The platform for open and practice-oriented research

product

Feral Experiments in CreaTures Co-Laboratory

In this paper, we share insights from our creative practice-based experimentation with ‘feral’ ways of stimulating eco-social change. Drawing on our experiences with three practice-based research projects – Open Forest, Cyano Automaton, and Open Urban Forest – we discuss how feral ways may foster more-than-human co-creation of knowledge and data, and nurture pluralistic making sense-with other-thanhuman creatures. We first explore the concept of feral in supporting the understanding of how creative eco-social inquiries may evolve beyond the bounds of anthropocentrism, in relation with more-than-human experiences. Through our three cases, we illustrate how experimenting with feralness can bring to the fore issues of power, agency, and control in the currently human-centric discourses around data, technology, and sensemaking in eco-social transformation. By sharing our emerging insights regarding feral ways, our aim is to help nurture critical, more-than-human perspectives in creative practice-based inquiries in art and design.

MULTIFILE

Feral Experiments in CreaTures Co-Laboratory

product

Resilience and mental health issues in classical musicians

Due to considerable occupational challenges and stressors, classical musicians might face increased risk for mental health issues, compared to the general population. As such, scholars have highlighted the importance of developing psychological resilience in musicians. Nevertheless, this important psychological characteristic has remained understudied within music psychology. The present study therefore examined the relationship between mental health issues and resilience. Using a cross-sectional survey design, a total of 64 musicians (including both music students and professionals) participated in this study. Results highlight that symptoms of depression/anxiety were relatively high within the current population. Moreover, music students experienced significantly more symptoms compared to professional musicians. Both resilience and general physical health were found to be negatively associated with mental health issues. The results highlight the need for further research into mental health issues in music students and provide preliminary evidence for the importance of psychological resilience in classical musicians.

PDF

Resilience and mental health issues in classical musicians

product

Video games and the value of entertainment

PDF

product

GAME: Als muziek in de oren

Geleide Audiomotor Exploratie (GAME) is een innovatieve lesmethode waarmee slechthorenden met een Cochleair Implantaat (CI) piano kunnen leren spelen zonder muzieknotatie. Het doel van GAME is om door actief muziek te maken, transfereffecten van muziek- naar het spraakdomein te realiseren. Hierdoor kunnen CI-gebruikers zowel muziek als spraak beter gaan verstaan. Hoewel GAME ontworpen is om in de gewone lespraktijk gebruikt te worden, vereist het lesgeven met GAME nieuwe kennis en vaardigheden van pianodocenten. Dit onderzoek is daarom gericht op het ontwikkelen van instructiemateriaal en scholing voor het lesgeven met GAME. Zes pianodocenten en een ‘critical friend’ deden mee aan dit onderwijskundig ontwerp onderzoek. Tijdens het onderzoek zijn de lesmethode en het lesmateriaal aangepast en doorontwikkeld. De uitkomsten van het onderzoek laten zien dat docenten een ‘totaalpakket’ nodig hebben: (1) een handleiding gecombineerd met (2) demonstratie video’s, (3) lesmateriaal en voorbeeld lesplannen, (4) workshops en (5) collegiaal overleg. Deelnemende docenten vonden vooral de video’s gecombineerd met uitleg belangrijk omdat GAME totaal anders is dan traditionele lesmethodes. Het onderzoek heeft geleid tot suggesties voor implementatie in lespraktijken en Hoger Beroeps Onderwijs en aanbevelingen voor mogelijke toepassingen van GAME bij andere doelgroepen, zoals leerlingen met leerproblemen.

