Musical Career Research Articles

The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island by Marni Fogelson (review)

Reviewed by: The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island by Marni Fogelson April Spisak Fogelson, Marni The Girl Who Heard the Music: How One Pianist and 85,000 Bottles and Cans Brought New Hope to an Island; written by Marni Fogelson and Mahani Teave; illus. by Marta Álvarez Miguéns. Sourcebooks, 2023 [40p] Trade ed. ISBN 9781728262314 $18.99 Reviewed from digital galleys R Gr. 2-4 This picture book biography focuses on the life and activism of Mahani Teave, a talented musician who grew up on Rapa Nui (known more widely as Easter Island, a designation assigned to it by Dutch explorers in the early 1700s), left to pursue a career as a concert pianist, and ultimately returned home to help repair environmental damage to her island and begin a musical school. Frequent time jumps, heavy use of similes, and clever, enthusiastic asides all create an informal pace and tone that is accessible to young readers, and the book wisely focuses on the activism done on one island, narrowing the overwhelming global crisis of climate change down to a specific school that is a model of recycling and creative, intelligent use of natural resources. The illustrations are dreamy and bright with highlights of organic shades and flowing, peaceful lines, emphasizing the natural beauty even while there are grave concerns about, for example, the environmental damage tourists have done to the land or the shocking amount of trash in the surrounding ocean. Extensive end matter rewards the persistent reader with a wealth of information about Earthships (the type of innovative and environmentally friendly building blueprint used to construct the music school), background on the island language and culture, and a biography of Teave's life that provides further detail about the dates she studied, her musical career, and what specifically drew her back to Rapa Nui. Copyright © 2023 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois

Made in Louisiana: The Story of the Acadian Accordion

Made in Louisiana: The Story of the Acadian Accordion

Ginger Smock: Narratives of Perpetual Discovery, Jazz Historiography, and the “Swinging Lady of the Violin”

AbstractGinger Smock (1920–95), an African American jazz and classical violinist, was a popular Los Angeles entertainer and one of the first African American women bandleaders on television. This article traces her career from Los Angeles’ Central Avenue to Las Vegas showroom orchestras, drawing on archival materials from the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Through a close reading of a 1951DownBeatprofile of Smock, I interrogate racialized constructions of gender in that magazine and frame mid-century jazz reporting on women instrumentalists via a “narrative of perpetual discovery” that positions these women as waiting for a career break that never comes. As an antidote to the effacement implicit in such narratives, I propose close documentation of sustained artistic practice: That is, the day-to-day facts of a working musician's life. This article reads Smock's professional trajectory through an intersectional lens to offer a critical perspective on the ways in which social identities, especially race and gender, may shape both musical careers and our historicization of those careers.

Peculiarities of the instrumental competitions functioning in the context of performing arts development

The research aimed to determine the distinctive features of contemporary performing arts and their reflection in the specifics of the instrumental competitions. In particular, the roles of the jury and the audience are considered in the context of the influence on the development of the musical career and skill of participants in the competitions and the vectors of instrumental music development in general. Particular attention in the study is paid to musical works created using the latest digital technologies. In general, the role of instrumental competitions in shaping the development vectors of the performing arts and accompanying concerns are outlined.

Fitting in and sticking out: An exploratory study of the Whiteness of the school music curriculum and its effects on Global Majority musicians

This exploratory study followed the journeys of eleven Global Majority teachers and musicians from their early experiences within the UK music education system up to their present professional careers in music. Focus groups with ten students presently engaged in music education offered a current perspective and comparison with adults’ experiences, allowing for reflection on possible trajectories. The research question asked whether a predominantly White, middle-class music curriculum has an effect on the musical behaviours and identity of members of the Global Majority in the United Kingdom. Findings showed that musicians and music teachers had experienced considerable barriers in music education and musical careers, which had an adverse psychological effect, typically recognized later in life.

