Music Project Research Articles

Ukrainian Popular Music in Times of War: National Identity, Transnational Projections and the Musician as Grassroots Ambassador

This article investigates the ways in which Ukrainian independent popular music after February 2022 has contributed to domestic nation-building and international nation-branding. Taking as case studies six artists who have extensively toured abroad with their musical projects, the article traces the evolution of the internal imaginings and external projections of Ukrainian identity enabled via musical activity. The article shows that the war has generated a reconfiguration of the relationship between the artist and their social responsibility, in which music has become a fundamental weapon to raise transnational awareness of the Ukrainian struggle and to materially influence Ukraine’s defence. This reconfiguration has prompted the performers to take the role of grassroots cultural ambassadors and create DIY networks of solidarity, largely outside of state initiatives. In this process, ideas about Ukraine did not adhere to a standardized framework for the purpose of articulating unity, but rather reflected Ukraine’s unity in cultural diversity.

Song Heritage of “The Beatles” in Academic Musical Interpretations

The purpose of the research. The paper reveals the features of the approaches of academic musicians to the creativity of “The Beatles” and characterises the musical projects created on the basis of the song heritage of the legendary British group. The research methodology consists in the application of historical cultural, comparative and musical analytical methods, which allowed to reveal the academic potential of “The Beatles” music and outline the ways and directions of academisation of their song creativity. The scientific novelty consists in the fact that for the first time academic interpretations of the songs of “The Beatles” group, carried out by L. Berio, J. Bayless and P. Breiner, were characterised, and two approaches to musical transcriptions of the song heritage of the group were outlined – academic and academicized, the type corresponds to all the parameters of academic music, the second gravitates towards classical crossover as a direction of pop music. Conclusions. Among the numerous cover versions, transcriptions and paraphrases of “The Beatles” music, a number of original musical interpretations are attractive, the authors of which turn to the Baroque style. The vocal cycle “Beatles Songs” by L. Berio (1967), the instrumental albums “Bach Meets the Beatles” (1984), “Bach Meets the Beatles. Revisited” (2004) by J. Bayless and “Beatles Go Baroque” (1993) by P. Breiner have already acquired the status of iconic. Their authors, who received a classical musical education, give priority to academic interpretive versions, where the songs of “The Beatles” group are considered as thematic material, which becomes the basis for academic type compositions with classical musical dramaturgy formed in the instrumental music of the Modern period. A number of compositions, in which the basic features of a song are preserved, gravitate towards academicized type interpretations, approaching a classical crossover, and can represent both academic and pop musical creativity.

Incidental professional development in music education for generalist teaching staff through supporting pupils in expert-led authentic music projects

Incidental professional development in music education for generalist teaching staff through supporting pupils in expert-led authentic music projects

Artistic Practices in the Context of the Evolution from Web 1.0 to Web 3.0

This article examines the evolution of artists’ interaction with the audience in the context of media culture, linked to the updates of communication mechanisms on the Internet, from the static Web 1.0 to the interactive Web 3.0. The aim of the article is to show the connections between the changes in authorship models and mechanisms of interaction with the audience in artistic practice and the evolutionary development of web technologies. The transformation of contemporary artistic forms is the result of the active influence of digital technologies and the associated collapse of the existing hierarchy between author, performer and audience. The study discusses the strengthening of the interactive component in artistic practices, parallel to the development of Internet technologies from Web 1.0 to the semantic Web 3.0 and analyzes the overlapping of these processes and their mutual influence in the context of post humanist perspectives. It was found that artistic collaborations through collective authorship are a characteristic model of authorship for this phase of Internet development. It was noted that the evolution from Web 2.0 to Web 3.0 opens new possibilities for the creation of multisensory experiences, thanks to the use of VR (Virtual Reality) and AR (Augmented Reality) technologies, which are actively used by artists in artistic practices and works, for example in operas or concerts. In addition, the active development and integration of artificial intelligence technologies in artistic practices has been identified. By analyzing musical projects of different genres and forms, the transformative influence of web culture on contemporary artistic practices becomes clear. Keywords: artistic practices, music, internet, technologies, interactivity, communicative models’ development

