Music Professionals Research Articles

Back to the Wild Frontier(s): Osek, Waṅhal and the Nature of the 18th-Century Music Catalog

AbstractThe sizeable music collection from the Osek monastery has previously been interpreted in light of a catalog that was updated 1754–c1802. The completion of a modern catalog allows for a reappraisal of the history of the institution. Previous research has explained the lack of updates in the catalog during the years 1778–1802 with a decline in musical activity following the reforms of Joseph II. The collection, however, suggests that Jan Jakob Trautzl, regens chori since 1783, began his tenure by acquiring sacred works by Johann Baptist Waṅhal which rank among the largest and most ambitious from the era. There is also evidence of local adaptations of masses into polychoral and polyorchestral arrangements. Except for a possible low point during the years 1787–1789, the reforms thus seem to have had limited effect. The failure to accurately represent the collection in the catalog suggests the necessity for a new paradigm for reading such documents. One may preliminarily consider catalogs' limited potential for additions and emendations and understand them as tools for music professionals rather than librarians. In this view there is nothing surprising about lacunae, but the inclusion of a work becomes a sign of intent from the cataloger.

Knowledge, Attitude and Practices (KAP) regarding hearing health and noise-induced hearing loss among folk/light music professionals from Chennai

Introduction: Musicians are exposed to music at high intensities and are at risk for developing noise- induced hearing loss (NIHL). Since hearing is so important to their career, they deserve special consideration. To avoid the deleterious effects of loud music, the professionals should be sensitized to the noise exposure and the use of strategies to prevent NIHL. The aim of the study is to determine the knowledge and attitude towards noise induced hearing disorders, and hearing conservative practices among professional musicians. Method: A KAP questionnaire was administered online to 136 professional musicians belonging to folk/ light music genre in Chennai. The participants were 115 males and 21 females, ranging in age from 18 to 75 years with the mean age of 29 (SD= 11). Results: The findings revealed that musicians were aware of the nature and cause of NIHL, but knowledge of NIHL prevention and treatment was limited to few. They had common misconceptions about the sources of harmful loud sounds, the effects of hearing loss, and hearing conservation strategies. Only a few participants reported to have used Ear Protective Devices (EPDs). Conclusion: Although musicians are aware of the risks of exposure to loud noise, they seldom use hearing protection. It is therefore vital to provide crucial information regarding NIHL and its prevention and promote musicians for better hearing preservation practices.

Economic Sustainability of the Music Industry through Copyright Fiduciary Guarantees with a Legal Economic Analysis Approach

This study investigates the economic sustainability of the music industry through the implementation of copyright fiduciary guarantees, employing a legal economic analysis approach. The primary objective is to explore how copyright as a financial asset can enhance the industry's economic resilience by providing a reliable framework for securing loans and investments. The research examines the intersection of intellectual property law and economic theory to evaluate the potential of copyright fiduciary guarantees in mitigating financial risks and promoting sustainable growth in the music industry. The methodology includes a qualitative analysis of existing legal frameworks, case studies of jurisdictions that have successfully integrated copyright fiduciary guarantees, and interviews with industry stakeholders such as artists, producers, legal experts, and financial institutions. Data were collected from a range of sources including legislative documents, industry reports, and academic literature. The analysis focuses on the legal mechanisms for establishing copyrights as collateral and the economic implications for stakeholders in the music industry. The findings indicate that the use of copyright as collateral can significantly improve access to financing for music professionals, thereby enhancing economic stability and growth potential within the industry. Case studies reveal that countries with robust legal frameworks for copyright fiduciary guarantees have experienced increased investment in the creative sector and reduced financial volatility. The study also identifies key challenges, such as the need for clear legal definitions and enforcement mechanisms, and the importance of raising awareness among industry participants about the benefits and procedures of copyright collateralization.

