SIMM-posium 5: Brussels (2020)-2021

Introduction and welcome by Lukas Pairon (founding director SIMM, BE) 

Keynote ‘Rethinking Social Action Through Music’ 

by Geoffrey Baker (Royal Holloway University, UK)

followed by an exchange with SIMM-president John Sloboda

and a Q&A with audience attending the session

(you can find the recording of the session here on YouTube!)

Session 1: Research on what motivates musicians to become active in social music projects, their experiences and needs (1):

chair: An de Bisschop (University College Ghent, BE)

(you can find the recording of the session here on YouTube!)

• • John Sloboda (SIMM / Guildhall School of Music & Drama, UK): ‘The SIMM-supported International Comparative Project on practitioners’ contexts, work, and beliefs: an overview of progress to date’ (research in UK, Finland, Colombia and Belgium)  

• • Filip Verneert (LUCA School of Art Leuven, BE): ’Improvisation for all! How a participatory music project can inspire formal music education’ (research in Belgium)

• • Kate Wareham (University of Sheffield, UK): ’Choir with No Name, a charity who run choirs for homeless people in the UK’ (research in UK)

Session 2: Research on music in detention (1):

chair: John Speyer (Music in Detention, UK)

(you can find the recording of the session here on YouTube!)

• • Silke Marynissen (Vrije Universiteit Brussel, BE) & Flore Croux (Vrije Universiteit Brussel & Ghent University, BE): ’The connecting power of music for prisoners from various nationalities, ethnic and religious backgrounds’ (research in Belgium)
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    The connecting power of music for prisoners from various nationalities, ethnic and religious backgrounds

    Belgium has a considerable number of foreign nationals among their prison population. In 2018, 44.6% of the prisoners had a foreign nationality, which outnumbers the European average of 22.1%. Previous research demonstrates that although foreign national prisoners have the same participation rights as national prisoners, in practice they have less opportunities to participate in prison activities (e.g. (socio-) cultural activities, education, and vocational training), partly due to language barriers. One goal of the FIP2-project (Foreigners’ Involvement and Participation in Prison) is to investigate which prison activities are available to and accessible by foreign national prisoners. 17 individual interviews have been conducted with activity coordinators of all Flemish and Brussels prisons. In addition, 51 foreign national prisoners out of four prisons across Flanders have been interviewed. The findings of the thematic analysis suggest that making music functions as a medium to increase foreign national prisoners’ participation possibilities in prison. Music has the potential to connect prisoners with various nationalities, ethnic and religious backgrounds. Different music projects have been developed and implemented in prisons to realize this, from organising a multicultural week with music workshops from different parts of the world, to setting up a singing atelier with an exclusive Gregorian repertoire.
  • Ailbhe Kenny (Mary Immaculate College, University of Limerick, IE): ’Seeking new ways: Music facilitation within asylum seeker accomodation’ (research in Ireland)
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    ’Seeking new ways: Music facilitation within asylum seeker accomodation

    Shared, temporary accommodation settings for those seeking asylum set new working contexts for music facilitators and teachers. In Ireland, recent research has shown that music is happening informally within asylum seeker centres; particularly listening to music, dancing to music and singing songs (Kenny, 2018; 2021). However, there are limited supports and
    structures in place for facilitating music making within these centres. Furthermore, contextual and systemic difficulties abound. An exploration of a group singing project within six asylum seeker centres in Ireland is presented with a focus on the experiences of the four choral facilitators involved. Each of the facilitators maintained a reflective log throughout the project and conversations during professional development workshops document group discussions around key issues. While the facilitators adopted flexible and responsive ways of working, this was not always an easy process for them. The data reveals some struggles the facilitators had negotiating new ways of working that actively involved the singers in the process. This often challenged their previous experiences and knowledge of learning relationships and choral facilitation. The findings therefore inform research, policy and practice, important for the design and delivery of projects that seek to engage marginalised communities in meaningful ways.
  • Alessandro Mazzola (Guildhall School of Music, UK): « I like it but that’s not what we need » – A critical analysis of participatory music projects in refugee reception centres’ (research in Belgium)
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    « I like it but that’s not what we need » - A critical analysis of participatory music projects in refugee reception centres

