Musical Identity Research Articles

Joining alone: factors that influence the musical participation of young adults after leaving school

Abstract When young people leave the musical world of their school environment, a lack of clear routes into adult musical engagement brings a risk of wasted ability, motivation and enjoyment, which arguably undermines the value of music education. This study explored the factors that influence continued musical participation among young British adults who had been actively engaged in school music. Musical participation is defined in this research as group music-making in either a formal or informal setting. Participants (n = 102) completed an online questionnaire or were interviewed (n = 6) about their past and present musical experiences along with future expectations for music-making. The stark headline finding was that while 87% of participants had intended to continue with music-making beyond school, only 48% had found groups to join. Nonetheless, 78% expected to continue with music-making in the future. Our research therefore suggests that any break from musical participation need not be permanent for individuals who have established strong musical identities through their early experiences. To conclude, we present a model of lifelong musical participation that illustrates the influences, motivations and choices that contribute to sustained musical engagement.

The Voice of Azerbaijan: Experiencing Recordings of Hajibaba Huseynov and post-Soviet Muslim Musical Identities

The Voice of Azerbaijan: Experiencing Recordings of Hajibaba Huseynov and post-Soviet Muslim Musical Identities

A proposed Critical Theory of Music Vilification to explain “problem music”

Links between certain music genres and detrimental behaviors and impacts have often resulted in labeling specific music genres as problematic. The resultant concept of so-called problem music (SCPM) typically focuses on hip hop and rock as well as their related genres. However, researchers have repeatedly found a lack of causal empirical evidence of SCPM and noted that the essential aspect is not the music genre, but rather how the music functions for the individual. This paper proposes the Critical Theory of Music Vilification (CTMV) to explain the vilification of SCPM. First, individuals exist within greater societal systems that oppress and marginalize people. Drawing from theories of social and musical identities, people may embrace SCPM to critique oppressive systems and develop social cohesion through in-group identities. Based on theories of stereotypes in music, societal systems often further ostracize people based on their music preferences and musical identities and people may experience harm. The experienced vilification and harm can reinforce people’s music preferences and corresponding musical identities. Societal systems then may vilify the music that was meant to critique their own systemic and policy failures, resulting in a cycle of music vilification. By including systems of oppression, classism and stereotypes in music, and music preferences and musical identities that critique systems and provide social cohesion, the CTMV provides context to SCPM as a socially constructed idea lacking empirical evidence. Implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research are provided.

A scoping review of empirical studies on informal music learning

Abstract Informal music learning, pioneered by Green (2002, 2006, 2017), presents an alternative approach that integrates students’ interests in popular music, bridging the informal and traditional styles of Western music education in schools. We conducted a scoping review adhering to the PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines to investigate informal music learning. Our scoping review encompasses 28 empirical, peer-reviewed articles published from 2006 to 2023. First, we analyse the diverse contexts, methodologies and geographic locations in which informal music learning has been investigated. Second, we explore how different stakeholders perceive and engage with informal music learning in various educational settings. Lastly, we summarise the implications derived from the analysed studies on informal music learning. Our findings reveal that across various educational contexts, informal music learning has consistently demonstrated its positive impact in motivating students. We also find that researchers have extended their investigations from programme reform to exploring pupil and teacher’s musical identities. Recommendations for future research include exploring informal music learning in ensembles and elementary music classrooms and employing quantitative or mixed methods to assess its effectiveness and impact.

Becoming singular: Musical identity construction and maintenance through the lens of identity process theory

This study uses identity process theory to understand the social–psychological processes that motivate individuals to construct an identity in which music, singing, and singing teaching feature prominently. We conducted reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 10 Australian singing teachers (with an average age 60) to understand how they enacted identity principles that motivate identity construction and maintenance. Findings were captured in two themes: (1) ‘It has just been music’: Living a musical life is my destiny; (2) ‘I know my value’: Achieving goals in music and teaching is motivating. Participants’ consistent musical engagement across the lifespan satisfied the identity principles of continuity and positive distinctiveness. The identity principles of self-efficacy and self-esteem were satisfied through the social connections created with peers and through teaching singing; participants derived self-worth from celebrating and contributing to the success of others. Teaching singing was a way to become ‘singular’, that is, distinctive, and distinctively valued by the self and others. This article provides an example of how identity process theory can be applied in musical identities research to uncover new insights into the psychological processes of identity construction, with implications for understanding identity resilience and musical engagement across the lifespan.

