Originality in Music

After a lengthy review process, I have recently learned that another of my articles on the institutionalization of popular music is soon to be published. It will be in Music Education Research International (vol.5), a fully-refereed scholarly journal edited by Professor Victor Fung and published in an online, open-access format, and I understand the volume with my article will shortly be available. I have also added a link to the right side of this website for a separate page with a full list of publications. Below is the title and abstract for my upcoming article in MERI:

Originality and Institutionalization: Factors Engendering Resistance to Popular Music Pedagogy in the USA

David G. Hebert

Abstract

The roots of much of the world’s popular music may be traced to blues and rock – styles that originated in the Southern Mississippi Valley in the early 20^th century – yet, when considered from a global perspective, performance of these genres has been especially slow to gain wide acceptance in schools of their homeland: the USA. This paper begins with identification of some inevitable challenges associated with institutionalization of novel artistic movements, and then contrasts these with factors perceived to have engendered resistance to the growth of popular music pedagogy (PMP). That PMP is increasingly accepted while genres such as blues and rock come of age (and stake a claim to cultural heritage) is no coincidence. This discussion illustrates the perennial educational challenges posed by originality and cultural diversity in music, as well as the need for research to more fully understand opportunities and risks associated with the array of PMP approaches currently advanced.

Below are links to some of my other writings and projects that address related topics:

· Hebert, D. G. (2010). Jazz and Rock Music. In W. M. Anderson & P. S. Campbell (Eds.), Multicultural Perspectives in Music Education, Vol. 1 (third edition). Lanham, MD: Rowman-Littlefield Publishers.

· Campbell, P. S. & Hebert, D. G. (2010). World Beat. In W. M. Anderson & P. S. Campbell (Eds.), Multicultural Perspectives in Music Education, Vol. 2 (third edition). Lanham, MD: Rowman-Littlefield Publishers.

· Hebert, D. G. (2009). Musicianship, Musical Identity and Meaning as Embodied Practice. In T. Regelski & J. T. Gates (Eds.), Music Education for a Changing Society: Guiding Visions for Practice (pp. 39-55). Dordrecht and New York: Springer Press.

· Hebert, D. G. (2009). Rethinking the Historiography of Hybrid Genres in Music Education. In V. Kurkela & L. Vakeva (Eds.), De-Canonizing Music History (pp. 163-184). Newcastle: Cambridge Scholars Press.

· Campbell, P. S., Hebert, D. G. & Will, R. J. (Eds.) (2001). Around the Sound: Popular Music in Performance, Education, and Scholarship - symposium proceedings. Seattle: University of Washington & Experience Music Project.

· Hebert, D. G. & Campbell, P. S., (2000). "Rock Music in American Schools: Positions and Practices Since the 1960s," International Journal of Music Education , Vol. 36, No. 1 (pp. 14-22).

Research on Music Policies and Practices in Europe

Below are abstracts for some of my upcoming collaborative publications:


Hebert, D. G. & Heimonen, M. (2013, January; Draft in review for special issue on “Cosmopolitanism and Policy”). “Public Policy and Music Education in Norway and Finland,” Arts Education Policy Review, Vol. 114, No. 1.

Public Policy and Music Education in Norway and Finland

David G. Hebert and Marja Heimonen

Abstract

Our previous research has examined the legal bases for music education in Northern Europe as well as the role of music among ethnic minorities and in the construction of national identity.  Extending on previous work, this article applies the Toulmin argument model of rhetorical analysis—which features identification and dissection of the components of prominent enthymemes—to scrutinize concepts within both educational policy documents and relevant music education literature from Norway and Finland across the past decade. Our analysis will produce a detailed account of how understandings of “music education” are formulated through the rhetoric of public policy, enabling rigorous examination of relationships between the prospective limitations of these formulations and the actual concerns of music teachers evident in professional periodicals since the start of the 21st century.  

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Hebert, D. G., Kallio, A. A., & Odendaal, A. (2012, in press). “Not so Silent Night: Tradition, Transformation and Cultural Understandings of Christmas Music Events in Helsinki Finland,” Ethnomusicology Forum, Vol. 21.