    The 2015-18 refugee reception crisis featured strong humanitarian engagement and political mobilization of the European civil society. Organizations and engaged citizens played a key role in integrating the field practices of the state-mandated actors in charge of the reception and accommodation of asylum seekers. In many instances, the civil society represented the sole provider of services oriented towards the sociocultrual integration and the physical and psychological wellbeing of newcomers asylum seekers.
    Artistic practices were often employed by civil society actors to establish ties and relationships with newcomers. Practitioners, artists and culture professionals, indeed, designed and carried out participatory projects based on performing arts involving asylum seekers. The principles that motivated such activity revolved around the idea that being involved in the arts would help participants to relieve from post-traumatic stress, cope with gruelling wait and uncertainty for their asylum application, and ultimately get back to a normal life.
    I draw on ethnographic fieldwork conducted during the refugee reception crisis to critically discuss the impact of music-based participatory projects involving the residents of collective reception centres in Belgium. I argue that the principles motivating these projects, as well as the initial and final outcomes intended by practitioners (non-migrants), are often not shared by participants (migrants) who have different priorities, motivations and objectives. Although often positive, the impact of such projects is thus unrelated to the nature of the proposed activities,
    and springs from random contextual factors. I conclude by providing some recommendations to be adopted in the design and implementation of art-based projects in the specific context of collective reception centres.

 Session 3: Research on music in detention (2):

chair: Mary Cohen (University of Iowa, US)

(you can find the recording of the session here on YouTube!)

• • panel ‘Music-making in prisons: deepening our awareness of inequality and motivating society to radically overhaul injustices’ with presentations by Kirstin Anderson (University of the West of Scotland), Natalie Betts (Music and Creative Arts Lecturer, HMP Portland Music Instructor, UK), Catherine Birch (York St John University Prison Partnership Project & Singing and Songwriting with Women, UK),  Laura Caufield (University of Wolverhampton, UK), Cláudio Cerqueira Mendes (Federal University of Bahia, Brazil, Mary Cohen (University of Iowa, US), Dirk Proost (IN/OUT & Escape through Art, BE, and Annette Ziegenmeyer (University of Wuppertal, DE)
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Session 4: Research on intercultural social music projects (1):

chair: John Sloboda (Guildhall School of Music and Drama, UK)

(you can find the recording of the session here on YouTube!)

• • Kim Boeskov (Aarhus University Kopenhagen, DK): ‘Exploring ethical dilemmas in intercultural music-making (and research) in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon’ (research in Lebanon)
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    Exploring ethical dilemmas in intercultural music-making (and research) in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon

    Research on the social impact of music making often involves collaboration between academics from the Global North and NGOs from the Global South providing musical (and possibly other) services to participants in precarious social and political circumstances. However, ethical dilemmas may arise in such intersectional and cross-cultural collaborations due to the varying objectives, obligations and ways of working of the organizations involved. This presentation discusses such dilemmas in connection to a community music program in a Palestinian refugee camp in Lebanon involving intercultural music activities conducted in partnership between Norwegian and Palestinian NGOs. Studies of this particular music program have pointed to a range of positive outcomes for the Palestinian participants but also illuminated some complex and politically sensitive issues that require careful ethical consideration on behalf of the researcher. Reflecting on this particular case, this presentation points to the need for researchers involved in musical-social work to engage conscientiously with such questions in order to ensure high quality, relevant and ethically sound research.
  • Frank Heuser (UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music, University of California, US): ’Creating and re-conceptualizing values and purpose in music education’ (research in USA)
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    Creating and re-conceptualizing values and purpose in music education