PDF

product

Haptics for the Development of Fundamental Rhythm Skills, Including Multi-limb Coordination

This chapter considers the use of haptics for learning fundamental rhythm skills, including skills that depend on multi-limb coordination. Different sensory modalities have different strengths and weaknesses for the development of skills related to rhythm. For example, vision has low temporal resolution and performs poorly for tracking rhythms in real time, whereas hearing is highly accurate. However, in the case of multi-limbed rhythms, neither hearing nor sight is particularly well suited to communicating exactly which limb does what and when, or how the limbs coordinate. By contrast, haptics can work especially well in this area, by applying haptic signals independently to each limb. We review relevant theories, including embodied interaction and biological entrainment. We present a range of applications of the Haptic Bracelets, which are computer-controlled wireless vibrotactile devices, one attached to each wrist and ankle. Haptic pulses are used to guide users in playing rhythmic patterns that require multi-limb coordination. One immediate aim of the system is to support the development of practical rhythm skills and multi-limb coordination. A longer-term goal is to aid the development of a wider range of fundamental rhythm skills including recognising, identifying, memorising, retaining, analysing, reproducing, coordinating, modifying and creating rhythms—particularly multi-stream (i.e. polyphonic) rhythmic sequences. Empirical results are presented. We reflect on related work and discuss design issues for using haptics to support rhythm skills. Skills of this kind are essential not just to drummers and percussionists but also to keyboards’ players and more generally to all musicians who need a firm grasp of rhythm.

PDF

Haptics for the Development of Fundamental Rhythm Skills, Including Multi-limb Coordination

product

Identifying teacher quality: structuring elements of teacher quality

This paper presents the search for a categorizing framework that can be used to identify and discuss teacher quality. Both policy documents on national and European levels and academic literature show a remarkable variation in categories that are used to describe teacher education. As part of a larger study where the voice of teachers is used en strengthened on the topic of teacher education, there was the need to find a categorizing framework that can be used to analyze responses from teachers on the most important qualities that teachers need.The search for a categorizing framework combines a study of academic literature on categories for teacher quality and the use of international focus groups for the development of categories for teacher qualities. Both the outcomes from the literature survey and the results from the focus groups show the complexity of defining a coherent framework for teacher qualities. Two main approaches can be identified: one by using an analytical framework with mutual exclusive categories, based on Bloom’s categories, and one based on a task analysis of the work of teachers, focusing on specific roles or identities. In both approaches, both the literature and the focus groups emphasize the importance of personal qualities of teachers.Based on the outcomes a coherent framework for teacher qualities is presented, where both approaches are combined. This framework that might help in creating a shared language for discussing teacher quality among different stakeholders and different countries.

MULTIFILE

Identifying teacher quality: structuring elements of teacher quality

product

Socio-psychological effects of wind turbine noise

This paper presents a report of some of the activities of the International Energy Agency's (IEA) Wind TCP Task 39. By identifying best practices in an international collaboration, Task 39 hopes to provide the scientific evidence to inform improved regulations and standards, increasing the effectiveness of quiet wind turbine technology. Task 39 is divided into five separate work packages, which address the broad wind turbine noise topic in successive steps; from wind turbine noise generation (WP2), to airborne noise propagation over large distances (WP3). The assessment of wind turbine noise and its impact on humans is addressed in WP4, while WP5 is dealing with other aspects of perception and acceptance, which may be related to noise. All WPs contribute to a dedicated Work Package on dissemination (WP1). This paper provides an update of activities primarily associated with the socio-psychological aspects of wind turbine noise (WP4 and WP5). Through the consideration of a wide variety of factors, including measurement technologies, auralisation and psychology, the effects on noise perception, annoyance and its impact on wellbeing and health is being further investigated. This paper presents a discussion of the activities of each member country and highlights some of the key research questions that need to be further considered.