Not so Silent Night: Tradition, Transformation and Cultural Understandings of Christmas music events in Helsinki Finland

David Hebert, Alexis Anja Kallio and Albi Odendaal

Abstract

The aim of this study was to investigate the characteristics of Finnish joulumusiikki (Christmas music) concerts and sing-alongs as well as participants’ motivations for attending these immensely popular events. Contemporary joulumusiikki events were studied through ethnographic observations and interviews conducted at five prominent Christmas music venues in the capital city, Helsinki. Findings highlight how these events may be understood as rituals that both maintain traditions and mediate the transformations of contemporary Finnish society. Joulumusiikki events were determined to provide opportunities for particularly Finnish celebrations of distinctively Finnish ideals. Thus, both as expressions and constructions of ‘Finnishness’, joulumusiikki events are seen as an important social tradition that continues to evolve and transform. With very little previously published research on such topics, this study offers preliminary but important insights into the role of Christmas music events in Finnish society which are highly significant due to their powerfully affective connection to cultural heritage and the fact that more than a fifth of Finns (around 1 million) participate in them annually.

Baltic Music Education: Lithuania

The 2012 planning meeting of the Nordic Network for Music Education (NIME) was recently held in Vilnius, Lithuania (June 6-8, 2012). This was hosted by Jolanta Lasauskiene of the Lithuanian University of Educational Sciences and convened by NIME network coordinator Torunn Bakken Hauge. 

The network has exciting plans for the strengthening of music education across the Nordic and Baltic regions via coordination of innovative conferences and international exchange of teachers and students. At the meeting it was reconfirmed that a future conference will be in Latvia, and that, along with several other NIME members, I will have funding to do some teaching for postgraduate students in Sweden and Latvia during the coming academic year (2011-2012). It was a great pleasure to see the old town of Vilnius for the first time, as well as the Trakai island castle, and to learn about Lithuania’s unique traditions. 

General Information on Lithuania:

http://wikitravel.org/en/Vilnius

http://www.inyourpocket.com/lithuania/vilnius

http://www.vilnius-life.com/

Videos on Lithuania and Vilnius:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ni4Pp4rsa8I&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=THI7P_mOotQ&feature=fvwrel

Videos of Lithuanian Sutartines (folk songs):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wij_cgVGOxw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U_Ql90DCWXg&feature=results_video&playnext=1&list=PLEB50E03BAE62A907

[displayed image credit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Trakai-Troki.jpg]

Understanding Musicality

Musicality, the phenomenon of artistic expression through musical practices, is a complex subject in need of deeper research that effectively integrates an array of scholarly approaches. NNIMIPA, the Nordic Network for Integration of Music Informatics, Performance and Aesthetics will have its one day research planning meeting and mini-symposium “Understanding Musicality” on Friday, the 22nd of June, 2012 in Bergen, Norway.

The NNIMIPA meeting will be held immediately following the “Researching Music Practices” symposium of the Grieg Research School in Interdisciplinary Music Studies (GRS), at which some NNIMIPA members will offer a panel presentation.

More details on the Understanding Musicality meeting of NNIMIPA (including a schedule and program with titles of research presentations) will be posted shortly at the following website:

http://understandingmusicality.blogspot.com/

Japanese and Korean Studies in Norway

CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT and CALL FOR PAPERS  

The 9th conference of the Nordic Association for Japanese and Korean Studies (NAJAKS) will be held in Bergen, Norway, on August 21-23, 2013.  

Conference theme: Translation, Education and Innovation  

Conference Announcement
In these times of globalization and digitization, the world has become increasingly complex and interconnected. Communication across borders and languages from around the world is now an immense feature of daily life, and the need for cultural, linguistic and translational competence is ever present. Migration, ethnic conflicts and environmental challenges call for new forms of international understanding and cooperation, as well as a constant focus on quality in education and on accommodating innovation across diverse fields. This is especially true for modernized Asian countries like Japan and Korea, which have a great economic and cultural impact on daily life in Europe that is often underappreciated. There is much to be gained from deeper communication and cooperation with East Asia, acknowledging its rich past, impressive present, and promising future.

Call for Papers: Translation, Education and Innovation
For the 2013 Nordic conference on Japanese and Korean studies, we have chosen three key words to which participating scholars are encouraged to thematically link their proposed presentations: "Translation, Education and Innovation". These key words are to be interpreted broadly, intended not to delimit but rather to widen perspectives and inspire interdisciplinary approaches. High quality contributions in the area of Japan and Korea studies that are thematically remote from these topics are nevertheless highly welcome. The NAJAKS Organizing Committee has selected three prominent Keynote Speakers from an array of fields across Japanese Studies and Korean Studies.

Information on Abstract Submissions
The conference will include panel discussions and individual academic paper presentations. We invite abstracts from established researchers, PhD and Masters´ students and other contributors. It is assumed that individual presentations will be in English, but entire panels in Asian or Scandinavian languages may be considered in exceptional cases for which strong interest is convincingly demonstrated. Submitted abstracts will be reviewed by a panel of referees, and those meeting the criteria will be invited to give presentations at the conference. Although NAJAKS naturally emphasizes the work of Nordic scholars, researchers from other parts of the world are also strongly encouraged to submit papers for this conference. We are confident that visitors from throughout the world will find that Bergen is a beautiful location in the summertime and NAJAKS offers an academically stimulating environment. There is no conference fee, however, participants are responsible for their own travel costs and accommodation.

