On 2 February, lectorate ‘Music, Education and Society’ will present the outcomes of the research projects of 2023, as well as introduce the research group of 2024. The meeting is also the festive closing of the lectorate year.

A diverse range of research projects will be presented through presentations and artistic interventions inside and outside of Amare, including a sound walk. We give a sneak peek of the international research project 'Sounding Urban Places', which was selected for support under the EU's Horizon 2020 funding programs and launched in January. We are also looking forward to upcoming research projects with the 2024 researchers, who will offer a creative glimpse into their plans. The presentations will be followed by drinks in the canteen.

The Lectorate Event is a free public event in Amare Studio (next to De Stadskantine on the third floor of Amare). A detailed programme will follow later this month. If you are interested in recent and future research projects at the Royal Conservatoire, this event will be worth a visit!

Programme
10:00 - Introduction Paul Craenen
10:15 - Aart Strootman: Disrupting (the) tools
11:00 - 11:15 coffee break
11:15 - Irma Kort: Collective Teacher Efficacy in music education
11:45 - Patrick van Deurzen: The use of the instrument in Aural Skills and Analysis lessons at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague
12:15 - Pim Witvrouw: Discovering a Musical Text
12:45 - 13:30 lunch break
13:30 - Justin Bennett: Listening to / in Public Space*
14:30 – Presentation project 'Sounding Urban Places' by Paul Craenen
14:45 - Rebecca Huber: Re-examining Historically based Concert Curation as a Means for Attracting New Audiences
15:30 - 15:45 coffee break
15:45 - Short introductions researchers 2024
16:15 - Felix Schlarmann: The creative act in higher music education
17:00 - Drinks in De Stadskantine

*Important note about ‘Listening to / in Public Space’: Justin Bennett’s presentation involves part of a sound walk just outside Amare. We will gather for this sound walk next to the big stairs on the ground floor of Amare. If you are joining the sound walk, please bring a smartphone and headphones, and make sure to download the app TRACKS beforehand (https://tracksaudiowalks.org/), as well as the sound walk, which is called ‘Rumours / Resonances’. There is a Dutch as well as an English version.

Aart Strootman: Disrupting (the) tools
In this research Aart asked himself the question: what happens when a new instrument enters the rehearsal room? Instead of relying on the skill set of the musician and the standard ways of communicating music the participants have to work together, investigate sound and research on the spot what can be done/what they can do. With the help of a laser cut single shot wind wand, Aart collaborated with Ictus Ensemble, Riot Ensemble and the Ensemble Academy of the Royal Conservatoire in what he calls ‘musical playgrounds’, an inviting space for making music through play.

Irma Kort: Collective Teacher Efficacy in music education
Preliminary research on the needs and requirements for implementation of collective teacher efficacy, within the context of music education.

Patrick van Deurzen: The use of the instrument in Aural Skills and Analysis lessons at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague
In this research, Patrick shows that music theory was until the 19th century initiated by compositional practice and after that by a musicological practice. Or as Michiel Schuijer puts it: “… performers did not have a big stake in the development of contemporary music theory (…) It is not difficult to understand, then, why practicing musicians have never fully embraced the legacy of music theory”. This year, Patrick began a pilot in which first-year trombone and percussion students bring their instrument to class, the results of which will be discussed in this presentation. Patrick intends to demonstrate and reflect on the material he has developed so far, how it is used in class, and how connections between playing, singing and knowing can be reinforced.

Pim Witvrouw: Discovering a Musical Text
In this research, Pim has developed less detailed versions of a classical score (like reductions and study scores) and explored the use of this material in theory classes at the conservatoire.

Justin Bennett: Listening to / in Public Space*
Does using headphones to present sound in public space immerse the listener in a bubble, separated from their surroundings? This research looks at the form of the audio walk and the possibilities of using binaural recording, narrative devices and locative media to prioritise engagement with the environment.

Paul Craenen: Sounding Urban Places
Short presentation of this new interdisciplinary research project that aims at improving the quality of life in urban areas through an artistically inspired (re)design of the sound environment. The project receives a two-year grant in the context of the Horizon 2020 research and innovation programmes, and is co-funded by Regieorgaan SIA. In collaboration with Luleå University of Technology, Universiteit Leiden, Soundtrackcity, I'M BINCK - het platform van en voor de Haagse Binckhorst and Kluster.

Rebecca Huber: Re-examining Historically based Concert Curation as a Means for Attracting New Audiences
This research focuses on the emergence of new concert formats throughout the 19th century – specifically formats that drew new audiences to classical music. In this presentation, Rebecca will give a brief historical overview of programming and performances before and after 1800 and several methods and concert formats that were used to attract new audiences in the nineteenth century. She will also speak about how we might be able to learn from the past and reapply and adapt these ideas for a 21st century audience.

Felix Schlarmann: The creative act in higher music education
Ideas for creative activities in higher music education, using the example of the BA program of the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. Together with colleague teachers and students, Felix discussed the need and possibilities for more interdepartmental and creative activities. The complex and ongoing discussion touches multiple areas, from structural challenges within educational institutions to students' needs in modern cultural society, and from better defining current themes in higher music education such as improvisation, to the search of shared concepts between departments concerning creativity in education.