Music Research Consortium UK (MRC-UK)

 

 

 

PRESS RELEASE

 

Leaders of professional organisations promoting research in music will gather at the Institute of Musical Research, Senate House, London on Friday 25 October, 2013 at 5pm, for the official launch of the Music Research Consortium UK (MRC-UK).  Invited guests include scholars, industry professionals and policy makers from across the UK.

 

MRC-UK has developed links between eighteen bodies that promote musical research and the exchange of ideas.  It aims to co-ordinate national and international initiatives and responses concerning music research practice and policy on behalf of the participating organisations in order to promote evidence-based policy and practice that draws explicitly on the latest international research.

 

'The establishment of the Music Research Consortium UK is a timely – perhaps overdue – initiative that brings together the highly-varied forms of musical research and gives them a forum for discussion and, when needed, a single voice' (Mark Everist; President, The Royal Musical Association and Convener, MRC-UK).

 

 

 

Note to Editors:

 

·         Mission Statement

·         List of MRC-UK members

·         Website: www.music-research.ac.uk

 

Contact: Dr Evangelos Himonides, SEMPRE Electronic Media Officer, webmaster@sempre.org.uk

 

Mission Statement:

 

MRC-UK aims to:

 

·         Support and promote the scholarly study of music and musical activity in all its forms;

 

·         Promote collaboration between the participating organisations and the wider national and international community in order to enhance understanding and to encourage and support research events, strategy and dissemination;

 

·         Co-ordinate national and international initiatives and responses concerning music research practice and policy on behalf of the participating organisations in order to promote evidence-based policy and practice that draws explicitly on the latest international research;

 

·         Provide practical help to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of communication and collaboration between participating organisations;

 

·         Encourage cross-disciplinary discussion on issues such as ontology, epistemology, theoretical consistency and methodology;

 

·         Develop links with practitioners and professional bodies to promote musical research and the exchange of ideas.

 

 

MRC-UK Members

 

Association for the Study of the Art of Record Production (ASARP)

British Forum for Ethnomusicology (BFE)

British Music Society (representing c40 composer organisations)

British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT)

English Folk Dance and Song Society (EFDSS)

Galpin Society (representing multiple instrument societies)

Institute of Acoustics  (IoA)

International Association for the Study of Popular Music (IASPM) - UK and Ireland

International Association of Music Libraries (IAML) - UK and Ireland

Music and Philosophy Study Group

Music Libraries Trust

National Association for Music in Higher Education (NAMHE)

Plainsong and Medieval Music Society (PMMS)

Répertoire International de Littérature Musicale (RILM UK)

Répertoire International des Sources Musicales (RISM UK)

Royal Musical Association (RMA)

Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research (SEMPRE)

Society for Music Analysis (SMA)

Sound and Music

 

Alberta Choral Federation Newsletter

Friday, September 20, 2013

Music Conference Alberta

 1-2 November 2013 | Sheraton Red Deer

Music Conference Alberta is Alberta's premier conference for music educators.  Co-presented by the Alberta Choral Federation, the Alberta Band Association, and the Alberta Music Education Foundation, the conference includes sessions designed for elementary music teachers, choral conductors, band directors, and studio instructors.

KEYNOTE PRESENTER | Rhonda Draper

CHORAL & ELEMENTARY MUSIC EDUCATION SESSIONS INCLUDE:

Choral sessions with Jing Ling-Tam, including Treasure Chest of Quick Fixes and Tone Up and Tune Up

The Composer's Perspective: Commissioning and the Compositional Process with composers Sarah Quartel, Jeff Enns, and David MacIntyre (presented in collaboration with Cantilon Choirs)

Elementary music education and children's choir sessions with Judy Pearson Hafso, including Frameword for a Lesson: Establishing Routines in the Classroom and My Students' Playlist: Favourite Songs for Activities for K-5

Let Your Heart Soar: Composition in the Elementary Classroom with Sarah Quartel

Reading sessions | Mixed Choir, Treble Choir, Canadian Music, French-Canadian Music

Demonstration session with the Alberta Youth Choir and Robert Filion

OTHER CONFERENCE EVENTS INCLUDE:

MCA Gala Concert featuring the Alberta Youth Choir and Alberta Honour Band

MCA Choral Concert featuring Belle Canto Women's Ensemble (Heather Johnson and Elaine Myhre, conductors) and the Calgary Girls Choir (Elaine Quilichini, conductor)

MCA Awards Banquet with performance by The PreTenors

 ONLINE REGISTRATION
Early bird deadline is Friday, 4 October 2013

>> http://www.albertachoralfederation.ca/musicconferencealberta.asp

 

Alberta Children's Choir

The Alberta Children's Choir provides an opportunity for children between the ages of 10 and 15 from across the province to pursue excellence in choral music under the direction of a renowned choral conductor. Conductors and teachers from across the province are encouraged to recommend their best singers to participate in this choir.

SAVE THE DATES!

EDMONTON
30 January-1 February 2013

*NEW*
CALGARY
7-9 February 2013

 

>> http://www.albertachoralfederation.ca/honour_choir.asp

 

Choralfest 2014

Choralfest is Alberta's non-competitive festival for choirs. All choirs participate in an adjudicated on-stage performance, in an off-stage workshop with one of the festival's renowned evaluators, and are assigned an in-audience observation time to listen to and learn from the performances and adjudications of other choirs. Audio and video recordings are made of each performance.

Choralfest welcomes the participation of choirs of all ages and levels of experience. In the adjudication and workshop, the emphasis is placed on the continued encouragement, education and development of the individual choir.

Choralfest North 2014 | Edmonton
Concert Choirs | 6-8 March • McDougall United Church
Evaluators | Dr. Adam Jonathan Con (California, USA) • Teri Dunn (Toronto, ON) • Anne Gardner (Calgary, AB)

Vocal Jazz Ensembles | 10-11 March • MacEwan University Alberta College Campus, Muttart Hall
Evaluator | Christine, Guter (California, USA)

Choralfest South 2014 | Calgary
Concert Choirs | 15-19 March • Knox United Church
Evaluators | Dr. Doug Dunsmore (St. John's, NL) • Valerie Long (St. John's, NL) • Carrie Tennant (Vancouver, BC)

Vocal Jazz Ensembles | 12-13 March • Webber Academy Performing Arts Centre
Evaluator | Christine, Guter (California, USA)

REGISTER ONLINE
Registration opens 1 October 2013.

>> http://www.albertachoralfederation.ca/choralfest.asp

 

National Youth Choir Auditions

4-19 May 2014 | Nova Scotia and the Maritime Provinces

A project of the Association of Canadian Choral Communities, the National Youth Choir (NYC) is a professional development program for Canada's best emerging choral singers. Singers between 18 and 25 are auditioned every two years, with up to 4 singers chosen from each province and territory. NYC conductors are selected by a panel of their peers. The NYC convenes in a different region every two years, in association with Podium, Canada's national biennial choral conference and festival. After a week-long rehearsal camp, the NYC embarks on a regional tour.

Auditions for Alberta choristers are now open! Visit the National Youth Choir page on the Alberta Choral Federation website for details.

Audition deadline: Friday, 1 November 2013, 11:59 p.m.

 

Concert Listings

Alberta-wide choral concert listings

Calgary choral concert listings

Edmonton choral concert listings

Remember to submit your concert listings for the 2012-2013 season to the ACF. Please include the following information:

concert date(s) and time(s)
name of choir(s)
name of concert
concert venue
brief concert description (optional)
ticket information

This information will be included in Quires as well as on our website and in future ACF e-notes. Concert information can be sent to info@albertachoralfederation.ca.