Songwriting and AI

In this thesis, I explore and research songwriters' experience of using artificial intelligence as a songwriting tool. To do so, three participants have explored the use of two different artificial intelligence tools in their songwriting session, in collaboration with me. One of the tools is used to inspire lyrical writing and one is to create a starting point for chord progressions. To gather data, I have had three collaborative songwriting sessions, where the artists and I use the tools whilst writing a song for their artist project. As well as the sessions, there was held six qualitative interviews, two per artist. The first one was for documenting their prior experience and expectations. The second interview was held after they had received a produced demo. This was used to ask about their experiences writing songs with artificial intelligence. We also talked about the song related to ownership. The thesis questions whether artificial intelligence will make one more productive, too productive, or even if the tools can be perceived as distracting. In addition to using Artificial Intelligence in three different songwriting sessions, I have researched the ethical dilemmas with using AI, such as copyright infringements, and discussing options for opting out of having one’s work be a part of the training of an AI. My personal journey highly inspires the thesis through using artificial intelligence for my musical project. By using the same process as the three participants are taking part in, my debut EP, Sugarcoated, was created. This thesis is approved by SIKT (816719).

Playing with data differently: engaging with autism and gender through participatory arts/music and a performative framework for analysis.

There are increasing demands for Participatory Arts-Based (PAB) programs involved in health research to better evidence outcomes using robust quantitative evaluation methodologies taken from science, such as standardized questionnaires, to inform commissioning and scale-up decisions. However, for PAB researchers trying to do this, barriers arise from fundamental interdisciplinary differences in values and contexts. Researchers are required to navigate the tensions between the practice-based evidence produced by the arts and the evidence-based practice sought by psychologists. Consequently, there is a need for interdisciplinary arts-science collaborations to produce alternative methods of evaluation that are better aligned to PAB approaches, and which combine systematic rigor with a sensitivity to the values, contexts and strengths of this approach. The current article centers on the development of an alternative transdisciplinary analytic tool, the Participatory arts Play Framework (PP-Framework), undertaken as part of an arts-psychology collaboration for a UK AHRC-funded PAB research project: Playing A/Part: Investigating the identities and experiences of autistic girls. We present details of three stages in the development of the PP-Framework: 1. preliminary emergence of the framework from initial video analysis of observational data from participatory music and sound workshops run for 6 adolescent autistic girls (aged 11-16); 2. identification and application of modes of engagement; and 3. further testing of the framework as an evaluation tool for use in a real-world setting, involving professional musicians engaged in delivery of a creative music project at a center for homeless people. The PP-Framework maps types of participation in terms of performative behaviors and qualities of experience, understood as modes of play. It functions as a vehicle for analyzing participant engagement, providing a tool predicated on the processes of working in creative participatory contexts while also being sensitive to the esthetic qualities of what is produced and capable of capturing beneficial changes in engagement. It offers a conceptual approach for researchers to undertake observation of participatory arts practices, taking account of embodied engagement and interaction processes. It is informed by understandings of autistic performativity and masking in conjunction with an ecological understanding of sense making as being shaped by environments, social relations and sensing subjectivity. The framework has the potential to be a bi-directional tool, with application for both practitioners and participants.

The Role of Classical Music Public Services in Building Urban Cultural Soft Power: A Triple Model in China

Recent studies advocate expanding the concept of soft power from the nation to city context and emphasize the importance of culture in building urban soft power. The existing research neglects the role of classical music on urban cultural soft power and reflects the necessity to explore long-term musical projects that are beneficial to residents. By analyzing the case study of a classical-music-educational-based public services project, the Guangzhou Youth Symphony Orchestra (GYSO), this research finds that public cultural services can continuously improve urban cultural soft power through the triple model of “contractor-cultural policies-public participation”. This research argues that although the In Harmony and the EI Sistema projects are also public cultural services of classical music, the triple model of GYSO has multi-faceted impacts on urban development, including cultivating creative class, enhancing residents’ cultural tastes, promoting social cohesion, integrating cultural resources and establishing city branding. This triple mechanism is a model with Chinese characteristics that combines the arm’s length principle with the cultural exception policy.