Musical Identity in Contemporary Creative Works Among Thai Jazz Artists

This study aims to explore the musical identity of Thai contemporary jazz artists by examining their attitude, musical content, and music creation process. Thirteen informants participated in this qualitative study through in-depth interviews. The results demonstrated that musical identity could be divided into three categories: 1) regional musical identity, 2) individual musical identity and 3) cultural musical identity. The factors associated with the emergence of musical identity include musical movements and phenomena, integration between two musical styles in terms of articulation and contextual elements, and contemporary and hybrid-crossover music approaches in today’s world. These factors, along with social interactions both within and outside the jazz community, affect the transformation of musical identity. The findings of this study will help Thai jazz artists and those involved in the jazz industry effectively build their musical identity, create value for their music, and elevate their works to an international level.

Batu Baraguang: Megalithic Stone Chime Music in Luhak 50 Koto, Minangkabau, Indonesia

Batu baraguang is music performed on massive stone gong chimes found ins Luhak 50 Koto, Minangkabau, Indonesia. Very little has been written nor investigated regarding much of the megalithic remains found throughout Sumatra and Nias. The researchers employed a qualitative methodology in this investigation. As the primary data collection instruments, they utilized observation, interviews, document analysis, and data interpretation. The study adopted an ethnographic approach, which placed a strong emphasis on observational techniques. The instrument consists of six stones placed on a bamboo cushion. Rhythmic motifs are played by three people in a cross-legged sitting position. Each player hits two stone slabs that have different pitch levels. The interlocking tones produce cumulative short melodies which are recognized as discrete melodies or pieces. In this article we seek to describe the musical system as evidenced in these stone chimes, and the manner of batu baraguang performance. We deployed both qualitative descriptive methods coupled with quantitative techniques in pitch measurements. The ensemble consists of six talempong stone slabs which we call B1, B2, B3, B4, B5, and B6. The pieces are based on indigenous concepts called palau, tongah and panyudahi. Each of these corresponds to three pairs of stones performed by three players. We contend based on the findings of this research that the ancestors of the Minangkabau people in the Megalithic era already possessed an aesthetic musical identity as exemplified through the medium of this stone chime.

A Polish Patriot in Paris: Albert Sowiński, Essayist, Anthologist and Lexicographer

If there was one musician in mid-nineteenth-century Paris who diligently promoted Polish accomplishments, it was Albert Sowinski (Wojciech Sowiński). From his arrival in France in 1828 until his death in 1880, he championed the Polish cause as a performer, composer and scholar. Sowinski was a prolific writer, but with the exception of his Les musiciens polonais et slaves, anciens et modernes, Dictionnaire (1857), his studies of Polish repertoire rarely receive more than passing attention in modern scholarship. In this essay, I investigate Sowinski’s developing paradigms of Polish nationalism and Polish identity across the entirety of his major writings about and collections of Polish music: Chants polonais nationaux et populaires (1830), Chants de la révolution du 29 novembre 1830 (1830), Mélodies polonaises album lyrique (1833), ‘Chants populaires de l’Ukraine’ (1842), ‘De l’état actuel de la musique en Pologne’ (1842), Dictionnaire (1857) and Chants religieux de la Pologne, Op. 93 (1859). The four works from the 1830s, which focused on Polish folk music and revolutionary songs, were closely tied to Sowinski’s work with Léonard Chodzko (Leonard Chodźko) and his circle in Paris. Especially in the Chants polonais, Sowinski followed Chodzko and Joachim Lelewel in emphasising the exceptional geographic, linguistic and even ethnic diversity of the old Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, viewing this diversity as the basis for a glorious musical and political future. By contrast, in his critical writings of the 1840s, Sowinski interpreted Ukraine’s folk traditions as speaking largely to regional experience; he cast Warsaw and its musical institutions as the basis for a modern Polish musical identity. By the time of his Dictionnaire and Chants religieux de la Pologne, Sowinski de-emphasised Poland’s musical exceptionality in favour of delineating its long tradition of exchange with Western Europe, facilitated particularly through courts and the Roman Catholic Church.

