocating for these initiatives.

 

Thanks go to the Korean Arts and Culture Education Services (KACES) and the Korean delegation at the 36th UNESCO General Conference for their advocacy for arts education during the conference in Paris. A statement from KACES re the announcement may be found at  http://www.artezine.kr/english/view.jsp?articleldx=1498

 

2012 will see the inaugural celebration of the International week of Arts Education

 

Item 5.13 – Implementation of the "Seoul Agenda: Goals for the Development of Arts Education", outcome document of the Second World Conference on Arts Education

 

The General Conference,

 

Recalling 35 C/Resolution 40 on the promotion of arts education,

 

Taking into consideration 185 EX/Decision 44,

 

Having examined document 36 C/55,

 

1. Welcomes the positive results of the First and Second World Conferences on Arts Education (held in March 2006 and May 2010) which highlighted the importance of high-quality arts education for all and of strengthening cooperation among various stakeholders (national authorities, local governments, teachers, artists, researchers associations and NGOs) and through the network of UNESCO Arts Education Observatories and Chairs to the development of best practices and the reinforcement of the position of arts education in schools and in societies;

 

2. Invites Member States to ensure the follow-up to the Second World Conference by employing the strategies proposed in the Seoul Agenda and by implementing in a concerted manner the action items set out therein for the renewal of education systems;

 

3. Requests the Director-General to provide support for the mobilization of extrabudgetary resources for the holding of the Third World Conference on Arts Education and to ensure appropriate intersectoral cooperation between the Culture and Education Sectors of UNESCO in promoting and integrating arts education, in particular in the context of the education for all (EFA) and education for sustainable development (ESD) plans;

 

4. Decides to proclaim the fourth week of May as the International Arts Education Week and to encourage all Member States, civil society, professional organizations and communities to organize relevant activities on that occasion at the national, regional and international levels.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Leonardo Dreams of his Flying Machine

University of London Chamber Choir
conducted by Colin Durrant
Music by Poulenc, Byrd, Purcell, Whitacre and Jackson
Holy Trinity Church, Littlebury
Saturday 19th November 2011 - 7pm
www.ulchamberchoir.co.uk

Wednesday, October 5, 2011

imerc/IOE team receives award from RSPH

The Royal Society for Public Health Awards mark significant
contributions to research and practice in the field of Arts and Health
and are now in their fourth year. This year, the awards recognised
substantial achievements in original contributions to research and
evaluation that focused on the contributions of music and arts
organisations to health and wellbeing in healthcare and community
settings.

The research team from the International Music Education Research
Centre (imerc), Institute of Education, University of London received
an Arts and Health Award 2011 for their evaluation of the UK
Government's National Singing Programme 'Sing Up' in England. Members
of the research team that attended the special award ceremony at the
RSPH on 21st September in London were Professor Graham Welch, Dr Jo
Saunders and Dr Evangelos Himonides.

Photos supplied courtesy of RSPH (www.rsph.org.uk), photo 1: Award
Winners, photo 2: The IOE team receives award from Baron Hunt of Kings
Heath.

Monday, October 3, 2011

new book: Communication in Theatre Directing and Performance: From Rehearsal to Production By Jennifer Lanipekun

Communication in Theatre Directing and Performance: From Rehearsal to
Production By Jennifer Lanipekun
Description

For those wishing to develop their professional voice in theatre, it
is common to draw on practical training and experiences as their main
foci. Observational undertakings, apprenticeships, and personal
endeavours are also customary ways to further this development of
their persona as director or performer. There has been little in the
way of academic research or study of general principles to open the
door to formal discussion of the theatrical processes involved in
creating a production. Common approaches are personal (mainly
autobiographical or context-specific) assessments that recount
individual episodes and milestones within the careers of well-known
and respected individuals. Although such methods are informative and
often interesting, formal analytical tools to undertake production
analyses and intellectual comparisons are still needed.

This is the first study that attempts to apply a systematic process to
the mysteries of directorial communication within a theatrical
setting. Categories created using this methodology make comprehensive
breakdown and analysis possible of those elusive interpersonal
interactions, the communication flow, during the period of rehearsal
leading to a production. As such, the case studies make available some
of the inner individual experiences from each company's endeavour, the
artistic journey, successes and pitfalls, viewpoints and reflections
of those involved, the changing styles of communication, and thus,
many important lessons that would be otherwise completely unavailable
to a wider audience. Whilst centring specifically on opera as a
medium, the examination unpicks general processes of theatrical
rehearsal, profiling individuals at work in a systematic way that
begins to uncover and identify patterns of behaviour. The study, thus,
draws important lessons from observation of that process which can
then be applied to future experience, assisting the novice especially,
whose previous recourse was mainly limited to trial-and-error
approaches within their own personal production experience.

Communication in Theatre Directing and Performance is an important
addition to the general study of theatrical performance communication
and its analysis. The case studies and interviews are especially
helpful because the reader will not only be able to read directly the
views and experiences of professionals at work but also to unpick and
analyse those processes taking place over a period of rehearsal.

Its ability to bring into relief the practices of theatrical
professionals makes this study an invaluable option for university
drama departments, colleges of drama training, as well as for
individuals at a more advanced point in their professional existence
who are looking to evolve their understanding and artistic style.