>> http://www.albertachoralfederation.ca/concerts.asp

Music SIG - Tuesday 26 November, 1-2pm

Music Education Special Interest Group

Research Seminar Announcement


Imperatives and Challenges for Popular Music Education in Mainland China

Professor Wai-Chung Ho, Hong Kong Baptist University, Hong Kong

Tuesday 26th November 2013

1-2pm

Room: tbc

Further details from Lucy Green, l.green2@ioe.ac.uk

All are welcome

Since the 1990s mainland China's modernisation and globalisation,
together with its transition to a market economy, have created new
imperatives for, and challenges to the school curriculum. Many reforms
have been initiated to improve the quality of basic education in
China, including areas such as the school curriculum, material
incentives, teachers' professional development, and students' personal
interests. As a result, the 2011 reform of the Curriculum Standards
for Primary Education and Junior Secondary Education mark the first
time that the school curriculum has officially included popular songs.
With particular reference to Beijing and Shanghai, this empirical
study explores Chinese adolescents' popular music preferences in their
daily lives, and to what extent and in what ways they prefer learning
popular music, rather than more traditional music curricula, in
schools. Data were drawn from questionnaires completed by 2,971
students in Beijing, 1,730 secondary students in Shanghai, interviews
with 55 students in Beijing and 60 Shanghai students between 2011 and
2012. The findings can be interpreted as indicating that music and
music education, whether in formal or informal settings, are complex
cultural constructs that are reinvented through the intertwined
interplay between different actors' preferred musical styles in their
multileveled cultural world. This study examines the challenges that
mainland China faces concerning the promotion of popular music in
school music education, by moving beyond oppositions between culture
and power, tradition and modernity, the global and the national, and
the pedagogical issues resulting from the introduction of popular
music in contemporary China's education.


Wai-Chung Ho completed her PhD in music education at the Institute of
Education, University of London, in 1996. She is a professor in the
Department of Music at Hong Kong Baptist University. Her research
interests are the sociology of music, school music education, and the
comparative study of East Asian music education. Her research has
focused on inter-linked areas of development, education policy and
reform in school education, as well as values in education across
school curricula in Chinese countries, including mainland China, Hong
Kong and Taiwan. Wai-Chung is a frequent contributor to leading
international research journals in education, music education and
cultural studies, and has been published in journals such as the
British Journal of Music Education, British Journal of Educational
Technology, International Journal of Music Education, and Music
Education Research. Her book, School Music Education and Social Change
in Mainland China, Hong Kong and Taiwan (Brill, 2011) examines recent
reforms and innovations in school music education within these
changing Chinese societies, and compares, from a sociopolitical
perspective, how music education in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Taipei has
adjusted to the forces of globalisation, localization and
Sinofication. In addition, Wai-Chung has examined pedagogical issues
concerning the introduction of popular music in contemporary
education, as well as the unique challenges facing mainland China's
promotion of popular music in school music education.

Best wishes
Trijntje on behalf of Lucy Green.
Administrator
Institute of Education
Tel 020 7612 6346

Call for Papers - 22nd European Association for Music Conference

Call for papers: European Association for Music in Schools

Submissions are invited for the 22nd European Association for Music in
Schools Conference which will be hosted by the Cyprus Music Institute
and the Department of Music and Dance of the University of Nicosia.

Invited Speakers
-Dr Lucy Green, Professor in Music Education, Institute of Education,
UK -Dr Mary Koutselini, Professor of Curriculum and Instruction,
University of Cyprus, Cyprus UNESCO's chair holder in Gender Equality
and Empowerment -Dr Adam Ockelford, Professor of Music Director,
Applied Music Research Centre, University of Roehampton, UK

The conference aims to gather together an array of international
scholars, researchers, graduate students, teachers and practitioners
to discuss democracy, diversity and inclusiveness in the context of
music education in schools.
europe
In practice, we sometimes fail to appreciate our students as a diverse
group, instead expecting a more or less homogeneous way of
understanding everything that is taught in relation to the theoretical
skills of their age group as defined by developmental psychology or to
abstract curriculum achievement standards determined by experts. Under
such circumstances, we risk delivering an idealized and pre-set
curriculum to all students, without considering the students'
differences, peculiarities, experiences, preferences. But is it
democratic to teach each student the same way, with standardized
activities, listening material and objectives, simply on the basis of
their common age?

The conference seeks to encourage and stimulate discussion in regards
to questions like:
What do we mean by "music education for all"? Who are our learners?
What are their needs? What obstacles do they face in their learning
and how do we deal with these? How about our students' musical
preferences or musical background? What is their view of Music as a
school subject and what is their involvement in outside school music
activities? What do they value in music? How do we maximize the
learning opportunities and participation of all our learners?

Proposals are invited for a) Research Papers (20 min), b) Good
practice/ educational experience papers or project report (20 min), c)
Workshops (60 or 90 min), or d) Posters.