Alberta Hunter, Musical Qualia of Blackness, and Black Women Working Together

Abstract In this article, I argue for a culturally specific and historically informed understanding of Black voice and musical identity through an examination of the musical practices of vocalist Alberta Hunter (1895–1984), whose long career can be broken into two distinct periods: first from the middle of the 1910s to 1956, and a second between 1977 and her death in 1984. Within, I reframe musical practices emergent from and developed within Black American communities as musical “qualia”—socio-culturally informed and chronotopically situated embodiments of something’s properties—of Blackness, to enable a more direct investigation of how and why certain sounds signal or index Blackness to both listeners and performers. To demonstrate the musico-semiotic function of Black vocality and musical performance, I employ a synthetic methodology combining theorizations of qualia from the field of linguistic anthropology with detailed transcription and analysis of four recordings of “Downhearted Blues,” a piece she co-composed with pianist Cora “Lovie” Austin and recorded several times throughout her long career. Close examination of three recordings made by Hunter (1922, 1939, and 1977) and one made by vocalist Bessie Smith (1923) allows for a more granular understanding of how Hunter’s musical practice transformed over time in dialogue with broader genealogies of Black musical history. I focus particularly on Hunter’s relationships with other Black women in the performance of this tune, arguing that “Downhearted Blues” ultimately becomes a site for the development of a Black feminist epistemology exemplary of what musicologist Tammy Kernodle has identified as “Black Women Working Together” (2014).

The role of music listening in the music therapy process for people with anxiety disorders: The therapist’s perspective

ABSTRACT Introduction Anxiety is a commonly diagnosed mental health disorder, but it remains underrepresented in music therapy research. Music listening (ML) seems to be an effective tool for anxiety self-management, but there is evidence that high anxiety level may complicate the self-regulation process. The links between ML in music therapy and everyday life have received little attention. The aim was to study what roles ML can have throughout a music therapy process for anxiety treatment, according to music therapists. Method The data were collected by interviewing eight music therapists with experience of patients with anxiety disorders. The data were analyzed with the six-step approach to thematic analysis. The results were grouped into three categories: information carrier, musical identity development, and self-care tools. Results ML appears to have three roles in music therapy for the treatment of anxiety: ML is a familiar part of the patient’s everyday life and provides valuable information about the patient’s inner world and their current state to the therapist; in therapy, ML represents safety, promotes conversation, and works as a bridge towards more active methods; and as a result of the therapeutic process, ML returns to patients’ everyday lives as a developed tool for self-regulation. Discussion ML seems to function as a low-threshold activity, through which patients with anxiety disorders can share and reflect their mental state. With the assistance of a music therapist, they can learn to use music more beneficially in their anxiety self-management and develop a healthier musical identity that can foster their emotional health.

Healthy musical identities and new virtuosities: a humble manifesto for music education research

This paper presents a new conceptualisation of musicality via a framework called New Musical Virtuosities for Healthy Musical Identities. The development of healthy musical identities is proposed as a key aim for music education. Musicking for healthy musical identities is approached as holistic and inclusive, highlighting the integration of social and creative interactions in the concept of musical virtuosity. Implications and examples of the new virtuosity framework for research and practice are discussed, including perspectives on diversification, decolonisation, and widening participation. The paper emphasises “humble” to foreground a fluid interdisciplinary debate, while also stressing the importance of these proposals in the form of a manifesto.

"More Than Just Composers": Teachers' Identities as Music Creatives and the Impact on Teaching Composition

The large research study on which this paper draws examined the preparation of early-career teachers (ECTs) in New South Wales to teach composition and musical creativity. Presenting data collected through a Constructivist Grounded Theory (CGT) research design, and semi-structured interviews and themes, this article explores the theme of Musical Identity as it arose in the larger study. Through discussions with ECTs and composers who have experience teaching composition in NSW secondary schools, this study examined and compared these groups’ personal definitions of composition and perceptions of composer/creator identity and explored the implications of these definitions and identities on how these groups approach composition instruction in NSW secondary schools. These discussions revealed that participants held a wide variety of definitions of composing and the composer identity, stemming from composition’s strong Western Art Music (WAM) connotations, and these ambiguities presented themselves as barriers for the participants to teach composition effectively. Literature in this area indicates that, with relatively little pedagogical understanding of it, composition is neglected in initial teacher education (ITE) programs in Australia, Canada, Finland, the United Kingdom, and the United States. As music education activities should be facilitated using processes and paradigms that reflect the paradigms of students, music teachers’ personal definitions of composition need to be broadened through their ITE experiences. In order to democratise the act of creating music, syllabus terminology and requirements should be revised to reflect these broader definitions of music creation in NSW secondary schools.