The Relationship between Music Learning Motivations, Intentions to Pursue a Career in Music, and Career Choices of College Music Majors in Korea

본 연구는 음악전공 대학생의 음악학습 동기, 음악직업 진로 의향, 직업 선택과의 관계를 파악하는 데 그 목적이 있다. 이를 위하여 서울시에 소재한 2개의 대학에 재학 중인 음악전공 대학생 152명을 대상으로 음악학습 동기, 음악직업 진로 의향, 직업 선택에 관한 설문조사를 실시하였다. 연구 결과, 음악전공 대학생들의 음악학습 동기의 자율성과 음악직업 진로 의향이 높은 것으로 나타났다. 가장 선호하는 직업은 음악실기 강사였으며 다음으로 연주자였고 음악교사를 가장 선호하지 않았다. 확인된 동기만이 음악직업 진로 의향과 연주가와 음악실기 강사의 직업 선택에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났으며, 내사된 동기는 음악직업 진로 의향에 부정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 이러한 연구 결과는 각 음악 학습 동기가 음악직업 진로의향과 직업 선택에 각기 다른 영향을 미친다는 것을 보여준다. 또한 음악 학습 동기와 음악 대학생의 음악 교사로서의 직업 선택 사이에 관계가 없는 이유에 대한 추가적인 연구가 필요함을 시사한다.The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between music learning motivations, intentions to pursue a career in music, and career choices among college music majors in Korea. Results from a survey of 152 music majors from two universities in Seoul showed that their music learning motivation was primarily autonomous and not controlled. High intentions to pursue a career in music were expressed, with the most preferred career being that of a college lecturer/studio instructor, followed by a performer, and the least preferred being that of a music teacher. The only motivation that had a positive impact on pursuing a career in music and choosing a performer or college lecturer/studio instructor as a future career was identified motivation. However, introjected motivation had a negative impact. Intrinsic and external motivations had no effect on music career intentions or choices. The findings demonstrate that each orientation of music learning motivation has a unique effect on the intentions to pursue a career in music and career choices. The results also highlight the need for further investigation into why music learning motivation has no relation to music college students' career choice as a music teacher.

Living with liminality: Reconceptualising music careers education and research

One of the many lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the nature of it: it has been, and still is, an evolving situation in which there are many questions, but not always immediate or easy answers. Some of the pandemic experience has been shared, as almost 1.6 billion learners’ educations have been disrupted and teachers have reported increased work-related stress, anxiety, and burnout. Billions of dollars in music industry income have been lost and patterns of music engagement and consumer spending appear to be significantly altered. Other aspects of the pandemic have highlighted deep inequalities. The vulnerability of creative workers at a policy level, for example, reflects the precarity of a specific group of people, and the enormous complexity and uncertainty that shapes their personal and professional circumstances. Although some musicians have reveled in the opportunity to reinvent themselves through new sites for their work, for many, work in music has gone from challenging to untenable resulting in altered priorities. In this paper, I explore the pandemic experience through the concept of liminality and offer three approaches for framing a paradigm shift in music careers education and research: things to think about, things to leave behind, and things to do differently.

Lisa M, “La primera rapera mujer de Puerto Rico y de Latinoamérica”, and Early 1990s Feminist Puerto Rican Hip-Hop Culture

Before the global ascent of reggaetón, there was rap, and before Ivy Queen, Glory, Natti Natasha, Cardi B, Villano Antillano, and Young Miko, there was Lisa M. This essay is an analysis of Lisa M’s musical career in the context of early 1990s debates about women, rap, and society in Puerto Rico, taking advantage of the increased focus on gender and on Puerto Rican women singers demonstrated by works ranging from Frances R. Aparicio’s Listening to Salsa: Gender, Latin Popular Music, and Puerto Rican Cultures to Licia Fiol-Matta’s The Great Woman Singer: Gender and Voice in Puerto Rican Music. I analyse Lisa M’s early musical production, particularly songs from her 1992 album Ahora vengo alborotá, and articles and letters to the editor from 1992 and 1993 in El Nuevo Día and Vea to document popular debates about rap and gender in Puerto Rico. I conclude with some reflections about Lisa M’s coming out of the closet in 2010 and her musical reappearance in 2018.

Work satisfaction and job permanence in artistic careers: the case of musicians in Belo Horizonte, Brazil.

Working conditions of musicians are marked by several specific characteristics that differ the occupation from most others in the labor market. For instance, non-pecuniary aspects of the profession may have a greater influence on the individuals who pursue musical activities than in most other occupations. Moreover, musicians are more susceptible to uncertainties in the short run and regarding the duration of their careers. Besides, informality and underemployment rates tend to be higher in the music industry when compared to the rest of the labor market. This paper aims to better understand musician's labor market participation using primary data. We conducted an online survey between February and December 2020, gathering data about working conditions, in particular job satisfaction and turnover, with all the musicians from Belo Horizonte who were registered and not were registered in musician's association. Belo Horizonte is known as a unique city and a highly heterogeneous environment for the development of the music industry. Thus, using work satisfaction indicators and Kaplan-Meier survival model, controlled by personal and work-position variables, this study highlights that most musicians were neither satisfied nor dissatisfied with their work. However, satisfaction was positively correlated with the following characteristics: being protected by social security, having a music career as main occupation, and holding a degree in music. These traits were also important for musicians to remain in the occupation throughout 2020, an atypical period due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Living in Artistic Career: The Role of Job Crafting towards Work Identity for Musicians