Criteria for acceptance: original, well conducted and reported work,
clearly focused, well structured, related to the conference theme,
relevant to international audience in the field of music education,
demonstrating sufficient command of the English language.
a. For a research paper: a clear rationale and context for the
research question, theoretical background, methods and main findings
b. For a good practice/educational experience paper or project report:
a clear description of the context and main purposes, applications for
music education c. For a workshop: a clear description of the
background information and main purposes, content and skills during
the workshop, through hands-on activities d. For a poster: as for
spoken papers

Submissions may be in the form of:
Abstracts should not exceed 300 words, indicating the format of the
proposal and mentioning at least three keywords. Submit in the same
file a short curriculum vitae (max. 100 words).

Please download the submission form from the conference web site.
Submit proposal forms by email to the EAS.

Deadline for submissions: 30 November 2013

Submitted proposals will be peer-reviewed by an international
scientific committee. Applicants will be notified of the committee's
decision via email, by January 10, 2013.

Conference fee Early bird (Payment before 15 March 2014) €160
Late payment €190

You are required to be a member of EAS to join the conference.

Conference fee and membership fee (25 euro for individuals and 100
euro for institutions) can be paid at the same time. For details,
please check the conference website.

For more information please contact Dr Natassa Economidou Stavrou,
chair of the organizing committee, at economidou.eas2014@unic.ac.cy

Call for musicians for Music for Health

LIME Music for Health is recruiting three Apprentice musicians to take part in our Youth Music funded Medical Notes Programme at Royal Manchester Children's hospital, starting in November 2013.

This is a unique opportunity for professional musicians at graduate level or equivalent with initial experience of working in health and/or social care settings to evolve to a level of independent professional practice, supported by a team of Mentors and Experts. Musicians of all musical styles and backgrounds are welcome to apply.

A description of the programme with a brief for applicants and application guidelines can be accessed by visiting our Blog

http://musicforhealth.wordpress.com/2013/09/09/call-for-apprentice-musicians/

If you need us to email you a copy then please contact us at dawn@limeart.org

The deadline for applications is midnight Monday 23 September.

Thanks in advance for any help,

Holly
LIME Music for Health

SEMPRE Conference: Music and Empathy + Student Study Day

Music and Empathy (+ student study day)

SEMPRE Conference: Music and Empathy

• University of Hull
• Date: 9 November 2013
• Abstract Submission Deadline: Friday 16 August 2013
• Call for papers

Student Study Day

• University of Hull
• 8th November 2013
• Organisers: Sarah Mawby and Caroline Waddington
• Call for papers

This one-day SEMPRE conference hosted by the University of Hull will include invited presentations, a specialist workshop and selected submissions from researchers on the theme of music and empathy. In recent years there has been a growing interest in empathy in the fields of a variety of contexts, including education and development, emotion, expressiveness, and performance. This conference seeks to draw together current research from a range of areas, and to encourage and stimulate discussion on research in music and empathy.

submission information

Contributions are welcome from researchers at all levels and are particularly encouraged from postgraduate students. Submissions should show how the topic relates to the conference theme. Accepted submissions will be broadly organised into themes and presentations will be chaired by leading researchers. Please send abstracts for spoken presentations (200 words) by email to Caroline Waddington (contact details below) by Friday 16 August 2013.

contact details

For further information, please contact:

• Caroline Waddington
• Department of Drama & Music
• University of Hull
• Hull, HU6 7RX
• United Kingdom
• Email: C.E.Waddington@2011.hull.ac.uk

Fwd: Marie Curie Research fellowships: CogNovo

APOLOGIES IN ADVANCE FOR ANY CROSS-POSTING!
Please find details below of 14 Marie-Curie funded Research
Fellowships and 12 Plymouth University funded PhD studentships, as
part of the newly announced Marie Curie Initial training Network
"CogNovo".
All the best
Lucy
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Marie Curie Early Career Research Fellowships (PhD): 14 positions
Cognition Institute | Plymouth University
Closing date for applications: 12 noon, 30 November 2013