English as a ‘local’ language in Russia: the practice of meaning-making in in-group communication

The unprecedented global spread of the English language has become the catalyst for its transformation into the local meaning-making resource encoding the communication needs of various speech communities in different parts of the world. This dual process of globalization and localization is particularly evident in the Expanding Circle countries, where originally English had the status of a foreign language and was used primarily to communicate with foreigners. In Russia, which is one of the Expanding Circle countries, various aspects of “glocalization” of English, especially in the sphere of vocabulary, have attracted considerable attention. However, they have not been systemically studied, and our analysis aims to fill this gap. This paper describes the function of English as a language of in-group interaction in Russia. Taking a multiple case study approach and using a constant comparative technique, we reviewed our previous research on the use of English in different communities of practice, namely, the Russian offices of international companies, the young biking community, and the community of popular music professionals. We re-examined all previously collected material, including observational linguistic data and ethnographic interviews, and identified the following three features of English as a “local” language: truncated repertoire, bilingual creativity, or translanguaging, and ingroup-only function. We have also searched the Russian National Corpus for the frequency of several commonly used Anglicisms and English-derived tokens recorded from each community of practice. Based on the multiple case analysis and the Russian National Corpus study, we argue that English and Anglicisms are perceived by community members as an integral part of group repertoire, and group membership hinges on the knowledge of these terms and the ability to use them creatively.

Perceptions of Choral Tone: A Review of Literature

The purpose of this literature review was to synthesize research related to perceptions of choral tone and to provide implications for future research and praxis. Although considerable research exists on the topic of choral tone, choral music professionals have indicated contradictory philosophies of what makes “good” choral tone. To highlight these contradictions, this literature review includes common interpretations of tone, vocal tone, and choral tone; factors that influence choral tone production; and issues regarding the perception of choral tone. Implications and research-based suggestions for how choral directors may approach choral tone are also shared.

A commentary on “‘That’s what makes me authentic, because what we do makes sense’ – Music professionals’ experiences of authenticity: A phenomenological, hermeneutical interview study” (Bøtker, Christensen & Jacobsen)

A commentary on “‘That’s what makes me authentic, because what we do makes sense’ – Music professionals’ experiences of authenticity: A phenomenological, hermeneutical interview study” (Bøtker, Christensen & Jacobsen)

Contemporary composers’ changing “practice in context”: What can higher music education learn from Theodore Schatzki’s practice theory?

While musical practice is more often than not considered through musical repertoires, genres, and traditions, in higher music education, musical practices are further narrowed down to music profession-specific, craft-based competences and learning outcomes. This narrow understanding encompasses the intertwined social and material dimensions that—according to practice theories—constitute and determine all practices. This study seeks a new understanding for practice-based, relational, professional education in context. By “practice in context,” we refer to Theodore Schatzki’s practice theory, in which practices are understood as organized, materially mediated, spatiotemporal nexuses of activities, and in which human coexistence is inherently tied to a context and “sites” of events and entities— site-ness. The empirical material consists of interviews of 10 bigenerational, experienced contemporary composers in Finland, including both males and females. By thinking composing practice with Schatzkian practice theory, three intertwined site-nesses are unveiled, comprising emerging locations (such as small-scale venues and local festivals); wider scenes or nonspatial sites (such as digital platforms and the festival scene); and extended realms (political, economical, educational, and policy). In this theory, various elements of practice-arrangement bundles constitute the site-ness and the complex practice plenum for composing. The site-ness thus becomes part of contemporary composers’ professional practice and higher music education which challenges the musical autonomy discourse which disentangles music from people and society. By posing a critique toward higher music education as a merely transmissive mediator of musical craft, this study seeks for a new understanding for practice-based, relational, “music professionalism in context.” It advances theoretical underpinnings of Schatzkian studies in the arts, by arguing that practice theory can bridge the individualistic past- and competence-oriented higher music education with the present- and future-oriented social understanding of musicians’ changing “practice in context.”

