Institute for the Study of the Americas’ Post

#musicology is a field of study that rarely makes headlines. Like its sister #ethnomusicology, it combines the study of music with that of history, philosophy, literature, and culture. When #musicians at any level study musicology, they gain a better sense of who they are as artists and as human beings. For an institution with a unique cultural position, such as #Brandeis, to cut such a program is a great mistake. https://lnkd.in/dTUMZdUe

Sounding Together: Collaborative Perspectives on U.S. Music in the 21st Century - OA PDF: https://lnkd.in/gWbmASwq Sounding Together: Collaborative Perspectives on U.S. Music in the Twenty-21st Century is a multi-authored, collaboratively conceived book of essays that tackles key challenges facing scholars studying music of the United States in the early twenty-first century. This book encourages scholars in music circles and beyond to explore the intersections between social responsibility, community engagement, and academic practices through the simple act of working together. The book’s essays—written by a diverse and cross-generational group of scholars, performers, and practitioners—demonstrate how collaboration can harness complementary skills and nourish comparative boundary-crossing through interdisciplinary research. The chapters of the volume address issues of race, nationalism, mobility, cultural domination, and identity; as well as the crisis of the Trump era and the political power of music. Each contribution to the volume is written collaboratively by two scholars, bringing together contributors who represent a mix of career stages and positions. Through the practice of and reflection on collaboration, Sounding Together breaks out of long-established paradigms of solitude in humanities scholarship and works toward social justice in the study of music. #SociologyofMusic #Music #MusicalCollaboration #AmericanMusicScene #PopMusic #FolkMusic #RockNRoll #Identity #Nationalism #mobiity #Race #class

🎵 Economists Talk Art 🎶 Expertise vs. Public Opinion: Unveiling Insights from Classical Music Competitions New research by Roberto Asmat , Karol J. Borowiecki, and Marc T. Law  delves into the fascinating world of international classical music competitions. Their study, published in the Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization, reveals intriguing differences between expert jurors and layperson audiences. Key findings? Experts and audiences often disagree, with experts showing biases in judgments based on gender and nationality. Surprisingly, audiences may have a knack for identifying future musical stars. This study challenges our perceptions of expertise in cultural evaluation and prompts a broader conversation about the validity of expert judgments in the arts. Dive into the full article here: https://lnkd.in/eSZ_TYRq #CulturalEvaluation #Expertise #ClassicalMusic #ArtsResearch #MusicCompetitions #Bias #ArtsAndHumanities

✏️ For September, I was proud to partner with Dr. Lauren Reynolds, Associate Professor of Music and Director of Concert Bands at the University of Delaware School of Music, to co-author this article on the important topic of empathy in our classrooms. Although the article is based on music education, its ideas could be applied to any subject area. Consider how you, as a leader, foster connections with students and colleagues, encourage peer connection, and model these behaviors. ❤️ Read the full article to guide your planning, preparation, and pride this academic year: https://lnkd.in/ei8WkZ5u

"This position will be assigned a rank of Librarian 3 $(70,000 - $118,000) or Librarian 4 ($77,400 - $130,900)." . . . . . #job #jobalert #jobannouncement #hiring #digitallibrary #digitalcollections #metadata #metadatamanagement #specialcollections #library #libraries #archives #archivist #digitalarchivist #music #musiclibrarian #musiclibrary #borndigital #digitization

Exhibit A in the talent argument is a study done in the early 1990s by the psychologist K.Anders Ericsson and two colleagues at berlin’s elite Academy of Music. With the help of the academy’s professors, they divided the school’s violinists into three groups. In the first group were the stars, the students with the potential to become world class soloists. In the third were students who were unlikely to ever play professionally and who intended to be music teachers in the public school system. All of the violinists were then asked the same question: over the course of your entire career, ever since you first picked up the violin, how many hours have you practiced? Everyone from all three groups started playing at roughly the same age, around five years old. In those first few years, everyone practiced roughly the same amount, about two or three hours a week. But when the students were around the age of eight, real differences started to emerge. The students who end up the best in their class began to practice more than everyone else: six hours a week by age nine, eight hours a week by age twelve, sixteen hours a week by age fourteen, and up and up, until by the age of twenty they were practicing that is, purposefully and single mindedly playing their instruments with the intent to get better well over thirty hours a week. In fact, by the age of twenty, the elite performers had each totaled ten thousand hours of practice. By contrast, the merely good students had totaled eight thousand hours, and the future music teachers had totaled just over four thousand hours. #the_10000_Hour_Rule #Part_one #Opportunity #Outliers #Malcolm_Gladwell

At the same time, our initial user study of one of the mentioned projects will appear at the Singapore 2024 IEEE Conference on Artificial Intelligence this summer! The next technical paper will show more technical details beyond user research, so let's look forward to seeing how AI integrates with music:) 😁

Thanks Evelyn and NCACE for the opportunity to write this blog!

This #PrideMonth, we celebrate the vibrant diversity of our music community. Let's continue to foster acceptance and love for all 🌈 Here are 4 Ways to Foster an Inclusive Classroom ➡ Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/eWDjbVn5 🎵 Diverse Repertoire: Including music from various cultures, genres, and historical periods. This not only broadens students’ musical exposure but also allows them to see their own cultures represented. 🌎 Cultural Context: Teaching the historical and cultural background of music pieces. This helps students understand the broader context of the music they are learning. 🎤 Student Voice: Encouraging students to share their musical interests and experiences. This can lead to more engaged learning and a sense of ownership in their musical education. 💭 Critical Discussions: Facilitating conversations about how social issues intersect with music, such as exploring how different artists have used music as a form of social commentary. By integrating these elements in curriculum development, music educators can create a curriculum that not only educates but also empowers students by honoring their diverse identities. #TMEA #InclusiveEducation #DiversityInMusic

Bardzo inspirująca inicjatywa! "What happens when young composers set research about the Baltic Sea to music? What does it sound like when musicians play to the graphs that underwater robot scientists use? How does research on the Great Hornbill sound? Or a water shortage on Öland? Research meets classical music in the Baltic Sea Festival’s experimental melting pot Baltic Sea Festival Science Lab, where nine young researchers and nine young composers met in workshops and shaped research about the Baltic Sea and sustainability in a completely new way in the three performances Sense of Place, Emergence and One Health." https://lnkd.in/dH-_bUKk