Fixed term 36 months, starting 1st April 2014

The CogNovo project is offering fourteen early career research fellowships.
CogNovo is an Innovative Doctoral Programme funded by the EU Marie
Curie initiative and Plymouth University to foster research in the
emerging field of Cognitive Innovation. CogNovo offers
transdisciplinary research training that combines scientific studies
of the neural correlates and mechanisms of creativity, with
investigations into the role of creativity in human cognition, and
their application in sustainable technological and social innovation.
Selected candidates will be registered for a comprehensive PhD
programme that includes specialised research on specific topics, as
well as training workshops covering experimental methods, cognitive
neuroscience, computational modelling, humanities and human values,
experimental psychology, creative arts, cognitive robotics and
entrepreneurship. CogNovo also offers secondment opportunities to
academic and commercial partners across the world.
Candidates should apply for specific projects, indicating their top 3 choices.
For further details of CogNovo and the research projects available,
please see: www.cognovo.eu. Application forms are available for
download from the website.
Eligibility: Marie Curie funding is intended to promote mobility of
early career researchers within the research community; candidates are
only eligible for these posts if they have not been resident within
the UK for more than 12 months within the 3 years prior to 1 April
2104.
An excellent 1st degree, good verbal and written communication skills
in English, and an interest in multi-disciplinary research are
essential. Specific educational prerequisites vary and are indicated
in the project web-pages. More information on individual projects can
be found on the CogNovo Projects Page.
Salary: from £35,000, including living and mobility allowance.
Applicants should send a completed application form along with a
covering letter detailing their suitability for the studentship, C.V.
and 2 academic references to Catherine Johnson, Faculty of Science and
Technology Research Office, Room A425, Portland Square, Plymouth PL4
8AA or e-mail catherine.johnson@plymouth.ac.uk.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plymouth University Research Studentships (PhD): 12 positions
Cognition Institute | Plymouth University
Closing date for applications: 12 noon, 30 November 2013

Fixed term 36 months, starting 1st April 2014

Twelve University-funded PhD positions are available on the CogNovo project.
CogNovo is an Innovative Doctoral Programme funded by the EU Marie
Curie initiative and Plymouth University to foster research in the
emerging field of Cognitive Innovation. CogNovo offers
transdisciplinary research training that combines scientific studies
of the neural correlates and mechanisms of creativity, with
investigations into the role of creativity in human cognition, and
their application in sustainable technological and social innovation.
Selected candidates will be registered for a comprehensive PhD
programme that includes specialised research on specific topics, as
well as training workshops covering experimental methods, cognitive
neuroscience, computational modelling, humanities and human values,
experimental psychology, creative arts, cognitive robotics and
entrepreneurship. CogNovo also offers secondment possibilities to
academic and commercial partners across the world.
Candidates should apply for specific projects, indicating their top 3 choices.
For further details of CogNovo and the research projects available,
please see: www.cognovo.eu. Application forms are available for
download from the website.
Eligibility: An excellent 1st degree, good verbal and written
communication skills in English, and an interest in multi-disciplinary
research are essential. Specific educational prerequisites vary and
are indicated in the project web-pages. More information on individual
projects can be found on the CogNovo Projects Page.
These positions are open to all UK and EU citizens with appropriate
qualifications. Applicants who are normally required to pay overseas
fees may also apply, but will have to cover the difference between the
Home/EU and the overseas tuition fee rates (approximately £9,790 per
annum). For more details on university studentships, please visit
www.plymouth.ac.uk/postgraduate.
University studentships include full Home/EU tuition fees plus a
stipend of £13, 726 per annum.

Submitting an application: Applicants should send a completed
application form along with a covering letter detailing their
suitability for the studentship, C.V. and 2 academic references to
Catherine Johnson, Faculty of Science and Technology Research Office,
Room A425, Portland Square, Plymouth PL4 8AA or e-mail
catherine.johnson@plymouth.ac.uk.

Shortlisted candidates will be invited for interview in
January/February 2014. We regret that we may not be able to respond to
all applications. Applicants who have not received an offer of a
place by March 2014 should consider their application has been
unsuccessful on this occasion.

Dr Lucy Davies
Cognition Institute
Room A222, Portland Square
Ext: 84920

Website:
http://www1.plymouth.ac.uk/research/cognition/Pages/default.aspx

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