Enhancing English Proficiency for Thai Music Professionals: A CLT Instructional Package

The study aims to achieve three primary objectives: 1) To identify essential components for developing an instructional package aimed at enhancing English proficiency among individuals working in the Thai music industry; 2) To design an instructional package specifically tailored to improve the English proficiency of personnel in the Thai music industry; and 3) To implement the developed instructional package and assess its effectiveness in advancing English proficiency among music industry personnel. Employing the principles in developing an ESP course, the study comprises three phases: need analysis, instructional package development, and implementation. The need analysis phase involved surveying 150 individuals employed in the Thai music industry using a structured questionnaire. The instructional package development phase enlisted the expertise of five experts to evaluate the instructional model. Finally, phase three involved administering a pre-posttest study with 30 music professionals. The results highlight the successful creation of an English instructional package based on communicative language teaching (CLT) principles, leading to significant enhancements in participants' English proficiency. The study's significance lies in its identification of English language development needs within the music profession and its provision of a practical methodology for designing specialized English for Specific Purposes (ESP) courses tailored to the unique requirements of music professionals.

Kapellmeister’s activity of J. Jurjāns in musical life of Kharkiv at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries

The purpose of the article is to clarify the specifics and role of J. Jurijāns’ kapellmeister’s activity in the musical life of Kharkiv at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries.
 The methodology of the research is based on a combination of historical, systematic and art-historical approaches, empirical and comparative methods of analysis, the application of which ensures the determination of the specifics and role of the kapellmeister’s activity of J. Jurijāns in the musical life of Kharkiv at the turn of the XIX and XX centuries.
 The scientific novelty lies in the introduction into the scientific circulation of art history of little-known, previously undisclosed facts from the musical history of Kharkiv, which highlight the specifics of J. Jurijāns’ professional self-realization as one of the adepts of academic musical art within the framework of his kapellmeister’s activitiy.
 Conclusions. In the course of the research, it was found out that J. Jurijāns’ carried out his kapellmeister’s activities in Kharkiv from 1890 to 1906 striving for professional self-realization. Having started this path by working with an amateur children’s wind orchestra, the musician then professionalized to lead the wind orchestra of the students of KhMU; the next step was to work out the specifics of leading a symphony orchestra, first with an amateur team and, finally, with a daily practicing orchestra of professional musicians. The specified professionalization was carried out in the context of J. Jurijāns’ development of the kapellmeister’s functions: organizational (selection of talented children, then professional musicians, to the orchestra, solving issues of the rehearsal process and concert practice), pedagogical (preparing children to play in the orchestra), educational (instilling a culture of learning highly artistic repertoire based on the ideological foundations of academic music), repertoire creator (implementation of repertoire policy based on public reproduction of academic music), performing and conducting (direct management of the process of music reproduction during concert performances). The influence of J. Jurijāns’ kapellmeister’s activity can be traced in the context: the spread of musical professionalism in the amateur environment of Kharkiv, its use in KhMU as a type of performance practice of the wind orchestra, the successful continuation of the tradition of summer symphony concerts in the city as an artistic phenomenon.

Other Ways of Knowing the Danish Music Industry: From Disorientation to Feminist Collective Capacity

ABSTRACT In this article, we explore how women and gender-minoritized music professionals experience the gendered infrastructure of the Danish music industry. Based on ethnographic material, we discuss how the Music Movement of 2019, a closed online community, serves as a space where bodily and affective experiences of work-related sexism are shared and transformed into a feminist capacity in terms of a collective body of ideas and initiatives that privilege other ways of knowing popular music and the music industry. We argue that the Music Movement is in itself an important infrastructure that facilitates social change within the Danish music industry.

‘Imagine you’re in the Opera House … ’ Learning nonverbal communication for the concert stage

ABSTRACT Top performers create stage magic through their command of nonverbal communication. While students aspire to the highest levels of performance, they may be unprepared for the intricacies of professional stagecraft. This study trials an experiential learning workshop about optimising nonverbal communication on the concert stage. Five emerging music professionals participated in role-playing exercises on stage entrance and appropriate stage behaviour, and discussed their experiences in the workshop and in interviews. Recordings were transcribed and coded thematically. Participants were able to exaggerate nervous, arrogant and confident stage personas, before imagining their stage entrance to an examination or the Opera House stage. As audience members, they experienced the power of performativity first-hand, and as performers, they grasped experts’ approach to stage entrance to enhance performance. Participants gained a sense of autonomy over their stage presentation. These early-career performers advocated the inclusion of stage training as a critical extension to current practice.