The pedagogical–artistic strategies of community music facilitators as an inspiration for formal music education: A single case study

In this article, we elaborate on the pedagogical–artistic strategies of a community music project and how they may inspire formal music educational practices. To do so, we draw on findings from a study on the pedagogical–artistic strategies of the musicians–coaches of The Ostend Street Orchestra (TOSO), a community music project that started as an artistic response towards the commotion around a group of homeless people in the coastal town of Ostend, Belgium. The pedagogical–artistic strategies adopted by the TOSO coaches foster the emergence of an educational approach that may have the potential to enrich music educational practices by creating a learning environment that is more democratic and inclusive. Data collection included in-depth semi-structured interviews with the TOSO coaches in 2017 and 2021, as well as video-stimulated recall. The interview data were analysed using thematic analysis. Seven themes emerged from our analysis: embodied interaction, co-coaching, re-thinking musical parameters, personal musical skills, collaboration, collective experiential learning and inclusion. We present the framework and rationale of the study, describe the pedagogical–artistic strategies of the coaches, and discuss the results. In conclusion, we briefly consider possibilities for further research and music teacher education.

Caring for our planet: a world apart or same difference? A global music collaboration

PurposeThe impact and collective threat of climate change is of key concern to all. Music and arts education can play a role by responding to the ongoing climate crisis through the creation of artworks as activism. This paper discusses a collaborative online international music project and its potential contribution to sustainable development education.Design/methodology/approach 10,427 miles and 11 hours apart, music education students undertook the project, working in groups with a mix of students from Aberdeen, Scotland and Melbourne, Australia in each group. Each student collected video footage that captured their experience of climate concerns related to their environment. Students combined and edited the footage then collaboratively composed music to accompany the footage. This research was conceived as a collaborative self-study project undertaken by the authors as music teacher educators.FindingsThe results show a range of musical and extra musical outcomes and challenges. Evidence suggests that a collaborative online international music learning experience may contribute to sustainable development education and regenerative practice more broadly. Students began to develop their practice as educators for school and community contexts embedding learning for sustainability and climate consciousness, thus enabling them to develop as active global citizens.Originality/valueThis paper argues for greater attention to the affordances of digital collaborative music technology tools to facilitate creative projects as well as the need to reimagine musical experience, drawing together strands of music, sustainability education, technology and global citizenship. This paper also argues for the importance of embedding the UN Sustainable Development Goals in teaching and learning in Higher Education.

Musical project in Spanish care home

Musical project in Spanish care home

Investigation on the Present Situation of Music Intangible Cultural Heritage in Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia

The protection of intangible cultural heritage (referred to as "intangible heritage") is an idea put forward by UNESCO to protect human cultural diversity in order to safeguard the overall value and long-term interests of mankind. Chinese excellent traditional culture is profound and varied, among which music is an important part of Chinese excellent traditional culture. There are four intangible music projects in Bayannur City, Inner Mongolia, but the overall level of inheritance and development is not high. The main problems are: the inheritors are seriously aging; The innovation level of "works" is low; Insufficient publicity and promotion, not closely integrated with the development of the times and the economy and society. Based on this, this paper puts forward several specific paths to promote the inheritance and development of music Intangible Cultural Heritage projects in this area: vigorously cultivate inheritors and support performance groups; Create new tracks that adapt to the development of the times; Use the modern Internet to publicize from the media platform and gradually realize digital preservation; Local colleges and universities should undertake the responsibility of "intangible heritage" protection and inheritance.

Re-Membering Music Worlds: Exhibiting the Rebel Women of Manchester’s Suffragette City

ABSTRACT This paper addresses a lack of scholarly focus on intersections of memory, gender, and the popular music archive. To challenge the underrepresentation of women, reparative actions must be collaborative, formative, and future-facing. The Rebel Music project sought to elevate women’s and LGBTQ+ people’s seldom heard voices involved in Manchester music, and to redevelop a digital archive to better engage users from these groups. Physical and digital exhibitions were devised to do this, including the Suffragette City portrait exhibitions. By centering women’s experiences and knowledge, it is possible to contribute to what we call re-membering music worlds in more gender-inclusive ways.