LINK

product

Music therapy interventions for stress reduction in adults with mild intellectual disabilities

Stress is increasingly being recognized as one of the main factors that is negatively affecting our health, and therefore there is a need to regulate daily stress and prevent long-term stress. This need seems particularly important for adults with mild intellectual disabilities (MID) who have been shown to have more difficulties coping with stress than adults without intellectual disabilities. Hence, the development of music therapy interventions for stress reduction, particularly within populations where needs may be greater, is becoming increasingly important. In order to gain more insight into the practice-based knowledge on how music therapists lower stress levels of their patients with MID during music therapy sessions, we conducted focus group interviews with music therapists working with adults with MID (N = 13) from different countries and clinical institutions in Europe. Results provide an overview of the most-used interventions for stress reduction within and outside of music. Data-analysis resulted in the further specification of therapeutic goals, intervention techniques, the use of musical instruments, and related therapeutic change factors. The main findings indicate that music therapists used little to no receptive (e.g., music listening) interventions for stress reduction, but preferred to use active interventions, which were mainly based on musical improvisation. Results show that three therapy goals for stress relief could be distinguished. The goal of “synchronizing” can be seen as a sub goal because it often precedes working on the other two goals of “tension release” or “direct relaxation,” which can also be seen as two ways of reaching stress reduction in adults with MID through music therapy interventions. Furthermore, the tempo and the dynamics of the music are considered as the most important musical components to reduce stress in adults with MID. Practical implications for stress-reducing music therapy interventions for adults with MID are discussed as well as recommendations for future research.

PDF

Music therapy interventions for stress reduction in adults with mild intellectual disabilities

product

Behavioral quantification of audiomotor transformations in improvising and score-dependent musicians

The historically developed practice of learning to play a music instrument from notes instead of by imitation or improvisation makes it possible to contrast two types of skilled musicians characterized not only by dissimilar performance practices, but also disparate methods of audiomotor learning. In a recent fMRI study comparing these two groups of musicians while they either imagined playing along with a recording or covertly assessed the quality of the performance, we observed activation of a right-hemisphere network of posterior superior parietal and dorsal premotor cortices in improvising musicians, indicating more efficient audiomotor transformation. In the present study, we investigated the detailed performance characteristics underlying the ability of both groups of musicians to replicate music on the basis of aural perception alone. Twenty-two classically trained improvising and score-dependent musicians listened to short, unfamiliar two-part excerpts presented with headphones. They played along or replicated the excerpts by ear on a digital piano, either with or without aural feedback. In addition, they were asked to harmonize or transpose some of the excerpts either to a different key or to the relative minor. MIDI recordings of their performances were compared with recordings of the aural model. Concordance was expressed in an audiomotor alignment score computed with the help of music information retrieval algorithms. Significantly higher alignment scores were found when contrasting groups, voices, and tasks. The present study demonstrates the superior ability of improvising musicians to replicate both the pitch and rhythm of aurally perceived music at the keyboard, not only in the original key, but also in other tonalities. Taken together with the enhanced activation of the right dorsal frontoparietal network found in our previous fMRI study, these results underscore the conclusion that the practice of improvising music can be associated with enhanced audiomotor transformation in response to aurally perceived music.

LINK

Search results

Products 26

Feral Experiments in CreaTures Co-Laboratory

Resilience and mental health issues in classical musicians

Video games and the value of entertainment

GAME: Als muziek in de oren

Haptics for the Development of Fundamental Rhythm Skills, Including Multi-limb Coordination

Identifying teacher quality: structuring elements of teacher quality

Socio-psychological effects of wind turbine noise

Music therapy interventions for stress reduction in adults with mild intellectual disabilities

Behavioral quantification of audiomotor transformations in improvising and score-dependent musicians

Navigate to

Categories

Filters

Products 26

Feral Experiments in CreaTures Co-Laboratory

Resilience and mental health issues in classical musicians

Video games and the value of entertainment

GAME: Als muziek in de oren

Haptics for the Development of Fundamental Rhythm Skills, Including Multi-limb Coordination

Identifying teacher quality: structuring elements of teacher quality

Socio-psychological effects of wind turbine noise

Music therapy interventions for stress reduction in adults with mild intellectual disabilities

Behavioral quantification of audiomotor transformations in improvising and score-dependent musicians