Stage and concert skills formation of higher music students based on personality-oriented and activity-based approaches

Relevance. Concert activity is an integral part of the training of music specialists in higher education institutions, which in turn involves the education of stage culture in students and the formation of their stage performance skills. Therefore, the research relevance is predefined by the need for a thorough study of personality-oriented and activity-based approaches to the problem of forming the stage culture of music students.Purpose. The research aims to study and analyse the basics of forming stage and concert knowledge, skills and abilities of music students during the process of professional training, based on personality-oriented and activity-based methodological approaches.Methodology. The following methods were used in this study: comparative, typological methods, generalization, and analysis.Results. The study has revealed the basic aspects of the activity-based approach to the development of performance skills of young music professionals, as well as the personality-oriented approach. It was possible to identify the nuances and important aspects of the educational process in the distance preparation of musicians for concert practice. The research revealed the characteristic features of the formation of stage performance skills for various forms of musicianship, including vocal and instrumental activities. The main methodological principles of forming stage culture in students of higher music educational institutions were studied. The research investigates the necessary pedagogical conditions for a successful educational process of forming stage and concert skills of students of higher educational institutions.Conclusions. This research can be used by scientists to further study the issue of training personnel for stage activities in the field of musical art.

“That’s what makes me authentic, because what we domakes sense” – Music professionals’ experiences of authenticity: A phenomenological, hermeneutical interview study

Within music education, music therapy, and music performance theory, various perspectives on the concept of authenticity have been discussed and investigated. Authenticity seems to be a concept with wide possibilities for application and likewise wide definitional borders, which makes it hard to investigate. Drawing on the knowledge and framework developed by Bøtker and Jacobsen (2023), we wish to continue the investigation of authenticity within three music professions from a practice-based perspective. For this study, music therapists, music educators, and music performers (six participants) were interviewed twice about their experiences of their own authenticity when facilitating musical activities with children and adults (parents or teachers). The interviews were transcribed and analysed using a thematic coding analysis: deductively using the conceptual framework by Bøtker and Jacobsen as well as inductively by looking for new emerging themes across these three professions. The findings confirm the conceptual framework but also suggest an expansion, adding the element of ‘Values’. The new framework consists of six elements that all pertain to the experience of authenticity: relationship, role, context, professionalism, personality, and values. Furthermore, another theme appeared through the inductive analysis – ‘floating-anchoring’ – describing and synthesising the connection between the reflective and the sensorial awareness that supplement each other in the experience of authenticity within these three music professions. This floating-anchoring synthesis is suggested as a relevant framework for training and education within the three music professions.

Grey wolf optimizer based deep learning mechanism for music composition with data analysis

Music composition using artificial intelligence has gained increasing research attention recently. However, existing methods often generate music that needs more coherence and authenticity. This paper proposes an evolutionary computation-based deep learning approach for music composition with data analysis. Specifically, we utilize long short-term memory (LSTM) networks for generating melodic sequences and adopt a grey wolf optimizer to optimize LSTM hyperparameters. The training data is first converted to musical instrument digital interface (MIDI) format for data analysis, and melody lines are extracted using a similarity matrix method. The MIDI data is then encoded for input into the LSTM networks. The generated music is evaluated using objective metrics like mean squared error and subjective methods, including surveys of music professionals. Comparisons made to benchmark algorithms like generative adversarial networks demonstrate the advantages of our approach in accurately capturing tone, rhythm, artistic conception, and other attributes of high-quality music. The proposed mechanism provides a practical framework for AI-based music generation while ensuring authenticity.