Developing community music in Italy: The journey

This article deals with the relationship between community music and scholarly research within the context of Italian community life, cultural politics, conditions and history. Community music theory and practice activities provide participants with opportunities for growth, development and collaboration, ranging from specific musical skills to social and cultural outreach and the positive challenge of increasing self-awareness and empowerment. After discussing the links between community music projects and social work, music therapy or arts education, the article locates community music in the landscape of Italian music research and, especially, musicology. It summarizes the current state of community music and the efforts to create an Italian network of community music scholars as well as establish a dialogue with similar international networks. The aim is to create the conditions for the establishment of an academic and theoretical framework for community music in Italy that can work as a pathway between music for social change, musicology and music education.

Aesthetic responses to the COVID-19 pandemic: The corona performance No Problama

This article highlights the artistic project No Problama, which was created during the COVID-19 crisis. The discussion takes its point of departure in revisiting the project, aiming to discover new meanings, expand knowledge about art as response to crises and more profound understanding of connecting art and society when explored two years after completion. The investigation is inspired by international research on the function of art during the COVID-19 pandemic. The article includes references to art and music projects published in 2020 as creative, aesthetic responses, which reflected how people worldwide used artistic expressions to release fear and anxiety during the first months of the lockdown. The No Problama project was developed from August 2020 to May 2021 as a primary school and university collaboration in a small city close to the University of Agder in Kristiansand, Norway. The project exemplifies what was later referred to as "corona-music" or "corona-art". It is discussed as an aesthetic response to the COVID-19 pandemic using approaches from music aesthetics, music education and research in the arts. A retrospective exploration made it evident that the No Problama artistic expressions became representations of COVID-19-pandemic aesthetics. Thus, the project illustrates one path of intervention between art and crisis in a specific context where each component was developed and tailored to a situation affected by strict national health regulations.

MUSIC PROJECT ACTIVITY: TERMINOLOGY AND CONCEPTUAL ASPECT

The author of the article offers definition of the terms «projecting», «project» and «project activity». The work highlights approaches to understanding musical project activity from the psychological, sociological, cultural, and art history point of view, from a management perspective. The evolution and possible reasons for the implementation of the project approach in the field of musical art have been considered. The definition of the concept of «music project activity» has been proposed from the standpoint of a system, personal and acmeological approach, considering in the context of the creative process of the artist, the creative environment, interaction with the audience and cooperation with other artists and specialists. The author proposes to consider musical project activity as an integrated creative activity aimed at the implementation of the specific idea, concept or task in the musical context, which includes the phases of planning, organizing and implementing various musical initiatives with the aim of creating high-quality musical products or achieving specific musical goals. Examples of art projects are given, such as: «The Rain Room», «House of Eternal Return», «Kinetic Rain» and «Cloud Gate». The impact of the project approach on the implementation of artists’ ideas and the emergence of new innovations and experiments in the world of music has been studied. The possibility of scientific research regarding the interaction of musical project activity with conducting performance and its influence on modern musical culture and art has been revealed.

Sborovým zpěvem k regionálním pramenům a etnické různorodosti hudby

The paper deals with the educational role and function of choral singing in Waldorf schools. On a general level, it will describe the function of singing in teaching and the anchoring of choral singing at Waldorf schools in the Czech Republic. At a specific institution - Waldorf Elementary School and Secondary School Ostrava – Poruba, contributory organization - it will describe in detail choral singing with the presentation of musical projects related to regional sources and ethnic diversity of music. It will focus on the period of the 2022/2023 school year and the activities of the secondary school choir Avis igneus. Ethnic music will be presented here on behalf of various projects, such as cooperation with the Finnish Waldorf High School as part of Erasmus+ or an African musical project of choral settings of unknown songs of the Mandenk tribe in cooperation with the professional Ostrava drumming band Camara, which focuses on African rhythms. Unique projects have been created, which will be presented in the paper. As part of the regional inspiration, a composition by the Ostrava contemporary composer Milan Báchorek – Frenštátská vonička písní will be presented in the interpretation of the choir Avis igneus.