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Research Seminar Announcement

Music Education Special Interest Group

 

Research Seminar Announcement

 


The private world of public master classes: instrumental sub-cultures and gendered perspectives on excellence

 

Dr. Marion Long

 

 

Date: 17th October 2011

 

Time: 12.30 – 1.30

 

Room: 784

 

Further details from Lucy Green, l.green@ioe.ac.uk

 

All are welcome

 

 

Abstract

 

Public master classes provide students with an opportunity to both perform in front of colleagues, teachers and the public and to receive feedback on their performance from a master musician, selected for their musical expertise in a particular musical repertoire. The master musician is perceived to possess an exceptional blend of musical knowledge derived from firstly a distinguished musical career as a high profile performer and secondly in most but not all instances, a rigorous training in the values and methods of a particular musical tradition.

 

Recent research by Hanken (2008) has identified that master classes are relatively complex forms of learning in which the traditional master-apprentice pedagogic model expands to incorporate an audience. The presence of the audience of colleagues, faculty teachers and the public creates a particularly pressurised learning environment which tests an individual student's ability to perform convincingly. This audience can be described as 'informed' because it typically brings to this arena a shared awareness of the conventions of the musical style, and a specialised knowledge of a particular musical instrument or voice. The master musician judges the performance and provides positive, constructive or negative feedback, reflecting an expectation that the student will strive to master and to transcend the structural formalities and stylistic conventions relevant to the music that they have performed. 

 

A team of researchers from the Institute of Education and the Guildhall School of Music & Drama have investigated 373 conservatoire students' experiences and perceptions of various types of master class, collected in a questionnaire and analysed using quantitative and qualitative approaches. Students' performing experiences of public master classes were found to differ significantly according to their principal instrument of study. Further differences involving students' experiences as members of the audience reflected combined factors of principal instrument of study, gender and year at college. In particular these findings indicated that perspective taking on the concept of musical excellence was articulated through gender. A discussion of these findings will examine firstly, the extent to which students' performing and listening experiences and perceptions of public master classes were to some extent predetermined by intrinsically exclusive or inclusive attitudes towards music and secondly, the implications for the reproduction of musical sub-cultures and gendered perspectives on excellence in schools as music students take up positions as instrumental music teachers.

 

MARION LONG completed her PhD in Psychology of Education at the Institute of Education University of London, UK. Her PhD examined the effect of a music intervention on the temporal organisation of children's reading behaviour. She is involved in several research studies across a range of topics.

Monday, September 5, 2011

Call for papers: SPECIAL ISSUE Journal of Music, Technology and Education

Journal of Music, Technology and Education

Special Issue

An examination of affordances of the application of 'open source' to music education.

Guest Editors: Ketil Thorgersen (Sweden)  Lauri Väkevä (Finland) , Mikko Myllykoski (Finland) Steve Dillon (Australia), Alex Ruthmann (USA)

Call for papers

Brief description

This special issue of JMTE (http://www.intellectbooks.co.uk/journals/view-journal,id=152/) will examine the affordances of the application of 'open source' to music education. Each article will focus on one particular aspect and context.

The publication of this special issue follows on from an international symposium presentation at the Research in Music Education conference in Exeter in the UK in April 2011. The symposium revealed significant aspects of the need to apply development of philosophy and practice around the concept of open source in music classrooms.

 

Proposals

Music practitioners and researchers are invited to contribute research articles (6,000 words) or project reports (3,000-4,000 words) that look beyond open source a set of licenses and to consider the ideas and ideals that constitute what can be considered the open source movement and possible implications for music education research. What is it that makes masses of people spend their skills and time to produce software for free, which anyone can make use of and continue to develop freely and what constitutes such a generative society? The aim is for articles to elaborate on this from philosophical, pedagogical and practical technical points of view in an open atmosphere where the hope is that knowledge will be generated collectively through the session in an open sourced mode.

 

Articles could address, but are not limited to the following questions that arise for music education:

 

1) How should music educators relate to different arguments for and against creative recycling in the digital music culture?

2) Is it possible to teach music taking seriously the argument for Music 3.0, and if it is, how can we support creativity full-scale in music education recognizing this possibility?

3) How can we offer versatile musical content and tasks with educational open source applications?

4) How to maintain people's individual rights to their own musical content in open shareable software environments?

5) Might "Music" be the original "open source" project? What might we gain or lose by looking toward technological models for music education?

6) What might be afforded by providing students with the tools to design and build theri own musical environments?

7) What are the relational pedagogies needed for this approach?

8) How can we apply the philosophy of 'open source' technology in music education?

 

A Prezi outline of the RIME symposium can be found at: http://prezi.com/cm0vnmiayfq-/open-source-and-music-education-rime-2011/

 

Proposals for research articles and project reports should be e-mailed to Ketil Thorgersen (Sweden)  Lauri Väkevä (Finland) , Mikko Myllykoski (Finland) Steve Dillon (Australia), Alex Ruthmann (USA)

no later than 31 October 2011, and include a 250- 500 word abstract, the title of the proposed article, a brief biography (200 words max), and the contact details of the author. Authors will be notified of the outcome of their proposals by the end of December 2011. If successful, the full articles would need to be submitted by the end of January 2012.

