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Guest editorial: music making and sustainable futures
No full textThis Special Issue seeks to build a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding community music and sustainable futures by bringing together research perspectives which illuminate the complexities of this relationship, and the potential of community music to address global challenges of sustainability. In particular, this issue seeks to highlight promising lines of enquiry into this complex subject in order to understand better what attitudinal, ecological, epistemological, ontological and/or methodological shifts might be needed in order to develop a clearer focus on issues of community music and sustainability in future research
Music making as holistic praxis
No full textThe Organizers of Ethno Gatherings are probably the most influential in terms of the kinds of experiences that other attendees - participants, other musicians and local stakeholders - have at the international musical events they organize. In this chapter, we set out the findings from a study to explore the motivations of Ethno Organizers, and how they address the various obligations and responsibilities they have towards their participants, fellow artists, local communities and JM International (JMI) as the host institution. We used a software research tool, Sensemaker, to capture Organizers' stories and the meaning that they attach to those stories through a process known as 'distributed ethnography' (Snowden 2016), where respondents are actively involved in the interpretation of meaning (sense-making).
We found that the Organizers of Ethno Gatherings are motivated by often deeply held personal values and beliefs about the transformational potential of participatory music making (musicking), largely as a result of their own formative musical experiences, which may have included previous participation in Ethno events. As well as providing a secure base for transformational identity work in and through music, Organizers enact the leadership responsibilities in a holistic sense, in the facilitation of both musical and 'paramusical' (Stige et al. 2013: 298) outcomes for participants, and these paramusical outcomes are of particular significance in their estimation. Their stories highlight the importance of the experience of communitas - transformational moments of 'collective joy' (Turner 2012) achieved through music making which facilitate deep social bonds - as a way of bridging the social, cultural, linguistic and musical differences which may otherwise prevail at such intercultural events. We conclude that the motivations of Ethno Organizers, while authentically held at a personal level, also benefit from being part of a community of reflective peers facilitated by JMI, representing a discourse of 'ethical praxis' (Elliott, Silverman and Bowman 2016; Regelski 2021) which connects the host institution to its Organizers, and ultimately to its participants. ******* This chapter is available open access at the Official URL given below. ******
Theorising with the mycelium in the commingled world of young children’s musical play
Full text linkInspired by Sheldrake’s study of fungi [Sheldrake, M. 2020. Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures. London: Penguin Random House] and Barad’s idea of entanglement [Barad, K. 2007. Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning. Durham: Duke University Press], this paper explores music play with young children and artists, a practice that resists adult-centric approaches. As an embedded researcher within an early years arts organisation, I play with a diffractive methodology to read through ideas of Froebel with posthuman writings. Using slow-motion viewing of a video extract of musical play the vibrant agency of materials and sound emerges in micro-moments of playful music-making. Theorising with the mycelium produces ideas of extravagance, music and sound understood as lively intra-active and wild. It communicates through, and within, living and non-living matter. This view of music asks for artists to ‘do’ and say less, watch more and hold the space for the bursting forth of ripe and ready musical expressions. Through this pedagogical approach, children and adults can experience a sense of becoming with music, with the world
Music and parental mental wellbeing
No full textThere is compelling evidence that music can enhance parental wellbeing, yet to date there have been few attempts to bring together current endeavours in the field. Music and Parental Mental Wellbeing provides readers from music, health, and beyond, with a new and comprehensive opportunity to consider how music can support parental mental wellbeing. Drawing on recent ground-breaking practice, research, and evaluation the book illuminates how music can support mental wellbeing in pregnancy and the postnatal period, childbirth and perinatal hospital settings, and in the early years. Each chapter provides introductory context, describes the relevant musical practice(s), consider the intersections with parental wellbeing, and end with implications for practice and key take-aways for the reader. With an interdisciplinary and international team of authors, including music and health practitioners, experts by experience, and researchers, this book explores and establishes the roles of music, in its many forms, in supporting and enhancing parental mental wellbeing
Online personalised music-making with patients in hospital during pregnancy
No full textChapter 6 reports on the development and implementation of an online programme of personalised, live music for patients in hospital maternity wards during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter introduces the music-making practice, which was based on Meaningful Music in Health Care (MiMiC), an innovative, artistic practice developed by Hanze University Groningen and the University Medical Center Groningen, the Netherlands. Evaluation of patients’ experiences of the programme are presented, revealing that live, person-centred music can build personalised connections, support emotional regulation, and offer opportunities for respite. Alongside this, perspectives from the musicians on the skills required for delivery are shared. Implications are considered for the future delivery of live, personalised, online music interventions in hospital maternity settings to support parental wellbeing
An investigation of coping, resilience and self-compassion among conservatoire music students in the United Kingdom
Full text linkThis doctoral thesis investigates the use of coping and development of psychological resilience in musicians. Relevant literature was analysed to identify individual and environmental factors that impact on musicians’ health and wellbeing (Chapters 1 and 2). Two studies are presented to explore musicians’ coping strategies and resilience from both personal and environmental perspectives, aiming to address gaps in research regarding the specific mechanisms through which coping strategies, psychological resilience, and self-compassion interact with each other and impact the overall health and wellbeing of musicians.