Musical Projects in Guitar Pro 7.5 Sequencer

The purpose of the article is to study the process of creating musical projects in the GUITAR PRO 7.5 sequencer. Research methodology. The article uses a systematic approach, as well as methods of analysis and synthesis, comparison and generalisation. The scientific novelty lies in the identification and development of innovative methods of working in the GUITAR PRO 7.5 sequencer, which allows creating musical compositions from scratch using modern software tools, as well as the possibilities of using music information technologies in the further artistic practice of musicians, sound producers, sound engineers, producers and in professional music education. Conclusions. This software product is a powerful music editor that allows one to create original scores at a professional level for subsequent editing. The programme presents many necessary tools with which the user can work with a variety of musical notation symbols and a wide range of sound dynamics and tempo control, which allows you to create samples of sounding musical pieces and their phonograms. It has a powerful built-in MIDI editor, chord builder, player, metronome, and other useful tools for musicians. Guitar Pro 7.5 can be run on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS platforms. It is widely used by musicians, composers, arrangers, sound engineers, sound designers, and producers. In addition, Guitar Pro 7.5 methods can be used for studying by students who are mastering the relevant specialties in higher educational institutions. Keywords: music notation editor, score, arrangement, sound, musician, composer, sound producer, sound engineer, producer, professional music education.

The origins of piano performance in Podillia

The article analyzes the socio-cultural features of the development of Podillia's piano performance. It is noted that piano art is an important part of domestic musical culture. Indicated that the study and generalization of the experience of the past allows a holistic consideration of the radical transformations of modern musical art in general, and piano performance in particular. Features of the development of Podillia's piano performance are considered in the works of N. Kashkadamova, O. Lihus, Yu. Portnyi and others. Piano performance preserves rich experience and cultural traditions of domestic musical art. The authors draw attention to the fact that the birth and improvement of Ukrainian piano art took place under the influence of socio-cultural and geopolitical conditions of the ХІХ-ХХ centuries and involved the synthesis of the creative language of Ukrainian and foreign piano schools. It is noted that Vinnytsia, Khmelnytskyi, Kamianets-Podilskyi are cities in which piano performance in Podillya actively developed. It was determined that during this period one of the foci of development of piano performance in the Podil region were the newly established educational institutions. A. Kotsipinskyi, V. Zaremba, M. Zavadskyi, T. Ganytskyi and others were famous cultural figures who promoted the development of piano performance in Podillia. Their creative achievements intensified the development of piano performance in this region. It is noted that the expansion of Podillia's piano performance opportunities was also initiated by various musical projects, festivals, and competitions held in Vinnytsia. An important event in the cultural life of Vinnytsia was the holding of a series of concerts «History of the development of piano art». Organized by the piano department of the Vinnytsia School, this cycle of concerts was diversified by various pieces of music of different styles and genres.

Taking a Leap on the Music Projects to Promote Aesthetic and Social Values of Children's Songs in Public Schools of Kigezi Region of Uganda: A Contextual Analysis

Taking a Leap on the Music Projects to Promote Aesthetic and Social Values of Children's Songs in Public Schools of Kigezi Region of Uganda: A Contextual Analysis

How the El Sistema Inspired Programs, Miami Music Project and the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles, Directly Impact the Underserved Youth of Miami and LA

This research is in the form of a collective case study focused on the Miami Music Project (MMP) and the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles (YOLA). This study explores the various functions and goals of these El Sistema-inspired programs, and how they directly serve and impact under-represented communities. It also highlights the impact on the youth’s future and what these experiences tangibly and indiscriminately provide for their futures, be it beneficial or detrimental. This will also briefly touch on how MMP and YOLA’s approach to training young musicians subverts the idea of instrumental training typically being perceived as an activity only for those with few social and financial restrictions. Through virtual, individual interviews with various people that were either current alumni of these programs, recent graduates of college age, or adults in the field, their responses were recorded. This allowed for a holistic view of how these programs serve their students, thus resulting in answers that are representative of a larger population. Results showed commonalities between responses that trended towards highly positive results from being students in MMP/YOLA. In conclusion, this study clearly demonstrates that these programs have left positive, tangible impacts on their current and former students.