Professional musicians have been continuously facing difficulties in career over time. One of the psychological threats for musicians is to lose their identity at work, which may lead to abandonment of their potential lifetime career. Previous studies have not emphasized the importance of certain work efforts to maintain work identity in the context of music career. This study conducted a literature review on the job crafting role to musicians’ work identity, and aimed to elaborate the existing concepts with the context of music profession. Using theoretical frameworks of job crafting and Job Demand-Resource theory, this study proposed theoretical perspectives to support the theories, by identifying five dimensions of job crafting (task, relational, cognitive, emotional, and physical) for professional musicians, as well as building a conceptual model that may help musicians to maintain work identity. This study also contributed theoretical insights and implications regarding the job crafting role towards identity construction for musicians, which could be considered during the current pandemic.

Pierre Sancan: “Master of the Masterclass”

The purpose of this study is to explore the life and work of Pierre Sancan (1916–2008), an exemplary piano teacher who, like many masters in the apprenticeship tradition, is chiefly remembered today by his pupils alone. An all-round musician, Sancan had early success as a composer when he won the Prix de Rome in 1943, and enjoyed a flourishing career in solo and ensemble piano performance. His applied studio practices were based on the French school but extended beyond it by drawing on Russian approaches to technique, a study of anatomy, and the influence of jazz improvisation. However, at the height of his creative career, hailed as ‘one of the biggest names in French music today’, Sancan became professor of piano at the Paris Conservatoire, increasingly devoting his expertise and energies to the musical lives of his pupils and influencing generations of pianists and piano teachers around the world. In this study, Sancan’s musical career is examined through archival material including institutional documents, interviews and personal memorabilia, alongside an interview and survey study with former pupils including Jean-Philippe Collard and Jean-Efflam Bavouzet.

Dilla Time

<i>Dilla Time</i>

Relationship Between School Music Context and Music Career Choice Among Chinese Adolescents: A Framework Based on a Context-Process-Outcomes Model.

In response to the wide-ranging concern of career choice, the present study aimed to explore the antecedents and internal mechanisms of choosing a music career. Based on the model of context-process-outcomes, the school context (eg, school musical activities, musical specialized classrooms, music broadcasting and music teachers) was incorporated into an integrated model as predictors. We selected music interest and music value as mediators. A total of 28,018 adolescents in public secondary school completed psychometric questionnaires. The results of structural equation modeling indicated that school musical activities, musical classroom, and music teachers were all positively related to music interest and music value, which in turn positively predicted music career choice but the indirect impact of school musical broadcasting on music career choice via music value is not valid. This survey investigated a large national sample of adolescents for music career choice and its relevant antecedents based on the context-process-outcomes model. There was a significant influence of school music context on students' music career choice. Furthermore, music interest and music value partially explained the indirect psychological process between school music context and music career choice.

Professional education toward protean careers in music? Bigenerational Finnish composers’ pathways and livelihoods in changing ecosystems

Contemporary professional landscapes in classical music fields are rapidly changing and younger generations of musicians are confronting their creative careers, more often than not in connection to self-employment and freelancing. This narrative inquiry investigates the pathways and livelihoods of composers in a changing professional ecosystem through interviews with 10 bigenerational composers in Finland. The analysis is presented in three “factional stories,” in which the empirical material is crafted into “fictional form” by an anonymous first-person narrator. The stories depict how the secure, traditional careers of the older generation are found to be bound to traditional orchestras and ensembles, whereas the protean careers of the younger generation of composers involve passionate pathfinding amid pluralizing ecosystems, within but also beyond traditional contexts and through various collaborations. The younger composers are expanding significantly, or consciously distancing themselves from, the traditional model and values of a contemporary composer. Competition is found to be increasing and professional education described as too short and insufficient in its concentration on technique—this does not provide new understandings and skills beyond traditional composing craft needed for navigating the profession and securing livelihoods. Although similarities are found in the pathways of both composers’ generations, such as strong career callings and experiences of luck, the “struggle” for a composer to find a place in society is more strongly experienced by the younger generation, for which the development of an ongoing “learner identity” is required to embrace—and not resist—such a challenge. As a whole, the study provides a new understanding of composers’ pathfinding through changing ecosystems and suggests that traditional and protean music careers co-exist—even within a single person—while they can also be clearly separated from each other. The study informs higher music education programs in Western countries.