The first study (Chapters 3 and 4) involves interviews with 16 conservatoire music students from the Royal College of Music. Through semi-structured, individual interviews, these conservatoire music students shared insights into their coping strategies and psychological resilience within the context of music-making. The interviews examined the common challenges faced by conservatoire music students during their learning and performances, as well as how they navigate these challenges. From these interviews, several themes emerged, including the general meanings of coping and resilience for musicians, understanding how musicians cope and develop resilience within their occupational activities, and the roles of institutions and support systems in supporting musicians’ coping strategies and resilience. The findings from the interview study suggest a close relationship between coping and resilience; while coping encompasses the strategies and responses to challenges, resilience reflects the musician’s capacity to overcome adversity. Moreover, the study underscores the significance of coping strategies and psychological resilience, particularly in the context of conservatoire music students’ performance and practice. Importantly, the study reveals that the conservatoire environment significantly influences conservatoire music students’ coping, and access to support services plays a crucial role in promoting positive adaptation. These findings underscore the importance of further research into musicians’ development of coping, resilience, and related aspects in their learning and performance.
The second study (Chapters 5, 6, and 7) is an online survey involving 120 conservatoire music students in the United Kingdom. The survey employed questionnaires to measure conservatoire music students’ psychological resilience, coping abilities, and levels of self-compassion, followed by a self-assessment of their health and wellbeing. Additionally, the survey measured conservatoire music students’ interactions with the environment and support. The survey study was divided into three parts: (1) individual factors related to coping and psychological resilience; (2) environmental factors and supporting resources related to coping, resilience, and self-compassion; and (3) connections between individual factors, environmental factors, health, and wellbeing. The findings suggest that coping strategies positively predict the overall level of coping, and positive constructs of self-compassion are also positively associated with the overall level of self-compassion among conservatoire music students. Furthermore, the findings show that coping, resilience, and wellbeing are significantly correlated, and certain coping strategies are more strongly correlated than others in promoting resilience (Chapter 5).
Regarding environmental factors, the findings suggest that conservatoire music students’ academic and social self-perceptions are positively related to their overall perception of the educational environment. Nevertheless, coping, resilience, and self-compassion are positively associated with conservatoire music students’ perceptions of their educational environment (Chapter 6).
Findings from the final part of the survey study show positive connections between coping, resilience, self-compassion, health, and wellbeing among conservatoire music students. Additionally, academic and social self-perceptions are positively linked to conservatoire music students’ health and wellbeing (Chapter 7). The main findings from the survey study reveal the implications of how coping, psychological resilience, self-compassion, health, wellbeing, and perceptions of the educational environment positively interrelate, informing future research regarding the development of mental skills, institutional support, and health and wellbeing.