          Frank Heuser (UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music / University of California) first presents the research, and then Kelsey Smith (Young Musicians Foundation) and Emily Kubitskey (Global Arts Corporation) join the panel discussion chaired by John Sloboda.The Los Angeles based Young Musician’s Foundation (YMF) was originally established to provide high quality orchestral training at a time when the region lacked elite educational opportunities. However the philanthropic community supporting YMF became increasingly aware that future musicians must move beyond just performance and engage in artistic citizenship. and now provides young musicians with experiences in outreach, mentorship, organization building and community integration that are central to establishing a 21st century career. This change in focus from the original mission and is helping future musicians acquire social and ethical dispositions essential to responsible artistic practice and enabling the organization to evolve in ways that better serve a society undergoing profound social and political shifts.
    Global Arts (GA) is a newly formed organization that offers a nurturing and inspiring environment to underserved members of the El Salvadoran communities in Los Angeles. GA focuses on the continual growth and education of both students and educators. By providing access to exceptional programs in musical excellence, educational psychology, and creativity in the arts, GA empowers participants to promote educational equity and advance social change within their own communities through music and the arts.
    This presentation examines how these two non-profit arts education organizations are developing and/or redefining programs to meet the needs of changing communities. Both seek to create authentic and responsive relationships with communities by engaging students, families and other participants through music education in the service of social justice, community engagement and equity building.
    Frank Heuser  (fheuser@ucla.edu) is Professor of Music Education and Director of the UCLA Music Teacher Preparation Program (UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music / University of California, Los Angeles, US). Info: https://admission.ucla.edu/apply/transfer/deciding-on-major/major-preparation-musicKelsey Smith (kelsey@ymf.org) is Program Director of the Young Musicians Foundation (Los Angeles, US). Info: https://ymf.orgEmily Kubitskey (emilykubitskey@gmail.com) is CEO and Executive Director of the Global Arts Corporation (Los Angeles, US). Info: https://archive.la2050.org/global-arts-corporation
  • Sean Prieske (Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, DE): ‘No music in times of covid-19? Challenges and chances in music work with refugees in Berlin’ (research in Germany)
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    No music in times of covid-19? Challenges and chances in music work with refugees in Berlin

    The worldwide Covid-19 pandemic hit musicians and music initiatives in all countries. Working with refugees as teachers as well as participants in Germany’s capital, I had to face numerous last-minute restrictions in my music work. The project ‘Musikraum FRITZ’ in a refugee accommodation run by the German Red Cross had to be closed for several months. Concurrently, the circumstances of the pandemic also offered some new chances: the money giving organisation of my project extended its funding and the project ‘Heartcore for Home’, which was meant to take place in Brazil, started a local cooperation instead of going to South America.
    In my presentation I try to reflect the impact of the pandemic on my music work with refugees in Berlin. Seeing this as an ongoing process, I will shine little spotlights on themes like medical advices for musicians (Spahn, Richter 2020), Berlin pandemic laws and Red Cross regulations. The analysis of these recent factors also aims to show chances for the future of social music work under the influence of virus spreads and tightened hygiene regulations.
  • Alexandra Lamont (Keel University, UK): ‘Instrumental journeys: how donating musical instruments impacts on identity and wellbeing’ (research in UK)
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    Instrumental journeys: how donating musical instruments impacts on identity and wellbeing

    Access to musical opportunities, and specifically musical instruments, is vital to help people achieve their musical potential, and also brings social and cultural benefits. However, for many such access is not readily available. We report evidence from interviews with people who have donated instruments to different charitable schemes intended to benefit children, young people and adults in a range of different musical contexts. Different types of donor motivations are uncovered, from the practical (frequently guitarists with ‘too many guitars’, but also other instrumentalists and teachers with spare capacity) to the highly personal (such as donations post-bereavement). Most donors waited to identify a suitable scheme to donate to, with altruistic and social benefits at the forefront of their decisions, and many from positions of relative privilege appreciated the potential to connect with the eventual recipient or hear more about the schemes that provide musical opportunities around the world. Musical identity was a key aspect of the decision-making process, and the idea that a donation could provide a worthwhile legacy was a clear theme. We suggest how fundraising and charitable schemes for enabling access to music and bridging between the more and less privileged could position themselves to elicit more support.

Session 5: Research on intercultural social music projects (2):

chair: Brydie-Leigh Bartleet (Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre,Griffith University, AU)

(you can find the recording of the session here on YouTube!)