Resonating Culture: Ethnomusicological Theories Unveiling Zhuhu Music in Yangxin Tea-picking Opera of China

More than a century ago, the enchanting tea-picking songs enjoyed widespread popularity among the residents of Yangxin in China. These songs served as a source of entertainment within the tea plantation quarters. Folk music artists subsequently reworked these melodies, transforming them into short tunes for collective singing and dancing during the Lantern Festival. The integration of Huangmei tea-picking opera with the "lantern opera" further shaped the musical identity of Yangxin tea-picking opera. This research aims to analyze the features of zhuhu music and its contribution to the musical culture of the Yangxin community, with a particular emphasis on analyzing the music's characteristics and its cultural significance. The study will also delve into the evolving status of zhuhu music within contemporary Yangxin society. Employing an ethnographic research design, I combines participant observation and interviews with her own field experiences to provide a comprehensive account of traditional zhuhu performance practices in Yangxin tea-picking opera. Through a musicological analysis of zhuhu's repertoire, the paper uncovers the uniqueness of zhuhu music and traces changes in its traditional form, style, and function, linking these shifts to broader socio-cultural transformations. In approaching the study of this musical performance, I draw upon theories from the field of ethnomusicology. Building on my preliminary investigation of zhuhu music, I shaped the study by considering theoretical insights from various scholars and incorporating my perspectives. The paper will discuss pertinent theories applied to analyze the music of zhuhu as it accompanies Yangxin tea-picking opera. This research not only contributes to ethnomusicological theory and methodology but also deepens our understanding of the musical culture surrounding Yangxin tea-picking opera in China.

가스펠 음악이 엘비스 프레슬리(Elvis Presley)의 음악에 끼친 영향과 의미

Elvis Presley’s Grammy Awards, all three of which were won in the Gospel category, highlight a lesser-known facet of his musical legacy. His unwavering commitment to gospel music led to his posthumous induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. This study explores the impact of gospel music on Presley’s musical career and the significance it held for him. Presley grew up in the Southern United States, where gospel music culture was not significantly differentiated from secular music, allowing for a seamless integration of various gospel music styles. Even after achieving rock and roll stardom, he continued releasing gospel records and incorporated gospel songs in movies and various other shows. He used gospel music as a key element in shaping his musical style, structuring his backup vocals around gospel quartets throughout his career. By infusing traditional gospel music with contemporary sounds, he crafted his own musical identity, presenting it with unwavering confidence to the general public and the music industry. Gospel music was indeed an integral part of his artistic persona. He introduced gospel music to the world of rock and roll, reserving a prominent place for it on his stage. This approach underscored the significance of gospel music in the broader music scene. Elvis Presley’s gospel music can be re-evaluated as having emerged as a pioneering force during the formative phase of contemporary Christian music.

Cultural branding of cities: the role of live music in building a city’s brand

ABSTRACT This research explores the role of live music infrastructure and music cultural identity in building a city’s brand through a multiple case study comparing the cities of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Montreal, Canada. We conducted 60 interviews and observed 35 live music events in cities known for their strong live music traditions. The results show a relationship between live music infrastructure and identity that affects city branding. Rio’s music identity has developed from grassroots, while Montreal’s is shaped by government-funded efforts. Our findings suggest that a favorable infrastructure and environment can contribute to developing a city’s identity over time. Our study also highlights that when a city’s musical identity is strong, live music can survive in the city’s neighborhoods despite poor infrastructure. We discuss implications for academics, urban planners, and city branding professionals.

