Musicking in Groningen
PhD research Evert Bisschop Boele
‘Musicking in Groningen’ is a narrative/biographical research project into the listening behaviour of people in the (late-)modern western society. The research is aimed at whether a broader perspective of music is necessary in order to better prepare students for their functioning as professional musicians in the multi-musical soundscape of the 21st century. More
Moved by Music
The role of cerebral resonance behavior in the control of music performance
Phd research Robert Harris
Mirror neurons probably play a part in the representation of goal-oriented musical acts in the brain, not only while singing and playing music, but also while listening to music. Listening to music is supposed to be directly related to the ‘programming’ of the movements necessary to play music. How does this work with musicians who only play from scores and with musicians who play by ear? And how do you work with these differences in the educational process? More
Visual Arts and the Elderly
PhD research Leo Delfgaauw
What does getting older mean for the visual artist and his craft? Research approaches are the development of the artist’s work, the positioning of his artistry and the changes in the professional practice. An important question is how the artistic ‘capital’ the artist has created over the course of the years can be used optimally. More
Holistic Training of Performing Musicians- Visualisation and Imagery
PhD research project Susan Williams
Susan Williams’ PhD research project is aimed at finding new teaching models for musicians based on visualisation, imagery and mental training as a key for the development of motor skills, strengthening intrinsic motivation and improving performance skills.
Susan Williams (Leiden University) uses various case studies as the most important source of information for her research into how performers are trained at the tertiary level at European conservatoires in relation to teacher performers (at bachelor and master level). At conservatoires in Helsinki, Munich, Hannover and Rotterdam she will research examples of existing, complete programmes for training performers at the tertiary level.
The aim of her contextual research is to reach a set of tentative guidelines/key concepts which can enable
the design of an effective training programme for tertiary level performing music students and how conservatoires can best support such a programme. Williams also wants to collect enough background knowledge in order to design experiments on the subject of ‘Manifesting Vision’, which explores the link between imagination and production of musical sound.
Artist vs. Arts teacher
PhD research project Kristín Valsdóttir
Kristín Valsdóttir of the Island Academy of the Arts is conducting research
into the learning habits of artists entering the master's programme in Arts Education at the Icelandic Acedemy of the Arts at a later stage in their lives. She is looking into how their professional identity is influenced and how that and their 'learning pasts' inform new thoughts about learning environment and curriculum development. More