Music4Change International Research School Groningen November 6th-8th 2024

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Welcome

Welcome to Groningen for this Erasmus+ sponsored Music4Change international research school (3 ECTS) on the theme of Sustainable Cities and Cultures of Music.

During these three plus days we will explore new ways of researching cities in relation to sustainability within the realm of music in a variety of formats, including through workshops, soundwalks, interactive performances, concerts, and papers. While cities prove essential entities for the development, cultivation, and transformation of musical cultures, institutions and practices, urban music-making also involves unprecedented challenges in the face of multiple global economic, environmental, and political crises. During this international research school, we come together to explore research and innovations in the formation of sustainable musical cultures and communities, and to foster musical and sonic pathways towards more sustainable cities.

We are thrilled that you have decided to join us and we hope that our conversations and shared research will yield insights leading to more sustainable creative environments for urban and local music communities and institutions. We recognize that such collectives and music spaces depend upon livable cities for their success. Ultimately, we hope that new insights will aid in connecting leaders in the fields of cultural, ecological, and artistic sustainability to stimulate new educational models and research paradigms within our educational and professional institutions.

Groningen is home to the University of Groningen and several institutions of higher education including the Prins Claus Conservatory and the Minerva Art Institute. Since 2015, The University of Groningen has become a very international institution attracting students from all over the world who now number more than 30,000 in the BA, MA and PhD programs. The university was founded as a college in 1614 in an initiative taken by the Regional Assembly of the City of Groningen and the Ommelanden (the surrounding region). It soon established faculties in theology, law, medicine, and philosophy.

The Faculty of Law boasts ‘Father of Ethnomusicology’ Jaap Kunst as an alumnus who earned his law degree here more than 100 years ago in 1917 before trying his hand at banking. He finally landed on comparative musicology with special expertise in the Gamelan. Of the fifty notable alumni listed in Wikipedia, three are women (Corina Bussaard, Anita Buma and Aletta Jacobs, and only two were not white). The gendered (and racial) dynamics of this academic university have changed somewhat since Kunst graduated, but certainly there is more room for change.

Groningen is also host to several music industry related events and festivals including the European Music Industry’s annual Eurosonic and Noorderslag conference every year in January. This festival is the leading showcase festival for the European music industry and it provides important networking and ‘behind the scenes’ platforms for forging music careers in Europe. Groningen also hosts the annual multi-arts Noorderzon Fair at the end of the summer. Also in the summer, earning a prestigious reputation for unique and interesting jazz concerts is the summer jazz bike festival (Zomer Jazz Fiets Tour), during which you can bike from barn to café to medieval church to hear a varied program of mostly European jazz artists.

Groningen has a rich history in the “lowlands” with a relation to Frisian and German arts and educational institutions. The arts, media and culture are well represented in our department with more than 250 students following tracts in film, music, and theatre, and frameworks highlighting either arts criticism or arts policy and management.

You may have noticed the many bikes in the city center. You might even consider renting one if you have a free day in the city. Biking to the nearby villages is a nice way to see the local province and have a beer in an outdoor village café.

During this international school, we want to encourage a respectful and collegial attitude and interaction so please raise your hand to ask questions and help out with those speaking in their second language. You can also help by speaking in a slow and deliberate manner for those who also are listening to English in their second language.

If you have any questions about things to do – please ask us. We are very happy you are here and we look forward to a fruitful and engaging symposium.

Kristin McGee, Danae Stafanou, Chris Tonelli, Eckehard Pistrick, Veronica Gorii, Emilia Ubak, and the Erasmus+ Music4Change Consortium

November 4, 2024

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Questions? If you have any questions about the Notion Site please contact Morten Norheim [email protected] or Jill Halstead [email protected]

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FAQ

Is food included?

What is Music4Change?

Where will the event take place?

What’s on in the evenings?

Erasmus+ funding for Groningen

Program with Abstracts 2024.pdf

What’s happening on each day? (CEST)

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Session Themes

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Music4Change 2024 Calendar

Music4Change 2024 - Presenter Abstracts

72 Participants Registered (last updated 7 November 2024)