 

For more information, contact:

Dr Ketil Thorgersen ketil.thorgersen@utep.su.se

Dr Steve Dillon, Queensland University of Technology: sc.dillon@qut.edu.au

Dr Lauri Väkevä lauri.vakeva@siba.fi

Dr Alex Ruthmann alex.ruthmann@gmail.com

Dr Mikko Myllykoski mikko.myllykoski@campus.jyu.fi

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Call for Papers: Rock and Roles conference

 

23rd & 24th July 2012

 

Institute of Contemporary Music Performance, London, UK.

 

Theme: Philosophy and sociology of popular music education

 

The Institute (www.icmp.co.uk) has been one of the world's leading providers of education in contemporary popular musics for almost thirty years. The Institute's 2nd biannual international conference, 'Rock and Roles', offers a forum for dissemination and discussion of research and practice on topics including, but not limited to:

 

  • Careers and continuation
  • Cultural perspectives
  • Creativity
  • Canon and the contemporary

 

Papers are invited from scholars at all stages in their careers. Research may be completed or ongoing.

 

Keynote speakers               

Ruth Wright (University of Western Ontario)

TBC

                                               

Academic review panel to include:

Dr Gareth Dylan Smith (Chair) (Institute of Contemporary Music Performance)

Terence Gregory (Institute of Contemporary Music Performance)

Atar Shafighian (Institute of Contemporary Music Performance)

Prof Andrew Blake (University of East London, Emeritus)

Dr Helena Gaunt (Guildhall School of Music and Drama)

Prof Lucy Green (Institute of Education, University of London)

Dr Don Lebler (Griffith University)

Dr Richard Osborne (Middlesex University)

Dr Carlos Xavier Rodriguez (University of Michigan)

Chris Sampson (University or Southern California)

Dr Sidsel Karlsen (Hedmark University College)

 

Abstracts submission deadline:         1st November 2011

Presenters notified:                            15th January 2012

Registration from:                                1st February 2012

Early-bird registration:                        1st May 2012

Registration:                                         1st June 2012

 

Abstracts must be between 250 and 350 words, and should be emailed to conference@icmp.co.uk. Please include in the abstract any special requirements for your paper, and whether you propose to present a spoken paper, poster, panel, symposium, or workshop. Spoken papers will be allotted 20 minutes each, plus 5 minutes for questions; symposia will be scheduled for 30-45 minutes; workshops will be given 45-60 minutes.

 

Please send abstracts as MS Word documents. In your email, please include your name and institutional affiliation. Do not include your name or institutional affiliation in the body of the abstract, as all abstracts will subject to blind peer-review.

 

A conference website will be accessible in due course.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

University of Amsterdam: Assistant Professor ‘Pop Music and Popular Culture’

Assistant Professor 'Pop Music and Popular Culture'

full-time (38 hours per week)
vacancy number W11-136

With support from a generous financial endowment by the 'Duurzame Geesteswetenschappen' (Sustainable Humanities Project), the Faculty of Humanities is able to employ a new generation of scholars. This position is one of them.

The candidate has demonstrated outstanding competence in the field of pop music and popular culture studies. Since pop music and popular culture are major sources of the creation of meaning in the present audiovisual culture, s/he works in a multidisciplinary perspective, exploring and mutually relating musical, textual, media and performative aspects in a social, cultural and political context.

S/he has a keen eye for the possibilities of collaboration with other (performing) arts and arts related institutions and academies in Amsterdam as well as a proactive approach in initiating such collaborations. The scope of his/her interest in pop music and popular culture extends well beyond the North-Atlantic world and music industries.

S/he has an outspoken affinity with one or more of the faculty's research foci: first of all Globalization, with a possible development in relation to Heritage and Cognition.

Tasks

  • teaching and developing teaching activities both as part of the programmes of Media Studies, and Arts, Religion and Culture Studies (Musicology) (55% of the tasks)
  • (co-)supervising Bachelor's and Master's theses
  • independently conducting research in the area mentioned, resulting in contributions to leading international publications (40% of the tasks)
  • co-supervising PhD candidates
  • making a contribution to raising contract and indirect funding
  • administrative duties (5% of the tasks)

Requirements

  • relevant PhD degree
  • experience in research and excellent research skills, evidenced by publications in renowned international professional journals / book form
  • teaching experience at university level and demonstrable didactic abilities and / or training, evidenced by an educational portfolio
  • experience with digital and audio-visual equipment; affinity with ICT in academic education
  • team spirit and capable of functioning at all levels of more than one study programme
  • willingness to develop in a multidisciplinary capacity in order to be able to participate in multiple areas of the Faculty's curriculum
  • organisational experience and skills
  • thorough knowledge of Dutch and English; non-native Dutch speakers must achieve fluency in Dutch within two years

Further information

Further information can be obtained from:

Appointment

The appointment will either be in the Department of Media Studies or in the Department of Art, Religion and Cultural Studies. In addition to regular teaching duties at one of the departments you will also be required to teach a minimum of 300 hours at the other department. Research will be caried out within the Amsterdam School for Cultural Analysis (ASCA) or the Institute of Culture and History (ICH).

The appointment will initially be for a period of no more than two years. Subject to satisfactory performance, a permanent appointment will be offered.

The gross monthly salary will range from €3,195 (scale 11) to €4,970 (scale 12) based on a full-time appointment (38 hours a week).

Job application

Applications should be sent before 1 september 2011 to the Universiteit van Amsterdam, to the attention of the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, Prof. J.F.T.M. van Dijck, Spuistraat 210, 1012 VT Amsterdam. Please state the vacancy number in the upper left corner of the envelope. You may also submit your application by e-mail to solliciteren2011-fgw@uva.nl with the vacancy number in the subject field.

