The Study of Musical Experiences: Perception and Diversity

» Link to International Music Research School 2018

Since its inception in 2010, the Grieg Research School has provided an interdisciplinary learning environment for researchers involved in music based studies, with an emphasis on knowledge through, as well as knowledge of, interdisciplinarity. GRS courses aim to stimulate dialogue between disciplines, emphasizing the development of reflective and critical thinking. The Autumn 2017 course, hosted by University of Bergen, continues this work with research presentations from the fields of neuroscience, performance, musicology and music education.

The course begins with a focus on musicology with presentations on the musical experiences of people living in exile, and the transformation of the experience of popular music as it has been “gentrified” by inclusion in academic contexts. Day two focuses on current research in the field of neuroscience, including how interdisciplinary research into the “musical brain” may help us better understand the positive effects of some musical experiences, and how we might account for the pleasures of musical listening. Presenters on day three draw on the fields of phenomenology and artistic research, with presentations on children´s perceptions of singing, and the performative experience of musical expressivity.   

The course will include discussion of the broader questions raised by the presentations, such as what is the relationship between musical perception and musical experience? How do studies of musical perception and experience cohere or contradict each other? How do increasingly varied definitions of what counts as a musical experience affect the way research is undertaken in different fields? Are some musical experiences considered central where others are marginalised? How are issues of normalcy, diversity and difference in musical perception and experience addressed in different disciplines and research paradigms?

Central to the course are presentations of project work by Ph.D candidates and Artistic Research fellows. All presentations will receive feedback from both senior researchers and peers. There will be a prøvedisputas on the final day of the program. 

Invited speakers/presenters include:

• Dr. Katie Overy (University of Edinburgh)
• Prof. Tom Solomon (University of Bergen)
• Prof. Petter Dyndahl (Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences)
• Prof. Karsten Specht (University of Bergen)
• Ass. Prof. Sven-Erik Holgersen (Aarhus University)
• Prof. Einar Røttingen (University of Bergen)

Preliminary Viva Voce (Prøvedisputas)

Candidate: Oded Ben-Horin (HVL/UiB)
Opponent: Ass. Prof. Sven-Erik Holgersen (Aarhus University)

Improvising the bridge: A study of improvisational teaching practices in trans-disciplinary educational contexts.