The professional values of American undergraduate music majors

The purpose of this survey research was to examine undergraduate music majors’ professional identities and values. Participants ( N = 277) at nine varied postsecondary institutions reported the value they and their peers and professors would place on various musical honors and careers. The instrument was pilot tested and validated through confirmatory factor analysis. The perceived values of participants’ social influences explained 44% of the participants’ value for awards and 65% of their value for careers. Consistent with prior research, students of all majors rated performance awards and careers the highest and careers as general music teachers and music scholars the lowest. Value differences with applied instructors predicted lower enjoyment of music school. Findings also highlighted how gender, race/ethnicity, and year in music school interacted with social influences to affect participants’ attitudes and aspirations.

After the Dance, the Drums Are Heavy: Carnival, Politics, and Musical Engagement in Haiti

After the Dance, the Drums Are Heavy: Carnival, Politics, and Musical Engagement in Haiti

Kosovo musicians' efficacy of using English language: Internationalization of Albanian songs

The English-speaking market is huge. English dominates the international music. The two most powerful countries in the world, the USA and the UK are the bases of the music industry. There is over one billion people who speak English worldwide. It is no surprise that the English language is used as a base for music by so many musicians. This work’s main objective is to find out the Albanian musicians’ English language proficiency level as well as gain knowledge about the importance of being an English-speaking musician. The present study delves further into examining the internationalization of Albanian songs from the viewpoints of musicians in Kosovo and investigating whether the Albanian songs would have a different impact or would be more successful if translated and sung into the English language. Last but not least, the researchers are also interested in discovering if there is any difference between Albanian and English languages in terms of songs and singing. To go deep into the understanding and the perception of the issue and answer our research questions, a descriptive qualitative approach was used. To collect the data, semi-structured interviews with open-ended questions were conducted. Ten (10) Kosovar musicians who have a lot of knowledge on the issues participated in this study and thus provided us the necessary information. The results of this research correspond with the theoretical framework. The results obtained from the data analysis reveal that Kosovar musicians are proficient in English which is considered very advantageous since performing in English can help musicians build an international music career. It is also indicated that an Albanian song can also be an international success without the need to translate it into English since music is a universal language, musical notes sound the same in all languages around the world, they are written the same, they have the same position. Thus, the melody sounds the same in every language of the world and this is the beauty of music.

Review: She’s at the Controls: Sound Engineering, Production and Gender Ventriloquism in the 21st Century, by Helen Reddington

Review: <i>She’s at the Controls: Sound Engineering, Production and Gender Ventriloquism in the 21st Century</i>, by Helen Reddington

Musical Success in the United States and Brazil: Novel Datasets and Temporal Analyses

Music is not only a worldwide essential cultural industry but also one of the most dynamic. The increasing volume of complex music-related data defines new challenges and opportunities for extracting knowledge, benefiting not only different music segments but also the Music Information Retrieval research field. In this article, we assess musical success in the United States and Brazil, two of the biggest music markets in the world. We first introduce MUHSIC and MUHSIC-BR, two novel datasets with enhanced success information that combine chart-related data with acoustic metadata to describe the temporal evolution of musical careers. Then, we use such enriched and curated data to cluster artists according to their success level by considering their high-impact periods (hot streaks). Our results reveal three groups with distinct success behavior over time. Furthermore, Brazil and the US present specific music success patterns regarding artists and genres, reflecting the importance of analyzing regional markets individually.

Exploring Social Media Contexts for Cultivating Connected Learning with Black Youth in Urban Communities: The Case of Dreamer Studio.

Using the Connected Learning framework as a conceptual lens, this study utilizes digital ethnographic methods to explore outcomes of a Hip-Hop Based Education program developed to provide music related career pathways for Chicago youth. Using the narratives of the participants within the program, I draw on participant observation online and in-depth interviews collected to explore the link between the tenets of Connected Learning and digital participation in this artistic community of practice. I explore participants’ work within social media platforms toward building their creative skill, cultivating a public voice, connecting to mentors, and communicating in ways that strengthens the social bonds within their peer community. This study’s findings affirm prior studies that suggest late adolescence is an important time frame where children are developing social identities online in affinity spaces but in ways that are tied to civic engagement, self-empowerment, and critical skill development for their future pathways. To conclude, I suggest that investigating participant activity on social media platforms as a part of field work can help ethnographers to better connect their impact to the agency and life trajectories of their youth participants.