Research Methods in Music

An academic conference on research methods in music is now being planned for June 18-21, 2012, in Bergen, Norway. It will be hosted by Bergen University College on behalf of the Grieg Research School in Interdisciplinary Music Studies, and keynote speakers will include music psychologist David Hargreaves, music therapy expert Brynjulf Stige, and music education historian Marie McCarthy. There will also be a plenary session by music learning technology specialist Alex Ruthmann and a panel on epistemological issues in practice-based research (including "artistic research") by members of the interdisciplinary research group NNIMIPA (Nordic Network for the Integration of Music Informatics, Performance and Aesthetics). I have been asked to give a presentation on methodological issues in international-comparative music research.

Although the main purpose of this conference is to provide guidance for Norwegian doctoral students in music, a limited number of international participants will also be admitted.

"Understanding Musicality," a NNIMIPA symposium and research planning forum will also be held on the day following this conference (June 22).

Click HERE for more information, and see additional details on the website of the Grieg Research School in Interdisciplinary Music Studies.

Visit this website for images of Norway:

http://www.visitnorway.com/360/sognefjord/

Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools

Here is a link to a product flyer for my book on instrumental music education in Japan:

http://www.springer.com/cda/content/document/productFlyer/productFlyer_978-94-007-2177-7.pdf?SGWID=0-0-1297-174132910-0

Christmas Music in Bergen

This year – 2011 – was my first Christmas in Bergen, Norway, which I have found to be remarkably active with music performances surrounding the holiday period. I enjoyed the opportunity to perform with several music ensembles.

During this Christmastime, I performed jazz trumpet at Fana Kulturhus with jazz composer and vocalist Oded Ben-Horin as well as some of Oded’s fine jazz students along with a band organized by pianist Øystein Kvinge and saxophonist/flutist Pia-Camilla Tømmernes, electric bassist Peter Harald Sæverud, and others.

I also performed a few times as a vocalist (low bass) along with three inspiring women in a very nice a cappella quartet: Silje Valde Onsrud (soprano), Anne Kristine Wallace Turøy (alto), and Tine Grieg Viig (contralto). We sang several Christmas carols, including a published arrangement by Catharina Chistophersen. Anne Kristine and Tine and I also played carols in a small brass group.

Additionally, I sang and played trumpet with the Bergen Anglican choir, led by Roger Martin, which included a performance in the old Korskirken cathedral (a major Bergen landmark that had already been established by 1185!).

I enjoyed rehearsing with a fine jazz choir called Stemmebruket, but due to some unexpected problems with airplanes (during my return from serving on a doctoral tribunal in Spain), it was not possible to perform with them this time – I look forward to other concerts soon in 2012!

I also attended an enjoyable performance of Christmas music by the “Jambonans Musik Corps” brass band, an intergenerational community ensemble with a fine tradition.

Community music activities are certainly lively during the holidays in Bergen – a joy to observe and experience.

Music Conferences in November 2011

November is such a busy month for music-related conferences! Here are links to information regarding my participation in conferences either recently attended or that I plan to attend soon:

-- Commentator, Panelist and Session Chair, Nordic Network for Music Education seminar: “Challenges and possibilities of plurality and change in music education,” Ørebro University, [Sweden] (November 7-11, 2011).

-- Chair, Historical SIG meeting, Annual conference of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), Philadelphia [USA] (Nov. 17-20, 2011).

-- Senior Researcher presentation, "Patriotic Sound and Sentiment: Defining Nations through Music Performance in Schools" for Grieg Research School international seminar: Performing Sound and Sentiment, Self and Society, Bergen [Norway] (Nov. 28-Dec. 2, 2011). Link to presentation abstracts: http://www.uib.no/filearchive/book-of-abstracts-performing-sound-and-sentiment-self-and-society_1.pdf

Musical Fingerprints

Here is a link to a video of a very interesting lecture by Professor David Hargreaves entitled “Musical Fingerprints”:

http://www2.warwick.ac.uk/knowledge/themes/04/davidhargreaves/

Here is how the Warwick Knowledge Centre describes this lecture: “Do you have a song that can lift your mood? Or a song that reminds you of a certain event? Music has always been known for its power to alter our emotions and impact our memories, but why is this? Professor David Hargreaves, psychologist and keen musician, explains in his TEDxWarwick talk that developments in music psychology have begun to unlock the reasons and patterns behind our particular music tastes.”

. . .

“Music psychology is moving towards the idea of ‘musical fingerprints’. There are three kinds of associations:

1. Musical networks – we perceive the world of music in different ways according to our particular interests and preferred genres.

2. Cultural networks – the way we react to music will depend on the situation we are in. The ‘musical fit’ concept shows that certain music fits certain situations. Music played during an aerobics class will be very different from that played in an antique furniture store. Rather than Britney Spears or Lady Gaga, the store owner will play Vivaldi or Bach.

3. Personal musical network – we all have a personal inner music library (PIML) which develops throughout our lifetime. We recognise new pieces of music according to our PIMLs.”

Creativity in Education

Hooray for John Drummond! Here is some great Kiwi wisdom regarding the central role creativity should play in educational practices. Professor Drummond's 15-minute lecture briefly yet very effectively demonstrates some important educational problems and solutions relevant to teachers of all subjects:

Wind Bands and Cultural Identity in Japanese Schools

I very recently heard from the publisher that my book on music in Japan is now printed and being sent to book retailers and distributors.

Here is more information regarding this book:

“This well researched volume tells the story of music education in Japan and of the wind band contest organized by the All-Japan Band Association. Identified here for the first time as the world’s largest musical competition, it attracts 14,000 bands and well over 500,000 competitors. The book’s insightful contribution to our understanding of both music and education chronicles music learning in Japanese schools and communities. It examines the contest from a range of perspectives, including those of policy makers, adjudicators, conductors and young musicians. The book is an illuminating window on the world of Japanese wind bands, a unique hybrid tradition that comingles contemporary western idioms with traditional Japanese influences. In addition to its social history of Japanese school music programs, it shows how participation in Japanese school bands contributes to students’ sense of identity, and sheds new light on the process of learning to play European orchestral instruments.”

Here are links with information on how to obtain a copy:

http://www.springer.com/education+%26+language/book/978-94-007-2177-7

http://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Identity-Japanese-Schools-Landscapes/dp/9400721773