• • Jane W. Davidson, Alexander Crooke, Mariko Hara and Trisnasari Fraser (University of Melbourne, AU) and Tia DeNora (University of Exeter, UK): ‘Fractured bonds and intersectional capital: the impact of social distancing on artists’ social networks’ (research in Australia, UK and Norway)
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    Fractured bonds and intersectional capital: the impact of social distancing on artists

    As COVID-19 spread in early 2020, much of the world went into lockdown. For millions, mandatory protective equipment, being confined to your home, and having no physical contact with people outside the household became the norm. While the musical response to the situation has been celebrated and credited for providing relief and entertainment to the masses, less is known about how those who use music for community work have experienced COVID. We interviewed 15 community musicians from Australia, Norway and the US to explore how social distancing impacted their lives and practice during 2020. Our analysis was framed by Putnam’s theory of social capital, and showed artists experienced a breakdown of close bonded networks due to social distancing, negatively affecting their personal lives and practice. Community musicians felt their sector was vulnerable, and largely ignored or unsupported by governments and funding support initiatives. Some participants also suggested access to social capital and employment for arts workers during COVID was mediated by dominant social narratives. Nevertheless, data also showed engaging in online spaces during COVID offered unique opportunities for building broader bridging networks and developing new kinds of ‘hybrid’ or ‘intersectional’ capital which were valuable for their work as community musicians. Findings offer new insight into how community musicians can operate in an increasingly digital space.
  • Gillian Howell (University of Melbourne, AU): ’The many peaces of community-based music making’ (research in Kosovo and Sri Lanka)
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    The many peaces of community-based music making

    One promising approach for research into the role of music in building peace post-war is to recognise ‘peace’ as various and localised, constituting many varieties rather than a universally applicable concept of peace. Concepts of peace may diverge along social strata, and between local and international actors. Conflicting parties in the same locality are likely to define peace and its associated relationships and social ordering differently, so that peace for one is a continuation of conflict for the other. Competing constructs of peace may also be modelled within the relationships that the musical action enacts.
    If building inclusive peace through music is the goal, understanding the nuanced and multidimensional ways that peace is understood within the project is a necessary analytical step. This presentation will discuss the competing conceptualisations of peace and reconciliation that arose in two projects using music to build constructive relationships in deeply divided societies. One is an interethnic rock school in Kosovo*, the other is a music festival project in Sri Lanka that brought folk musicians from the country’s different ethnic and religious groups together. Identifying divergent concepts of peace helps to reveal both the potentialities and conditions of music as a vehicle for inclusive peace.*Acknowledgement: Data relating to this project is drawn from current research Gillian Howell is doing with Professors Brydie-Leigh Bartleet and Jane Davidson, in partnership with Musicians Without Borders.
  • Charulatha Mani (Queensland Conservatorium Research Centre, Griffith University, AU): ’Connect for comfort: Lullabies in a culturally and linguistically diverse context’ (research in Australia)
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    Connect for comfort: Lullabies in a culturally and linguistically diverse context

    Investigations into the role of lullabies and traditional folk songs in a social context have been loci of much research in the last decade or so. Literature reflects that lullabies function not only to induce sleep in babies but also as important tools to induce comfort, belonging, and social wellness. This presentation will discuss research in progress through an unpacking of the salient features of “Sing to Connect,” a project that involves online engagement and research with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse (CALD) women in Logan, Queensland, Australia. It will draw on challenges and initial findings by offering an understanding of how vocalising lullabies induced connections in this context. The research anticipates that musical and lyrical qualities of lullabies, especially those from native languages, could directly bring about impact in the related domain of social cohesion, particularly for those from ethnically diverse communities.

Session 6: Research on what motivates musicians to become active in social music projects, their experiences and needs (2):

chair: Graça Mota (CIPEM/INET-md – Centro de Investigação em Psicologia da Música e Educação Musical, Porto, PT)

(you can find the recording of the session here on YouTube!)