Applications should include:

  1. a curriculum vitae
  2. a research proposal (max. 500 words) related to the theme and to the research priority area 'Cultural Transformations and Globalisation' or 'Cultural Heritage and Identity' (ICH)
  3. a proposal for a course that potentially fits in the Faculty's curriculum (bachelor's programme, 6 EC, given in eight weeks)

See for more information about the research priority areas www.hum.uva.nl/research/priority-areas.cfm and for the BA and MA programmes www.hum.uva.nl/education/default.cfm.

The selection process will include a trial lecture. The interviews and trial lectures are scheduled for 10-14 October, 2011.

job vacancy: University of Hull

Music Technology Supervisor

Department of Drama and Music

The Department of Drama and Music wishes to appoint a Music Technology Supervisor, responsible for delivering teaching on undergraduate modules and managing the music technology provision. The successful candidate will join a department with a stylistically diverse musical life, and will be involved in supporting performance and composition activities, as well as contributing to the cultural offering of the University generally. The department benefits from a purpose built recording studio facility which the successful candidate will be responsible for managing, as well as computer labs equipped with Sibelius and ProTools software, and a film composition studio.

 

The successful candidate should have a good honours degree in Music or Music Technology, professional experience within a studio environment (including use of ProTools), and experience of sound engineering. Experience of teaching music technology at undergraduate level is also desirable.

 

Salary range £30,870 - £35,789 pa.

 

You can learn more about this position and apply by visiting the University jobs website at the address below (vacancy ref: FA0077).

 

To discuss this role informally, please contact Dr. Peter Elsdon, T 01482 465013, E p.s.elsdon@hull.ac.uk

 

Closing date: 28 August 2011

 

Short listing will take place during w/c 29 August 2011 and interviews will take place during w/c 12 September 2011 (to be finalised).

 

For information about the department visit www.hull.ac.uk/music

 

www.hull.ac.uk/jobs

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

IFCM World Summit and 11th China International Choral Festival

http://ifcm.net/

The World Choral Summit is a unique initiative that will bring
together thirty choral leaders from throughout the world. The Summit,
a joint project under the sponsorship of IFCM, the China Chorus
Association, China Entertainment and Arts Group, and China Cultural
International Tours Inc, will be held simultaneously with the 11th
China International Choral Festival.

Five choirs, each from a different continent, as well as many choirs
from throughout the world, will join with their Chinese counterparts
to participate in the Summit and Festival. The focus of the Summit
will be on ideas, concerns, and ways to enhance communication and
cooperation within the global community, as well as the exploration of
choral traditions . . . especially that of China.

Appropriately, the theme will be Voices in Harmony. The host city of
Beijing offers an ideal setting for choral leaders and choirs to
experience the hospitality and rich cultural tradition of the Peoples
Republic of China. The Summit and Festival will be events not to be
missed!

Monday, July 25, 2011

Reinvesting in Arts Education: Winning America’s Future Through Creative Schools

The White House has recently released a report from the President's
Committee on the Arts and Humanities:
Re-investing in Arts Education: Winning America's Future through
Creative School.

These reports may be found at:

The Whitehouse summary is at
http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/05/12/reinvesting-arts-education-winning-america-s-future-through-creative-schools

The full report is at
http://www.pcah.gov/sites/default/files/photos/PCAH_Reinvesting_4web.pdf

photo credit:
President Barack Obama drops by the President's Committee on Arts and
Humanities meeting in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, May 11,
2011. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

1st Annual Conference of the Society for Music Education in Ireland

CALL FOR PAPERS
1st Annual Conference of the Society for Music Education in Ireland
www.smei.ie
An Chéad Chomhdháil Bhliantúil de chuid Cumainn Ceoil Oideachas na hÉireann

The Society for Music Education in Ireland (SMEI) will host its first annual
conference at the School of Music, University College Cork 11-13 November
2011.

Keynote Speaker: Phil Mullen, Goldsmiths University London
The conference organisers invite paper, poster or workshop proposals that
address one or more of the following general areas:

* Music learning and teaching
* Music development
* Music, community, culture
* Music education policy
* Music, education, society
* Music education and theory

Proposals should include:

a) a cover page with presenter name(s), institutional affiliation(s), an
email address for correspondence and a biography for each presenter of no
more than 50 words; this page should also indicate clearly whether the proposal
is to be considered for inclusion as 'Paper only', 'Paper or Poster', 'Poster
only' or 'Workshop';

b) an abstract of 250-300 words for papers or posters; submissions for
practice-based
workshops should include a detailed proposal of up to 500 words

The conference organisers welcome individual, joint and group submissions.


Proposals should be submitted electronically on or before 15 September 2011
to Michelle Finnerty at finnerty.michelle@gmail.com

All proposals will be subject to a blind review process. Notification of
the status of paper/poster/ workshop proposals will be made by 30 September
2011

Papers will normally be allocated twenty minutes for presentation followed
by 10 minutes for questions. Workshops will be normally be one hour in duration.