The findings of this thesis are discussed (Chapter 8) regarding the implications of the research for musicians’ development, particularly how psychological factors such as coping, resilience, self-compassion, and support within the music-making environment inform their health and wellbeing. One of the implications being discussed is an intervention protocol that could be employed and evaluated in future research to enhance musicians’ coping and resilience from a practical perspective. Based on the findings of the interview and survey studies, the protocol is tailored to musicians’ occupational, psychological and physical demands, and the need for relevant psychological and coping skills, considering their occupational challenges
Book review: 'Music in Twentieth-Century Oxford: New Directions' edited by Robin Darwall-Smith and Susan Wollenberg (Boydell Press, 2023)
No full textReflecting and reimagining transnational Chinese identity through composition
Full text linkI investigate the relationship between my compositions and my cultural identity as a
transnational Chinese composer. An autoethnographic method is key to my research. I
evaluate my lived experiences and consider their cultural, social, political, and historical
contexts, before using these as stimuli to compose music. In doing so, I show how my
cultural identity shapes my compositions and collaborations, whilst the process and
creation of music affords a better appreciation of my cultural identity. Referring to a
range of cultural, ethnomusicological, and creative work, I examine how transnational
Chinese communities struggle to belong in the West, the sense of cultural rootlessness
attached to transnational experience, the need to reclaim Chinese identities in the face
of racism, and lastly the importance of community in my navigation of cultural identity.
My practice-based research is driven by a fascination with transcultural spaces alongside
the recognition of the continuing legacy of colonialism and its impact on the perception
and presentation of Chinese cultures in the West. The ten compositions of my portfolio
address these strands in different ways, taking various forms including opera, orchestral
work, song cycles, audience participation pieces, and solo instrumental music. This
written commentary elucidates the compositional logic of each piece and their relation
to my cultural identity, as well as their creative processes that often involve deep
collaboration. As such, I highlight how composition allows me to negotiate the complex
layers of identity whilst also nurturing connections with those around me
Instructions for the clarinet: an illumination of musical taste in Georgian London
Full text linkThe authors interrogate ten complete English-language clarinet tutors published in London between c. 1772 and c. 1803. As the largest collection of documentary sources pertaining to the clarinet printed at that time these sources reveal aspects of musical life in Georgian London. In stark contrast to more well-known Continental publications, they offer few details pertaining to the instrument and its performing practices, and only one is attributed to named individual. None the less, they allow us to trace the clarinet’s increasing popularity amidst a recognition of its musical versatility and the independence of a distinctive English design of instrument with five-keys. Issued to expedite the financial interests of publishers above those of composers and authors, the immense value of these English sources lies in the prevalence and breadth of music they contain. We examine how this repertoire confirms the popularity of music composed for the stage, the propensity for borrowing and authorial fluidity as well as modes of genre transformation undertaken by individual pieces which traversed time and geographical locations. The prevalence of authorial anonymity in late 18th-century London contrasts the priority and value with which we currently afford originality. An interrelationship between these ten sources manifests a process of updating, or modernisation facilitated by the available technology. Iconographical evidence allows us to assert that amongst the publications’ intended clientele were both gentlemen amateurs and musicians associated with a military band who wished to enhance their practical musical skills through attaining competence on the clarinet. Acknowledging the hybridity of these sources allows them to reveal much beyond their primary intention to capitalise on an increasing demand for printed music. The historiography of eighteenth and early nineteenth century music becomes richer and more representative when we recognise the diversity amidst extant source materials
Nurturing the musical imagination: listening to recordings for self-regulated and creative learning
No full textThe growing archive of classical music recordings presents a double-edged sword. On one hand, the expressive performance variability captured on recordings offers a valuable creative resource for exploring alternative ways of interpreting repertoire and for widening appreciation of changing musical styles and performing practices. On the other hand, however, important questions arise about how such a resource can be better incorporated in the higher music education curriculum through constructivist pedagogies. This chapter presents a critical overview of the manifold benefits of listening to other aural models, like recordings, for musical development and self-regulated learning. Specifically, evidence-based recommendations for classical musicians’ learning and creative processes are considered and discussed. The chapter concludes by proposing a holistic framework for embedding listening to recordings more firmly in creative pedagogies. This could be achieved by rethinking the role of purposeful listening for performance interpretation, widening the concept of creativity in classical music performance, and renewing pedagogic dialogue, tools, and practices within music curricula