Intrinsic Factors Influencing Career Development among College Music Teachers in Establishment Stage from Fujian, China

In the career development, individuals show a stronger need on the professional advancement and are expected to make more definite career decisions in the establishment career stage. This study used semi-structure interview of qualitative study to investigate the intrinsic motivation influencing career development among three music teachers who were in the career stage of establishment from higher educational institutions in Fujian, China. The interview was modelled and the interview transcriptions were analysed and coded based on the theory of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. The results indicated that higher education music teachers who sought for professional upgrading in the music industry in their establishment career stage will be intrinsically influenced by the needs of love and belonging in terms of the salient life roles (for example, son/daughter, spouse, and parent); the needs on esteem that boosting the career expectation toward receiving recognition from students, students’ parents, and music professionals; and the needs on self-actualization on music professionalism by enhancing music playing skills, mastering new music skills, and lifelong learning. The study offered a valuable knowledge to the field of music education, inform policy and practice, and ultimately empower music teachers to realize their full potential in nurturing the next generation of musicians and scholars.

The Components that Constitute the Modern Bow

Considering the musician-luthier relationship, it is important that two professions that cannot be independent of each other meet in a joint jargon. The lack of common terminology is felt mostly in instruments that have passed into our music from the West.
 It would not be wrong to say that some abstract concepts used when talking about a subject related to an instrument are extensively adopted in our language. For example, the definition of "metallic sound" is understandable to most music professionals. On the other hand, the lack of a common terminology regarding the structure of instruments is observed, and it is noticed that there are many issues that need to be studied in this field.
 In this study, in which we discuss the instruments that we use to get sound from the violin family instruments and which we define as "Modern Bow" or simply "Bow", we aim to contribute to the terminology by introducing the parts of the bow, as well as by offering Turkish equivalents for these parts.

Narrative observation about music institutionalization through music educational institutions in Kosovo (1948-2020)

The institutionalization of music in Kosovo emerged as a necessary process, playing a pivotal role in fostering sustainable cultural and social development. Its profound effectiveness became evident in the musical trajectory of cultural advancements from the 1950s and 60s onwards. Music schools stood as the primary catalysts, generating a cadre of music professionals involved in various facets of musical productivity. They provided comprehensive professional training to the entire musical community, encompassing composers, conductors, instrumentalists, and pedagogues, who actively contributed to the vibrant musical activities. The year 1948 marked a significant milestone with the establishment of the first music school, initially named ‘Josip Slavenski’ and now known as ‘Lorenc Antoni,’ in Prizren. This was followed by the inception of the music school ‘Stevan Mokranjac,’ later renamed ‘Prenk Jakova,’ in Prishtina in 1949. These institutions served as foundational pillars, laying the groundwork for the subsequent development of a multidimensional music landscape. Notably, the establishment of the Higher Pedagogical School (Branch of Music Education) in 1963 and the Music Academy in 1975 represented crucial milestones, marking the expansion and enrichment of the music sector. The period between 1990 and 1999, characterized by a tumultuous socio-political landscape, posed significant challenges to music education. In the years following 2000, music education in Kosovo continued to adapt and evolve, reflecting to the changing socio-political and cultural landscape. This era witnessed new processes of the established institutional forms and typologies, prompting the adoption of new curricula and a re- evaluation of music education within the context of the evolving social reality and market demands. Furthermore, the demand for music education continued to grow, leading to the establishment of more music schools and programs throughout the country. In general, since 1948, music education in Kosovo represents an unstoppable process that in terms of historical importance, it represents the cornerstone of all professional musical developments in Kosovo.

