Personal realities II: how does the conservatoire link with the profession?

This chapter continues the survey of current realities in the conservatoire, focusing on examples of the conservatoire’s relationship with the profession. Professor Janis Kelly, Chair of Vocal Performance at the Royal College of Music, London, reflects on her own experience of conservatoire teaching and the relationship between this and her own career as a performer. Using this case study as a jumping-off point, the chapter uncovers what the ‘profession’ means to a range of stakeholders in the conservatoire and beyond. Through these professional and pedagogical viewpoints, the chapter illuminates the symbiotic relationship between conservatoires and professional practice, including the ways in which the profession informs both the formal curriculum and individual teaching practices. This prompts the question of how conservatoires today can challenge the existing professional partners and practices and the ways in which the long-established proto-professional model of conservatoire teaching and learning environment might evolve in the future

The global conservatoire: towards an integrated approach to developing twenty-first-century artists

This chapter looks beyond surface evaluations of online teaching during the pandemic and considers a new model for online teaching in the conservatoire. We start by recognising recent and significant changes in the external environment for all artists, notably the focus on generating a more sustainable future, the importance (and fragility) of global communities and the role of technology in the arts. While the significance of these aspects for the musician-in-training may not be immediately obvious, we argue that deep engagement with these issues is vital to develop global artistic citizens for the 21st Century. We propose that online teaching in the conservatoire has the potential to become an important vehicle for equipping students to respond to these changes in society. In recognising the possibilities for online teaching, we move from a position of online ‘replacing’ or ‘replicating’ traditional conservatoire teaching to ‘complementing’ practice-led experiences. We examine how core learning and teaching values can be embedded in the online environment to promote synergy between different learning experiences in the conservatoire. Furthermore, we propose that a transnational model of design and delivery could be most effective in developing culturally responsive artists. ***** This chapter is available open access at the Official URL given below. ****

HEartS Professional survey: charting the effects of COVID-19 on working patterns, income, and wellbeing among arts professionals in China (October 2020, August 2021)

These data were collected using the HEartS Professional China survey from performing arts workers in China in October 2020 and August 2021. HEartS Professional China is an adaptation of the HEartS Professional surveys which were used in 2020-2021. All the surveys were designed as multi-strategy data collection tools with two main purposes: (1) to chart working patterns, income, sources of support, and indicators of mental and social well-being to identify trends in the effects of the lockdown at the time and (2) to explore the individual work and wellbeing experiences of performing arts professionals in their own words, to identify the subjective effects of lockdown in terms of challenges and opportunities. The survey covers six areas: 1) demographics; (2) information on illness or self-isolation related to COVID-19; (3) work profiles and income; (4) changes to work profiles and income as a result of the pandemic, as well as sources of support; (5) open-response questions about work and wellbeing experiences of lockdown including challenges and opportunities; and (6) validated measures of health, wellbeing, and social connectedness. The HEartS Professional surveys are adaptations of the HEartS Survey which charts the Health, Economic, and Social impacts of the ARTs (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.3r2280gdj)

Augmented reality and in-person piano tuition: project report

The ‘Augmented Reality Piano’ research project that took place between July 2022 – July 2023. This report outlines the design and delivery of the project and describes and analyses its findings. It ends by offering recommendations for future use of augmented reality in instrumental teaching, and how hubs can effectively conduct future research in the adaptation of new technologies into instrument-teaching contexts. The project is a collaboration between Wiltshire Music Connect, Leicestershire Music, Lincolnshire Music Hub, Norfolk Music Hub and the Royal College of Music. The project was initiated in order to investigate the potential of augmented reality to increase pupil engagement and progress within one-to-one instrumental tuition. The research was carried out between April – July 2023 and worked with 6 experienced piano tutors and 32 beginner piano pupils aged 13-16 over a 10 lesson period. Half of the pupils had access to an AR headset both at home and in lessons. The remaining half undertook traditional lessons without access to AR. Data was gathered from piano tutors, pupils and parents using a mixture of questionnaires, interviews and lesson diaries

New perspectives on the Italian instrumental music renaissance over the long nineteenth century