Posters will be allocated a maximum space of 3? x 4? (90cm x 120cm)

SMEI Conference Organising Committee:
Michelle Finnerty, Mairéad Berrill, Daithí Kearney, Gráinne McHale, Gwen
Moore, John O'Flynn

Further details on the conference will be uploaded later on www.smei.ie

Sunday, July 10, 2011

New book

Communication in Theatre Directing and Performance: From Rehearsal to Production By Jennifer Lanipekun

Description

For those wishing to develop their professional voice in theatre, it is common to draw on practical training and experiences as their main foci. Observational undertakings, apprenticeships, and personal endeavours are also customary ways to further this development of their persona as director or performer. There has been little in the way of academic research or study of general principles to open the door to formal discussion of the theatrical processes involved in creating a production. Common approaches are personal (mainly autobiographical or context-specific) assessments that recount individual episodes and milestones within the careers of well-known and respected individuals. Although such methods are informative and often interesting, formal analytical tools to undertake production analyses and intellectual comparisons are still needed.

This is the first study that attempts to apply a systematic process to the mysteries of directorial communication within a theatrical setting. Categories created using this methodology make comprehensive breakdown and analysis possible of those elusive interpersonal interactions, the communication flow, during the period of rehearsal leading to a production. As such, the case studies make available some of the inner individual experiences from each company's endeavour, the artistic journey, successes and pitfalls, viewpoints and reflections of those involved, the changing styles of communication, and thus, many important lessons that would be otherwise completely unavailable to a wider audience. Whilst centring specifically on opera as a medium, the examination unpicks general processes of theatrical rehearsal, profiling individuals at work in a systematic way that begins to uncover and identify patterns of behaviour. The study, thus, draws important lessons from observation of that process which can then be applied to future experience, assisting the novice especially, whose previous recourse was mainly limited to trial-and-error approaches within their own personal production experience.

Communication in Theatre Directing and Performance is an important addition to the general study of theatrical performance communication and its analysis. The case studies and interviews are especially helpful because the reader will not only be able to read directly the views and experiences of professionals at work but also to unpick and analyse those processes taking place over a period of rehearsal.

Its ability to bring into relief the practices of theatrical professionals makes this study an invaluable option for university drama departments, colleges of drama training, as well as for individuals at a more advanced point in their professional existence who are looking to evolve their understanding and artistic style.

Job vacancies, University of York

Department of Electronics, University of York

The Department's recent successes have enabled it to embark on an
ambitious research-led growth plan. The addition of five academic
staff members this year is the first major step.

You will undertake research of the highest international standards,
contributing to the research standing and culture of the Department
and contribute to Undergraduate and Postgraduate teaching and research
supervision. We encourage applications from outstanding candidates
with expertise in any aspect of Electronic Engineering *including
audio and music technology*. You should be ambitious, with a proven
track record of high-quality research and strong evidence of the
capacity for excellent teaching.

http://www22.i-grasp.com/fe/tpl_yorkuni01.asp?newms=jj&id=45273&newlang=1

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Psychology of Music Impact Factor

Pyschology of Music Impact Factor: 1.182
Ranked: 22 out of 50 in Psychology, Educational.
Source: 2010 Journal Citation Reports® (Thomson Reuters, 2011)

http://www.sempre.org.uk/journals.html

Tuesday, July 5, 2011

NEW KABUL MUSIC CONSERVATORY PERFORMS IN PARLIAMENT

Nicola Blackwood MP and British Council Welcome the New Afghanistan National Institute of Music to the Centrepiece Event of their Visit to Britain

On 27th June, from 4-6 pm in the Jubilee Room of the Houses of Parliament, visitors from the new Afghanistan National Institute of Music will perform for MPs and members of the public. The event is hosted by Nicola Blackwood MP, Member for Oxford West and Abingdon, by kind permission of the Speaker.

In its first year in Kabul, the Institute has set aside fifty per cent of its new pupil spaces each year for war orphans and street children, who receive bursaries to cover their musical education.

The Afghanistan National Institute of Music is founded and directed by Dr Ahmad Sarmast, son of Ustad Salim Sarmast, a well-known late Afghan composer and conductor. It exists, under the Ministry of Education of Afghanistan's jurisdiction, to promote both western classical and traditional Afghan music, and is at the moment the only conservatory in Afghanistan.

Professor John Baily, leading British expert on the music of Afghanistan, will offer historical context on the destruction of the Kabul musicians' quarter, in 1992, and the subsequent journey of many traditional Afghan musicians to Peshawar; and he himself will perform with the visitors.

The parliamentary concert will be followed by a charity dinner in the ballroom of the Lansdowne Club, at which a collection will be taken to fund the Institute's bursaries. Travel costs for the Afghanistan National Institute of Music are met by the British Council, and the costs of their accommodation in London by a private donor.

Miss Robin Ryczek, 'cello instructor at the Institute (who has formerly toured with Jethro Tull) will perform several original arrangements of traditional Afghan melodies for 'cello.

Paul Cheater, senior master of Summer Fields School in Oxford, assisted in devising the Institute's curriculum based on the UK national curriculum and music grade examinations, and will share the story of his involvement.

Shaharzad Akbar, the first female Afghan student at the University of Oxford, will describe her own visits to the Institute.

Cathy Graham, director of music for the British Council, will describe links between Britain and the new Kabul conservatory.