The concept of professionalism in Ukrainian traditional ensemble instrumental music

The term “musical professionalism” is used not only for written academic Euro- pean music, but also for world oral traditions and is primarily related to the level of skill and social status of the performers. In the context of Ukrainian traditional culture, there are three groups of profes- sional musicians: 1) Wandering minstrels known as “kobzari” and “lirnyky” (lute “kobza” and hurdy-gurdy players) who, by the mid-20th century, formed professional organiza- tions with their own hierarchy and rules. Their repertoire mainly consisted of epic songs of historical, religious, or moralistic nature. 2) Musicians-shepherds, primarily playing wind instruments, for whom music was an integral part of their pastoral activities, often performing signaling melodies. 3) So-called “trojisti muzyky”, musicians who formed ensembles to provide mu- sic for wedding ceremonies, dances, and other events. The kobzari and lirnyky’s musical culture has mostly lost its direct oral trans- mission and exists today mainly in reconstructed forms. Equally, with the evolution of their profession, musicians-shepherds moved to the status of amateur performers. Therefore, ensemble musicians remained the only professional folk musicians who re- present the current state of development of Ukrainian traditional instrumental music. The criteria of folklore professionalism depend on the specifics and needs of certain environments. Despite this, there are several attempts to define universal signs of traditional professionalism. But criteria of professionalism, which are suitable for ones cultures, are not quite suitable for others and change not only in space, but also in time. Based on the predecessors’ experience, as well as numerous own field studies, the author defines the following criteria for the Ukrainian professional folk ensemble musicians. These include: natural talent, elements of the educational process, perfect mastery of one or more instruments, the ability to make or fix them, publicity and pay- ment for the playing, mandatory participation in rituals and entertainment of their en- 54 vironment, knowledge of their repertoire, constant performing practice and improve- ment, professional terminology, high competition between musicians, association in instrumental (wedding) bands. So, each group of folk performers had its own standards of professionalism. Folk professional musicians are the creators, bearers, masters, innovators, and “promoters” of instrumental culture, gifted and vibrant personalities who shape the future of their tradition.

Rent-a-crowd! Understanding how applause magnitude impacts music performance appraisal

Applause is ubiquitous in the reception of music performance. Applause magnitude can reveal and sway audience reactions, and it is critical for musicians and educators to understand how audiences and evaluators respond to this extramusical effect in the appraisal of music performance. This study investigated how listeners respond to applause magnitude and prompted discussions about extramusical effects and social influence. Three applause levels (polite, strong and vocal) were added to two identical solo trumpet performances (one Fanfare and one Vocalise). Thirty listeners rated these six performances for overall quality and five performance dimensions (intonation, expression, balance, rhythmic accuracy and dynamic control). Vocal applause significantly impacted ratings of overall quality, expression and dynamic control compared to polite applause. Listeners were aware of varying applause levels and the majority were susceptible to unconscious or conscious bias in their evaluations. Most listeners were unaware of the identical audio and found the experiential learning process ‘enlightening’. Listeners became cognisant of their susceptibility to extramusical effects and reflected on evaluation strategies. Future studies should employ experiential learning to inform emerging music professionals about perceptual vulnerabilities and enhance critical thinking and expert evaluation skills.

From the ‘Musical Agora’ to an ‘Extreme Sport’: Negotiating Live Music’s Values in a Context of Urban Informality, Corruption and Violence in Mexico City

Mexico City’s live music industry is well integrated into transnational economic flows, sharing certain features of the Global North, while simultaneously maintaining an informal organization and conflicting dynamics typical of the Global South. Since the late 1990s, both the government and the entertainment industry in Mexico City have increasingly invested in live music, reflecting a strong emphasis on economic and political capitalization. In contrast, a notable segment of live music professionals has developed a distinctive yet contentious set of values, in which live music constitutes an essential component of urban life. This article investigates independent promoters and venue managers through 21 detailed interviews. Beginning in the informal economy of the city, interviewees started live music projects for creative purposes and brought people together to form emotional connections. The concept of ‘musical agora’ embodies their unique combination of values, emphasizing their potential contribution to local cultural democracy. However, factors such as the market structure, bureaucracy, corruption and violence turn most independent live music activity into an ‘extreme sport’, reflecting the complex nature of professionalization processes within cultural sectors in Mexico City.