This commentary presents my submitted publications contextualised in a broader study on the resurgence of Italian instrumental music during the ‘long nineteenth century’. By exploring the socio-political and economic status of the country over the century, my research acknowledges the pivotal role played by the Risorgimento process in shaping the development of a modern Italian musical culture. The research draws upon previously unexamined primary sources, including letters, concert programs, reviews, and a wide range of secondary literature. The commentary begins with a broad introduction examining the historical background, aiming to demonstrate the intrinsic connection between the development of an instrumental musical culture in Italy and the corresponding intellectual and cultural advancements. The commentary then consolidates and develops the research presented in the publications to offer an analysis of prominent Italian cities (Rome, Naples, Bologna, Turin, Milan, and Florence) and their distinctive characteristics. I unveil the diverse responses of each centre (and therefore of different areas of the country) to the challenges posed by the prevailing influence of opera and the political and economic circumstances that allowed the resurgence of instrumental music. I highlight the establishment of pioneering concert and quartet societies in these locations, which served as catalysts for the flourishing of Italian instrumental music. Furthermore, I demonstrate how the reform of school education and conservatories played a crucial role in empowering a new generation of Italian musicians to reclaim and excel in this genre. I throw new light upon those notable Italian composers, particularly Giuseppe Martucci, who played a crucial role in establishing a new and distinct ‘non-operatic’ image within Italian music culture, with a consequent impact in shaping the perception and reception of Italian music on an international scale. The outcomes of this research establish a groundwork for future investigation aimed at offering a more comprehensive overview of instrumental music culture across the Italian peninsula

Sergei Prokofiev

An absorbing, wide-ranging and incisive biography of celebrated composer Sergei Prokofiev. This absorbing, wide-ranging and incisive biography unfolds the life and work of the much-loved twentieth-century composer Sergei Prokofiev, revealing a surprisingly optimistic spirit amidst a tumultuous backdrop of geopolitical chaos and ever-shifting musical landscapes. The narrative weaves through Prokofiev’s intricate existence, depicting a life coloured by pathos and intersecting with a myriad of characters. Christina Guillaumier breathes life into the people and landscapes that shaped Prokofiev’s journey, capturing the unwavering passion of a musical genius whose love for his craft transcended all barriers. This new critical account is a vivid portrait of resilience, offering a fresh perspective on Prokofiev’s indomitable spirit

Bach: the great Toccata [documentary by Daniel Moult]

This video DVD includes spoken contributions by Terence Charlston as a featured contributor and performances of excepts of BWV 565 and other keyboard works by J.S. Bach on harpsichord and pedal clavichord

Online songwriting and postnatal loneliness

Chapter 5 reports on the co-construction, testing, and evaluation of an online songwriting intervention—Songs from Home—that aimed to reduce loneliness and symptoms of postnatal depression (PND) and enhance social connectedness. The chapter describes the co-construction process and key characteristics of the musical practice, as well as evaluation and research findings. The chapter illuminates how Songs from Home can facilitate four goals—comfort and safety, feelings of achievement, connection, and adapting to individuals—and address loneliness, social connectedness, and symptoms of PND among women in the perinatal period. The chapter concludes by noting that Songs from Home was highly recommended by those who participated in it, with the potential for refinement and scale-up

Music making as holistic praxis

The Organizers of Ethno Gatherings are probably the most influential in terms of the kinds of experiences that other attendees - participants, other musicians and local stakeholders - have at the international musical events they organize. In this chapter, we set out the findings from a study to explore the motivations of Ethno Organizers, and how they address the various obligations and responsibilities they have towards their participants, fellow artists, local communities and JM International (JMI) as the host institution. We used a software research tool, Sensemaker, to capture Organizers' stories and the meaning that they attach to those stories through a process known as 'distributed ethnography' (Snowden 2016), where respondents are actively involved in the interpretation of meaning (sense-making). We found that the Organizers of Ethno Gatherings are motivated by often deeply held personal values and beliefs about the transformational potential of participatory music making (musicking), largely as a result of their own formative musical experiences, which may have included previous participation in Ethno events. As well as providing a secure base for transformational identity work in and through music, Organizers enact the leadership responsibilities in a holistic sense, in the facilitation of both musical and 'paramusical' (Stige et al. 2013: 298) outcomes for participants, and these paramusical outcomes are of particular significance in their estimation. Their stories highlight the importance of the experience of communitas - transformational moments of 'collective joy' (Turner 2012) achieved through music making which facilitate deep social bonds - as a way of bridging the social, cultural, linguistic and musical differences which may otherwise prevail at such intercultural events. We conclude that the motivations of Ethno Organizers, while authentically held at a personal level, also benefit from being part of a community of reflective peers facilitated by JMI, representing a discourse of 'ethical praxis' (Elliott, Silverman and Bowman 2016; Regelski 2021) which connects the host institution to its Organizers, and ultimately to its participants. ******* This chapter is available open access at the Official URL given below. ******

Guest editorial: music making and sustainable futures

This Special Issue seeks to build a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding community music and sustainable futures by bringing together research perspectives which illuminate the complexities of this relationship, and the potential of community music to address global challenges of sustainability. In particular, this issue seeks to highlight promising lines of enquiry into this complex subject in order to understand better what attitudinal, ecological, epistemological, ontological and/or methodological shifts might be needed in order to develop a clearer focus on issues of community music and sustainability in future research