In the remainder of their British tour, the members of the Afghanistan National Institute of Music will perform in the Chapel of Trinity College, Oxford (12.30, Sunday the 26th) and for the British Afghan Women's Society and Afghanaid (7 pm, Wednesday the 29th). They will also meet with the heads of music at Harrow and Dulwich College, the head of music at the South Bank Centre, the deputy principals of the Royal Academy of Music, musical staff from the Barbican and Guildhall School of Music, and the principal and director of music from Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

Together with other lasting institutional collaborations with the UK, the Institute's staff will discuss a gap-year programme in which British school-leavers and music graduates may spend time assisting with music instruction in Kabul.

The British magazine Classical Music covered the Afghanistan National Institute of Music in its 20 November, 2010 issue (offprints available on request). The visit is organised by that article's author, journalist Pádraig Belton, who concluded his last interview by inviting the Institute to visit Britain.

Dr Sarmast is happy to give interviews in Dari, Pashto or English. The organisers are able to give interviews in Urdu and Hindi. Footage and rushes are available if helpful from previous BBC and ABC Australia visits to Kabul.

Friday, June 10, 2011

NAME: musical pathways

The National Association of Music Educators (N.A.M.E.) is undertaking
a survey in connection with its forthcoming National Conference on a
theme of 'Musical Pathways'. Anyone with an active interest in
music-making at any level is invited to answer a few questions about
their early influences and significant musical events in their lives.
Answers will be treated in confidence. We are hoping to get a wide
range of responses and an analysis and commentary will be included in
the forthcoming NAME book, to be launched at the conference.

Please take part on the survey by going to
www.name.org.uk/publications where you can either download the
questionnaire or complete it online.

Tuesday, June 7, 2011

In Pictures: Stringed theory

Researchers at Cardiff University reporting at the Acoustical Society
of America meeting have presented striking images of stringed
instruments made using "holographic interferometry", which allows them
to visualise precisely how and where the soundboards of instruments
vibrate.

Read the story here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-13573631

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

University of London Chamber Choir concert

University of London Chamber Choir concert
conducted by Colin Durrant

Chilcott - Simple pictures of tomorrow
Penderecki - Agnus Dei
Verdi - Pater Noster
and music by Byrd, Naylor and Whitacre

Saturday 29th May 2011 - 14:00
Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral
collection at the door

www.ulchamberchoir.co.uk

Thursday, March 24, 2011

Wednesday, March 23, 2011

New Research Shows Art Programs in Schools Have an Overall Positive Impact on Students

Groundbreaking new Australian research released today reveals that
arts programs can have a significant impact on improving school
attendance, academic achievement and student wellbeing in Australian
schools.

Minister for School Education Peter Garrett, today released The Song
Room's Bridging the Gap in School Achievement through the Arts report,
saying it reaffirmed the Gillard Government's work to include arts in
the National Curriculum.

"Music provides a potent method to help students connect with their
studies and the broader world around them, to build self-esteem and it
is now demonstrating a positive impact on improving student results
and attendance," Mr Garrett said.

read more: http://www.news4us.com/new-research-shows-art-programs-in-schools-have-an-overall-positive-impact-on-students/228655/

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

New book: Learning, Teaching and Musical Identity

Indiana University Press is pleased to announce the recent publication of:

Learning, Teaching, and Musical Identity
Voices across Cultures
Edited by Lucy Green

"A truly exciting opportunity for music education . . . which draws
from international sources and focuses on identity in music learning,
an issue that has just begun to emerge in the literature of the
field." —Jackie Wiggins, Oakland University

Musical identity raises complex, multifarious, and fascinating
questions. Discussions in this new study consider how individuals
construct their musical identities in relation to their experiences of
formal and informal music teaching and learning. Each chapter features
a different case study situated in a specific national or local
socio-musical context, spanning 20 regions across the world. Subjects
range from Ghanaian or Balinese villagers, festival-goers in Lapland,
and children in a South African township to North American and British
students, adults and children in a Cretan brass band, and Gujerati
barbers in the Indian diaspora.

Counterpoints: Music and Education
330 pp., 3 music exx.
cloth 978-0-253-35603-1 $80.00 / £60.00
paper 978-0-253-22293-0 $27.95 / £18.99

For more information, visit:
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/product_info.php?isbn=978-0-253-22293-0

Instructors in the U.S.:
If you are interested in adopting this book for course use, please see
our exam copy policy:
http://www.iupress.indiana.edu/catalog/information.php?info_id=122&meid=122

Instructors in the U.K.:
Visit Combined Academic Publishers website for instructions on how to
order exam copies:
http://www.combinedacademic.co.uk/copies.asp

Wednesday, March 2, 2011

Subject: Vacancy for Professor of Music, University College Cork, Ireland

University College Cork (UCC) seeks an outstanding appointee for the full-time permanent position of Professor of Music to lead research in music, contribute to UCC Music's national and international profile, and play a critical role in attracting external research funding. The appointee will assume a leadership role in the further development of undergraduate and postgraduate programmes within the discipline.

The staff complement of Music comprises scholars, composers, improvisers, and performers, presenting a symbiosis of music scholarship, composition, and performance to an extent unique in Ireland. The Department embraces multiple disciplines including musicology, ethnomusicology, anthropology of music, critical studies, cultural studies, gender and sexuality studies, film studies, performance studies, composition and music technology.