• • Thomas Köhn (Institute for Art, Music and its Mediation, Leuphana University Lüneburg, DE): ’Sampling the diasporic other: Jewish-German hip-hop as an empowering medium for negotiating memories of the Holocaust’ (research in Germany)
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    Sampling the diasporic other: Jewish-German hip-hop as an empowering medium for negotiating memories of the Holocaust

    Since 2014, the Jewish-German rappers Ben Salomo, Reimteufel and Sion Ben Israel have produced and disseminated hip-hop tracks that emphasize memories of the Holocaust and the Second World War. In their songs, they combine collective (Assmann 2013) and family memories (Hirsch 1992) of persecution and resistance with other memories of (historical) events, such as the history of Israel, the Middle East conflict, diaspora and migration, and connect these memories to current political issues, including activism against right-wing populism and anti-zionism. Focusing on tracks such as “Identität” by Ben Salomo, “Stolpersteine” by Reimteufel and „Erez Israel“ by Sion Ben Israel, I explore the role of current Jewish-German hip-hop as a medium for renegotiating memories of the Second World War and the Holocaust in the context of a diasporic deconstruction of a north/south dichotomy. Combining approaches from music analysis and ethnography, I analyze a set of memory-relevant musical parameters, including samples, lyrics and compositional aspects, facilitating a dialogue between musical forms and ethnographic materials, such as interviews and online content. This approach reveals distinct readings of the songs that – depending on the perspective – go beyond victimization and rethink and reshape memories of the holocaust in the context of empowerment and political and activist practices (El Tayeb 2011).
  • Mia Nakamura (Kyushu University, JP) & Yukiyo Sugiyama (Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, JP): ’Facilitator’s roles and strategies for social inclusion workshops’ (research in Japan)
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    Facilitator’s roles and strategies for social inclusion workshops

    While known that facilitators play an important role in music workshops, much less research has been done. Howell, Higgins, and Bartleet (2017)* is a notable exception, in which facilitator’s skills, attributes, and commitment to values are laid out, based on four diverse case studies. This paper further attempts to articulate facilitator’s roles and strategies in a more practical sense.
    Music workshops led by a skilled facilitator are becoming popular in Japan. Tokyo Bunka Kaikan, a prestigious performing arts center, began to offer workshop leader training programs for young musicians in 2013. The 2019 training sessions were conducted by guest artists including Hugh Nankivell of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, and Jun Suzuki who has developed a unique improvisational workshop. Nankivell and Suzuki respectively conducted leadership training and led workshops for elderly people and people with disabilities together with their trainees.
    Through observing these training sessions and workshops and interviewing the artists and trainees, we have found that 1) there are two major types of workshop facilitation, 2) despite of the differences, successful workshop leaders have common strategies; and 3) the flexible and creative use of the two types could be helpful to lead workshops for diverse group of participants.
  • Tiziana Rossi, Carlo Lo Presti and Lucia Brighenti (Conservatorio di musica “A.Boito”, Parma, IT) and Gilda Ripamonti (Università degli Studi dell’ Insubria, IT): ’Artistic citizenship and the social impact of music. From Toscanini to Abbado at the Parma Conservatory of Music’ (research in Italy)
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    Artistic citizenship and the social impact of music. From Toscanini to Abbado at the Parma Conservatory of Music

This study investigates how the “Arrigo Boito” Conservatory of Parma, as a higher music education institute, over time has acted to foster the social impact of music and above all else, music making in society (Sloboda 2019, Tregear 2016, Hardin 1968, Lo Presti 2019, Rossi 2020). Through a review of the actions undertaken, the study investigates those institutional tasks which identify the conservatory as a centre of higher music education and cultural musical promotion a) capable of knitting collaborative networks with other institutions in Italy and throughout Europe, and b) capable of answering questions regarding the musician’s role in social projects involving music, as well as specific needs when it comes to education in this respect. The study examines the legislation regulating higher education at conservatory and university levels regarding the need for the arts and sciences to have a social impact, in light of the consequences in post Covid-19 on Humanities in their interaction with society. The conservatory’s mission is also considered from a historical standpoint, highlighting the attendance, as students or teachers, of such illustrious musicians as the celebrated conductor Arturo Toscanini, who, in addition to his indisputable outstanding musical merits, always defended such human values as equality, freedom of thought, political and civil commitment – and, in our own times, the famous conductor Claudio Abbado, promoter of El Sistema in Italy. The study underlines the fact that, despite its many contradictions and setbacks, specialist music education is capable of elevating citizenship values.