The European music profession is rapidly changing and suggests more flexible career patterns and a need for transferable skills and lifelong learning strategies. Musicians collaborate increasingly with practitioners in other arts and societal cross-sector settings. This reality holds challenges and implications for higher music education (Smilde 2009). This state of play was point of departure in 2006 for the development of the collaborative European master ‘New Audiences and Innovative Practice’ (NAIP) by five European conservatoires. Five schools, from Iceland, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland, devised an innovative two-year master programme, helping students to develop and lead creative projects in diverse artistic, community and cross-sectoral settings, thereby creating new audiences and developing their leadership skills in varied artistic and social contexts. The programme aims to provide future professional musicians with the skills and knowledge to become artistically flexible practitioners able to adjust to new contexts within a wide range of situations of societal relevance. This particular chapter entails a case study of the first summer school of this programme which took place in Iceland. It details the heart of the programme, the artistic laboratory and reflective practice.
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Paper for the Pop and Jazz Platform 2017 of the European Association of Conservatoires AEC, London, 18-2-2017
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Music can touch people deeply, and lead to wellbeing as an all-encompassing word for everything that makes life worth living, or at least can make it liveable. Musicians can play an important role in these processes, not as pseudo-therapists, but from their own artistic identity, with an approach in which they profoundly understand the social contexts to which they respond. In essence this is about connecting as a musician with those who, due to whatever circumstances, are vulnerable, and/or those who do not easily get into contact with live music.This requires new qualities and skills from such “new audience musicians” who want to engage with people in contexts beyond the concert hall, jazz club or church, like schools, hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, or e.g. the corporate world.Underpinning engagement with those new audiences is first and foremost a set of values that implies that music can work as a catalyst for communication between various groups of people from different cultural and social contexts, and can bring about social change, no matter how small (Smilde 2018: 673). Point of departure is the idea that artistic processes can have transformative potential which can bring about a sense of community, inclusion and collective identity.In this chapter, research into musicians’ engagement with new audiences will be explored through examples in the field of music and healthcare. I will do that from a biographical perspective, where the musicians’ personal and professional development is strongly influenced by their experiences in their artistic practice. Here, biographical learning processes are at the core of what we might term, musicians’ “professional performance” (Lombarts 2010).Two examples are discussed in this light, a research into the project “Music for Life”, on music and dementia, taking place in elderly care homes, and another, termed “Meaningful Music in Healthcare”, which is on music in the hospital. After that the chapter will address what everything learnt means for learning and teaching in higher music education, embracing the idea of engaging with new audiences and the potentials of Musikvermittlung.
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The main aim of the project is to provide new research in the arts by focusing on the concept of the inter-sensorial as an essential text for the creation of art and culture. It is designed to foreground the role of the sensorium as an underpinning source for many aspects of thought and cultural heritage. This project will blend visual arts with applied arts and traditional local traditions, revealing new light on the artistic facets and customs which are usually overlooked.The extended residencies will promote transnational mobility for emerging artists, facilitating international relationships between different artistic and cultural contexts within the EU. This will promote transnational interconnectivity between artists and cultures, creating a resourceful intercultural fertilisation, endorsing cultural diversity, social inclusion and most of all, further research on the intercultural facets.Through the various side-activities to take place during the mobilities of the artists, the project aims to strengthen and develop diverse audiences by producing the necessary elements for a dialogue, illustrating interpretations of rich layers of tangible and intangible heritage and legacies of European countries related to the tradition of sensorial experiences and how they evolved around traditional customs. Furthermore, it also aims to rethink and project new and innovative ways for documenting, preserving and communicating data to different audiences.
“Empowering learners to create a sustainable future” This is the mission of Centre of Expertise Mission-Zero at The Hague University of Applied Sciences (THUAS). The postdoc candidate will expand the existing knowledge on biomimicry, which she teaches and researches, as a strategy to fulfil the mission of Mission-Zero. We know when tackling a design challenge, teams have difficulties sifting through the mass of information they encounter. The candidate aims to recognize the value of systematic biomimicry, leading the way towards the ecosystems services we need tomorrow (Pedersen Zari, 2017). Globally, biomimicry demonstrates strategies contributing to solving global challenges such as Urban Heat Islands (UHI) and human interferences, rethinking how climate and circular challenges are approached. Examples like Eastgate building (Pearce, 2016) have demonstrated successes in the field. While biomimicry offers guidelines and methodology, there is insufficient research on complex problem solving that systems-thinking requires. Our research question: Which factors are needed to help (novice) professionals initiate systems-thinking methods as part of their strategy? A solution should enable them to approach challenges in a systems-thinking manner just like nature does, to regenerate and resume projects. Our focus lies with challenges in two industries with many unsustainable practices and where a sizeable impact is possible: the built environment (Circularity Gap, 2021) and fashion (Joung, 2014). Mission Zero has identified a high demand for Biomimicry in these industries. This critical approach: 1) studies existing biomimetic tools, testing and defining gaps; 2) identifies needs of educators and professionals during and after an inter-disciplinary minor at The Hague University; and, 3) translates findings into shareable best practices through publications of results. Findings will be implemented into tangible engaging tools for educational and professional settings. Knowledge will be inclusive and disseminated to large audiences by focusing on communication through social media and intervention conferences.
This project establishes a collaborative network centered around the Amsterdam Museum, comprising key stakeholders from prominent cultural institutions, including the Centraal Museum Utrecht and the Rotterdam Museum. The consortium is designed to explore the transformative potential of co-creation in museums, focusing on enhancing visitor engagement, fostering inclusivity, and integrating digital technologies into cultural practices. Key personnel will provide interdisciplinary expertise in communication and cultural heritage, facilitating a robust understanding of stakeholder dynamics and collaborative processes. The research aims to analyze how co-creation can bridge the gap between museums and their diverse audiences, creating a sense of ownership and connection. Initial observational findings suggest that co-creation practices significantly enhance visitor experiences while revealing stakeholders' desires for deeper collaborative opportunities. To achieve these objectives, qualitative methods such as semi-structured interviews, focus groups, and ethnographic observations will be employed, delivering rich insights into the impact of co-created programming. An essential output of this project will be an academic publication aimed at foundational research on effective co-creation practices within the cultural sector. Furthermore, the consortium will pursue a larger grant application to secure sustainable funding for ongoing research initiatives, ensuring the long-term viability and impact of this collaborative network. This will not only advance academic discourse but also facilitate knowledge transfer between academia and museums, enriching cultural engagement strategies. Ultimately, the project aspires to enhance the visibility and societal relevance of cultural institutions, fostering innovative solutions to contemporary challenges through collaborative research and community involvement.