A model music department of the 21st century, the Department has an ethos that is centered on the understanding that all kinds of music are equally worthy of study and performance. As such, the Department delivers a diverse research-led curriculum. Music's research achievements show excellence at national and international levels, particularly in the areas of composition, ethnomusicology including Irish traditional music, historical and critical musicology. The appointee will be expected to play a pivotal academic leadership role in further developing the strengths of the department and to be an effective contributor to undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, doctoral supervision and administrative elements of the School. The appointee will be expected to act as Head of Department/School.

The appointee will have a doctorate in Music or a cognate subject or equivalent evidence of a scholarly reputation of international standing in Music. A significant track-record of sustained internationally published research (or equivalent in composition) is required along with a proven record of seeking and obtaining substantial funding for research. S/he will have the requisite communication, management, administrative and leadership skills to manage an active and developing department.

For further information, see http://www.ucc.ie/en/hr/vacancies/academic/

For informal discussion, please contact: Dr. Melanie Marshall, School of Music and Theatre. +353 21 4904629 Ml.Marshall@ucc.ie

Closing date: 8 April 2011.

Monday, February 21, 2011

Lecture: Cultural Translation and Music Education

Music Education Special Interest Group

 

Research Seminar Announcement

 


Cultural Translation and Music Education

 

Professor David Hebert

Grieg Academy, Bergen University College, Norway

 

Tuesday 5th April

 

2.30 – 3.30

 

Room 736

 

Further details from Lucy Green, l.green@ioe.ac.uk

 

All are welcome

 

 

Abstract

 

Cultural translation has emerged in recent years as an interdisciplinary field concerned with the process of translating meanings across cultural differences and the cultivation of intercultural understanding. Theories and concepts from this field may have implications for music educators, and research findings from music education may also offer new insights to the field of cultural translation. This discussion will be of particular interest to educators grappling with approaches to the teaching of music from diverse origins to students from diverse backgrounds.

 

David G. Hebert has recently accepted a permanent position as Professor of Music Education with the Grieg Academy, Bergen University College, Norway. He previously worked for universities in the USA, Japan, Finland, Russia, and New Zealand. Chair of the Historical Ethnomusicology special interest group of the Society for Ethnomusicology, his writings appear in 20 academic journals and such books as De-Canonizing Music History, Music Education for Changing Times, Music of Japan Today, Cultural Translation: Research on Japanese Literature in Northern Europe, Sociology and Music Education, and Multicultural Perspectives in Music Education.

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

Mellon Postdoctoral Fellowship and Temporary Lectureship

Salary for Mellon Fellowship: £27,319 - £35,646
Salary for Temporary Lectureship: £36,715

Applications are invited for two two-year, fixed-term posts at the
Faculty of Music, University of Cambridge: a MELLON POSTDOCTORAL
FELLOWSHIP IN POPULAR MUSIC AND CULTURE (starting 1 October 2011, and
requiring a PhD by this date) and a TEMPORARY LECTURESHIP IN ANY AREA
OF MUSIC STUDIES (starting 1 January 2012).

Successful applicants will undertake research, teaching (including
lectures, seminars and/or small-group teaching) and some
administrative duties. Further information is available at
http://www.mus.cam.ac.uk/vacancies.

Application deadline: Monday 14 March 2011.
The University is committed to Equality of Opportunity.

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

IoE vacancies: Research Assistant, Grade 6 (0.6 of full-time) / Research Officer, Grade 7 (0.6 of full-time)

INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION

University of London

 

Department of Arts and Humanities

Faculty of Children and Learning

 

The Institute of Education (IOE) is a world-leading centre for education research and teacher development located in the heart of London.

 

The Department of Arts and Humanities wishes to recruit two researchers to work on a project entitled Ear-playing in the Instrumental Lesson: An Approach Based on Popular Musicians' Learning Practices, funded by the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation. The main duties will be to organise and administrate practical aspects of the project; collect qualitative and quantitative data via participant-observation, interviews and questionnaires; and analyse data. The Research Officer (Grade 7) will also be involved in the design of data-collection tools. Both posts will require you to have excellent organisational and communication skills, and the ability to work both independently and as part of a team.

 

Research Assistant, Grade 6 (0.6 of full-time)

Ref: 6AC-CLAH-5038

Salary in the range of £24,274 - £28,985 per annum (pro-rata), plus £2,323 London Allowance (pro-rata)

Fixed term appointment from 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2012

You will have a first degree in a relevant subject, and preferably will have a PhD, or be near to completing one. You will also have experience of teaching and learning in formal instrumental and/or vocal music lessons and will have experience of collecting and analysing qualitative data in complex settings, ideally involving the teaching and learning of music.

 

This appointment will be subject to an enhanced CRB Disclosure              

 

Research Officer, Grade 7 (0.6 of full-time)

Ref: 7AC-CLAH-5037

Salary in the range of £29,854 - £35,647 per annum (pro-rata), plus £2,323 London Allowance (pro-rata)

Fixed term appointment from 1 September 2011 to 31 August 2012

You will have a PhD in a relevant subject and have experience of teaching and learning in formal instrumental and/or vocal music lessons. You will also have experience of designing data-collection tools, and collecting and analysing both quantitative and qualitative data in complex settings, ideally involving the teaching and learning of music.