The conference presentations will be organized according to the following categories:
1. Linguistics and Language Teaching
2. Literature and the Arts (e.g. artist biographies, criticism, translations, music, manga, anime)
3. History, Philosophy and Religion
4. Social Sciences (e.g. anthropology, psychology, sociology, economics)
5. Professional/Interdisciplinary Studies (e.g. business, law, medicine, technology)  

Abstracts will be accepted from May 1st 2012 until March 1st 2013. Please submit an abstract (500-800 words) with a brief biography or CV (maximum 1 page) in an e-mail attachment to info@najaks.org. The Organizing Committee will inform applicants of our decisions in April 2013. The Organizing Committee of NAJAKS 2013 are Benedicte M. Irgens (UoB), David Hebert (HiB), and Kristin Rygg (NHH). For any questions that require a rapid reply, please contact Benedicte Irgens at benedicte.irgens@if.uib.no.

Read more about NAJAKS here.

International-Comparative Music Research

Below is the abstract of my keynote speech for the upcoming conference of the Grieg Research School, which is on the theme of research methodologies in music. I think it promises to be a very interesting conference, and I am especially eager to see the presentations by professors David Hargreaves, Marie McCarthy, and Brynjulf Stige.

Grieg Research School in Interdisciplinary Music Studies, Bergen

June 18-20, 2012

Researching Music Practices – Methodological Approaches

Challenges and Opportunities in International-Comparative Music Research

David G. Hebert

Abstract

The credo “Know Thyself” was advocated by Socrates, but as Ptolemy and others would later recognize, it is only possible to fully know our selves and the ultimate significance of human practices (such as music) through systematic documentation and comparison, which enables the production of robust theories and contextualized, verifiable knowledge. Judicious comparison of diverse practices and contexts is an essential component of theory construction, yet hasty comparisons can also be very misleading. It is, therefore, important to carefully consider the common pitfalls of comparison, and how they may be avoided, as we interpret and design international-comparative studies to develop new advancements in musical knowledge.

In this presentation, I will use anecdotes from personal experience to illustrate various aspects of international-comparative music research, including its distinctive prospects, characteristic methodologies, and contemporary theories, as well as potential risks and benefits associated with the application of its findings in such fields as ethnomusicology, music education, and performance science. Specifically, I will demonstrate issues in the representation of sociocultural differences, and how a comparative lens can produce practical insights, particularly through examination of performance techniques, music institutionalization and arts policy, and global norm making. A deeper understanding of such issues may help shape a research agenda toward pioneering findings and actionable outcomes, enabling others to increasingly recognize music’s value and utilize its power in positive ways for an improved quality of life. 

Music History and Contrasting Reviews

Below is a link to a well-written book review by ethnomusicologist Travis Stimeling. In this thorough and balanced review, Dr. Stimeling appears to have the admirable agenda of informing readers about the unique insights to be found in a newly published book, which is what academic book reviews are supposed to be all about.

Further below is a link to a highly unusual and contrasting review of the very same book, followed by links to articles intended to help correct the bias of both that surprising review and the provocative chapter its author singled out as especially “inspiring”. Compare carefully to notice the important differences.

For a variety of reasons (some of which are legitimate), editors of scholarly publications do not always manage to wield the power they should hold to ensure that academic writers and reviewers meet basic standards of fairness. However, with the passage of time a clearer picture still tends to emerge, at least among those who read widely and carefully, reserving judgment until sufficient data have been presented.  

NOTE: The links listed below can be a bit slow to load.

-Click HERE to see Travis Stimeling’s review of De-Canonizing Music History in the Journal of Music History Pedagogy, vol. 2, no. 2 (2012).

-Click HERE to see Petter Dyndahl’s book review on pp. 107-108 of the Finnish Journal of Music Education, vol. 13, no. 1 (2010).

-Click HERE to see Thomas Regelski’s “Reply to Petter Dyndahl’s Book Review of De-Canonizing Music History” on p.82 of the Finnish Journal of Music Education, vol. 13, no. 2 (2010). NOTE: This reportedly was Regelski’s final contribution to FJME.

-Click HERE to see Thomas Regelski’s “Correcting MayDay Group History” on the MayDay Group website (2010).

-Click HERE to see an announcement for the book De-Canonizing Music History.