THE ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF ROCK MUSIC IN UKRAINE: THE SEARCH FOR CULTURAL IDENTITY

The aim of the article is to carry out an attempt to carry out a comprehensive analysis of the musical-aesthetic, socio-cultural, cultural-historical prerequisites for the development of rock music in Ukraine, which influences the musical-aesthetic thesaurus, forms the aestheticosphere, value orientations and, ultimately, determines the national-cultural identity of a young person. It is worth proving that musical culture, including the rock industry, has become the embodiment of musical ideals and mental and ideological attitudes of the Ukrainian music lover, which in turn influenced the processes of national identification and left a characteristic imprint on the ethnonational mentality and musical culture as a whole. The methodology of the research consists in the synthesis of art and cultural approaches to the study of the phenomenon of rock music in the Ukrainian art space, in the use of dialectical methods of analysis, synthesis, comparison, generalization and interconnection of cultural identity with the musical culture of the Ukrainian nation. The scientific novelty lies in the theoretical comprehension of the vocal and instrumental art of rock music in Ukraine as a phenomenon of musical cultural genesis and a form of national and cultural identification, in the implementation of cultural and artistic reflection on this genre and style variety. For the first time, the retrospection of Ukrainian rock music is presented in the context of cultural and historical processes of national identification. Through the prism of the author's approach, rock music appears as the embodiment of artistic and aesthetic ideals and mental and ideological trends, leaving a characteristic imprint on the processes of national and cultural identification, ethno-national mentality and the musical culture of Ukraine in general. The studied material allowed us conclusions that the formation and development of domestic rock music covers four stages. The four stages of the functioning of domestic rock music, which we have studied, contributed to the search for national and cultural identity, focused on the national aspect of the rock industry. In turn, this influenced the formation and cultivation of national features in rock music and musical culture as a whole, namely: in the introduction of the Ukrainian language as "fashionable" in the youth rock environment, in authentic intonation inclusions in arrangements, rock compositions, in the names of works and bands; in the use of folk traditions, folklore themes, regional motifs, dialects in vocal and instrumental rock sound of Ukrainian origin. These musical, aesthetic and cultural features of the national rock music contributed to the establishment of national and cultural identity, the popularization of the Ukrainian segment and the entry of the national musical culture into the world art space. The materials of this article were tested by the author in the process of teaching the course "Modern Popular Estradna Music" in the structure of secondary and higher music education and as a special course in out-of-school art education. A manuscript of the textbook of the same name has also been prepared, where domestic rock music is presented as a trigger and a business card of the national, cultural and musical identification of Ukraine.

Musical identity, pedagogy, and creative dispositions: Exploring the experiences of popular musicians during their postgraduate teacher education in a changing Welsh education landscape

Much has been written on the different learning paths of classical and popular musicians and the view that popular musicians can be marginalized within the musical hegemony. Adopting Lucas, Claxton, and Spencer’s creative dispositions model, this article explores the extent to which this might occur when popular musicians learn to become secondary classroom music teachers. Data were collected through a series of semi-structured interviews from three popular musicians on a Post-Graduate Certificate of Education (PGCE) Secondary Music program. Utilizing a qualitative approach, the findings suggest that popular musicians innately demonstrate imaginative, inquisitive, and collaborative creative musical capacities. However, learning to teach seems to significantly impact their pedagogic identity as they experience underlying performativity cultures and hierarchical relationships in schools. This article considers the risks associated with undervaluing the creative dispositions of popular musician teachers, including minimizing their potential to reconceptualize pedagogic expertise at a time of significant education reform in Wales.

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Rethinking the music curriculum theories: Towards an updated comprehensive student-centred approach

This article reports a theoretical investigation on music curriculum and explores the factors that shape the practice of music education in terms of the official and other music curricula. We drew on relevant literature and explored four key aspects of the design and implementation of music curriculum: policy-making contexts, teaching practices, students’ practices and attitudes, and school contexts. Currently, music education research focuses on student-centredness as an important element in music practice. Embracing students’ various ways of musical engagement as well as their music identities promotes further development of their musical-social skills and enhances their interests. We suggest the development of an updated and comprehensive music curriculum which is student-centred and based on new musical literacies that respond to students’ daily musical needs and address the challenges of today’s social context. Our suggestion is encompassed in five core principles: 1) Getting to know our students, 2) Discussing the teaching-learning goals with our students, 3) Adapting to local conditions, 4) Bottom-up and top-down perspectives: Finding the balance through authentic classroom activities, and 5) Contextualising assessment. The article advocates for the effective use of all types of music curricula so that students become active, responsible and critical thinkers in their personal, social and musical lives.

Undergraduate jazz majors’ music identities: A multiple case study

The past few decades have seen formal jazz degrees become more established in university music programs in the United States. As these universities strive to provide an exemplary education experience for jazz degree majors, it is especially important to thoughtfully inquire into the personal and environmental elements that led students to pursue a jazz degree. The purpose of this multiple case study is to examine the identities of four undergraduate jazz performance majors and the factors that guided their selection of major upon matriculation. Data collection included six interviews with each participant, reflective practice journals, and university small group jazz rehearsal field notes. The theoretical framework of music performer identity as framed by Davidson was used as the basis for this study. Cross-case themes that emerged as part of this theoretical framework include (1) the importance of aural music learning; (2) environments that promoted creative music-making; (3) the crucial importance of jazz recordings; (4) music as a social or communal activity; (5) attraction toward musical experimentation and variation. Study results suggest that both universities and K–12 music programs can actively prepare and engage students who are interested in jazz.