 

This appointment will be subject to an enhanced CRB Disclosure              

 

Closing date: 28 February 2011

 

To apply online please visit http://jobs.ioe.ac.uk or tel 020 7612 6159

 

 

We positively encourage applicants from all sections of under-represented communities

Monday, February 14, 2011

Jazz and national identities conference, Amsterdam, September 2-4 2011, CFP

Rhythm Changes: Jazz and National Identities

2-4 September 2011, Amsterdam

The first Rhythm Changes conference will take place in September 2011
and will be hosted in partnership with the Conservatory of Amsterdam.
The three-day conference will explore the theme of 'Jazz and National
Identities' and will include presentations from an international line up
of jazz researchers.

Conference outline

Throughout its history, jazz has played an important part in discourses
about national identity, politics and cultural value; indeed, the music
continues to play a complex role in the cultural life of nations
worldwide. Within this context, jazz is an ideal cultural form from
which to explore a number of critical questions bound up with national
identity, from the development of national sounds and
ensembles to the politics of migration and race, from the impact of
globalisation and the hybridisation of musical styles to the creation of
social institutions and distinct communities, from jazz's shifting
aesthetic status from popular to canonical 'art' music.  Jazz has
developed in a range of national settings through different influences
and interactions, so is ideally placed to explore wider issues
surrounding identity and inheritance, enabling unique perspectives on
how culture is exchanged, adopted and transformed.

Call for papers

Rhythm Changes is a three day multi-disciplinary conference that brings
together leading researchers in the fields of jazz studies, media and
cultural studies.  The Conference committee invites papers and panel
proposals that feed into the Conference theme and is interested in
featuring perspectives from a range of international contexts.  Although
not restricted to specific themes, possible topics could include:

*       National identity and jazz
*       Trans-national or post-national jazz sounds
*       Jazz nationalism and nationalistic movements
*       The musical McDonalds?  Jazz and the politics of globalisation
*       Migration and trans-cultural exchange
*       Jazz as quintessentially American music
*       Media dissemination and the spread of jazz culture
*       Jazz as classical, folk or popular music
*       Venues, festivals and the dynamics of culture
*       Jazz and the cold war
*       Exploring sonic identities (African American, the Nordic Tone,
South African jazz)
*       Jazz and 'frontier' myths
*       National jazz criticism
*       Jazz in urban and rural spaces
*       Interrogating the 'Afrological' and 'Eurological'
*       Jazz racisms, censorship and propaganda
*       Cultural memory and jazz
*       National ensembles and/or trans-national collectives
*       Postcolonial settings for jazz
*       Origins, mythology and the construction of jazz history
*       Modernism, postmodernism and jazz

The Conference committee welcomes individual papers and proposals for
panels and round table discussions.  For individual papers, abstracts of
no more than 300 words should be submitted.  Panels and round table
proposals should include a session overview, participant biographies and
description of individual contributions.  Abstracts and proposals (as
well as event queries) should be sent to Professor Walter van de Leur (
W.vandeLeur@uva.nl <mailto:W.vandeLeur@uva.nl>  ) by 25 February 2011.

Keynote Speakers

Professor Bruce Johnson (Universities of Macquarie, Turku and Glasgow)

Professor Ronald Radano (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

Conference Committee

Nicholas Gebhardt (University of Lancaster), George McKay (University of
Salford), Walter van de Leur (Conservatory of Amsterdam and University
of Amsterdam), and Tony Whyton (University of Salford).


Rhythm Changes is a HERA EUFP7 project:
http://www.rhythmchanges.net <http://www.rhythmchanges.net/>
http://www.heranet.info/

Thursday, February 10, 2011

Professor Welch on BBC The Other One Show (National Sing Up day)

School singing 'can boost children's well-being'

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-12392742

Singing in school can make children feel more positive about themselves and build a sense of community, research based on 10,000 children suggests.

An evaluation by the Institute of Education of England's national singing programme, Sing Up, found a clear link between singing and well-being.

It also found that children who took part in the programme had a strong sense of being part of a community.

But it is not clear that the scheme will be fully funded in future.

The Sing Up scheme supports schools to increase singing in choirs, lessons and individually, and provides a range of resources to help.

The Institute of Education's independent three-year study, commissioned by the Sing Up programme, is based on data collected from 9,979 children at 177 primary schools in England.

It said: "A clear inference may be drawn that children with experience of Sing Up are more likely to be advanced in their singing development and to have a positive self-concept," the study said.

It also found that Sing Up children were up to two years ahead in their singing development than those of the same age who did not take part in the programme.

Composer Howard Goodall, the National Singing Ambassador, said: "These findings are gold dust for head teachers. We've always maintained that singing, alongside its brain-training benefits, can help children to grow in confidence and create stronger communities and now we're able to prove it with hard evidence."

The research comes just days after ministers said they were safeguarding the funding of music in schools at the present level for one year ahead of a major funding shake. But there are no guarantees on music funding after 2012.

'Patchy'

And some councils could see music budgets cut by up to 10% next year.

The £10m a year Sing Up scheme was only funded until the end of 2011, but ministers said on Monday they would provide some funding to enable it to continue.

A spokesman for the Department for Education said: "We know that schools and teachers value the resources provided by Sing Up, that is why the government will provide some funding for 2011-12 to enable a sustainable future for Sing Up to be developed."

However the Department for Education has not made clear how much it will provide.

The announcement on the future of the Sing Up programme was in response to the Henley Review of music which warned that music education in England's schools was still "patchy".

And it said there should be more opportunities for singing and playing musical instruments in schools, as well as efforts to bring professional musicians into the classroom.