Practical experiential approaches to sound, music, and media in musicological education

Conference on December 11 & 12, 2025

Martin-Luther-University Halle-Wittenberg, Department of Musicology

Keynotes: Andreas Fickers and Joanna Szczepańska-Antosik

Call for Papers / Abstract

Media and technologies for synthesis, recording, processing, and distribution of sound have become important subjects of music research. Examples include the history of sound recording (Sterne 2003, Katz 2010, Horning 2013, Bennett 2019), the significance of technical devices in music scenes (Theberge 1997, Butler 2014, Herbst/Menze 2021), or musical analysis oriented toward sound and music production processes (Zagorsky-Thomas 2016, Hepworth-Sawyer et al. 2019).

Across the intersection of musicology, media studies, sound studies, and other disciplines, new disciplinary branches such as Music Production Research (Bennett & Bates 2019; Bourbon & Zagorski 2020) have emerged, which have developed their own theoretical approaches and methods for researching recorded and technically mediated music. Today, knowledge of audio-technical processes and a sensory sensitivity for the design of sound are no longer regarded merely as engineering expertise, but as part of cultural practices that shape musical activity from the ground up and must therefore also be part of musicological questions and knowledge.

Such knowledge is often implicit, ‘tacit knowledge’ and therefore observable as practice or musical action. Therefore, ethnographic, praxeological, and artistic research methods are particularly frequently applied in this field, for example in the form of field research (Bürkner 2013; Bates 2017; Huschner 2016), reenactments (Fickers/van den Oever 2022; Meynell 2017), and media experiments in artistic research (Badura et al 2015, van der Heijden/Kolkowski 2023). These approaches suggest that in many cases observations informed by one’s own experiential practical approaches aid in gaining a deeper understanding of media-cultural-musicological phenomena.

This shift is also taking root in musicological teaching, for instance in new chairs, module regulations, and degree programs. At locations such as Bonn, Oldenburg, Berlin (HU), Lüneburg, Hildesheim, and Halle (Saale), as well as in London, Agder, Huddersfield, or Concordia, recording studio technology, synthesizers, DIY electronics, and Digital Audio Workstations are becoming essential elements of musicological education. The practical engagement with sound and its production contexts ranges from the history of the tape recorder to introductory courses in miking and mixing techniques to listening sessions that focus on the sonic design of ›produced music.‹ This engagement often takes place in university-owned recording studios. These ›toolscapes‹ of music production prove to be particularly suitable places for practice-oriented learning. (King & Hemonides 2016).

The conference brings together a cross-section of materially and practically oriented research and teaching and offers space for discussions on how current scientific and didactic approaches can benefit from each other.

This raises the following questions:

(1) Which basic practical sound knowledge should be part of a musicological education? What is the relationship between scientific (musical acoustics) and music-psychological approaches (sound perception, auditory physiology) and research centered on cultural aspects such as sound studies or pop musical analysis? What forms of implicit or ›embodied‹ knowledge, what practical abilities in handling analog and digital audio technology, and what systematic training of technical hearing or critical listening skills are required for sound and music analysis today?

(2) How can these contents be integrated into the framework of academic education in a contemporary and didactically meaningful way without becoming too superficial or too specialized? What role does the relationship between in-person teaching and digital learning offerings play? What methods and ideas for seminar or semester structures exist? We will present our own procedures and learning formats in the beta version of our hybrid teaching platform METRONOM, on which, in addition to a module for technical ear training for musicologists, we provide material and instructions for the experiential-practical teaching of sound (technologies) and music media works in classroom teaching, especially in forms of re-enactment.

(3) How relevant are sound and media technologies as aspects of musical design not only for contemporary musicological education but also for practice-oriented professional fields? What knowledge is required in journalistic fields such as radio, press, and online media, in curatorial and museal contexts, in concert and theater, archives, publishing, and music management?

(4) How should the recording studio be set up as a learning space for musicology? How can it help students gain a deeper understanding of production processes in the context of sound technologies without overloading the learning process? Which ‘toolscapes’ offer inspiring environments for sound-related project work? What didactic as well as practical-technical challenges should be considered in this special learning environment?

We invite you to submit proposals for individual presentations, panels, workshops, and posters related, but not restricted to, the following topics:

·        Technical ear training / Critical listening skills

·        Musical applications of recording technology

·        Handling of time- and style-specific devices and production environments (Multitrack, MPCs, Push, etc.)

·        Elaboration and performance of electroacoustic and experimental music in teaching

·        Experiential/practical approaches in sound studies

·        Artistic research in music and sound art

·        Modular synthesizers in teaching

·        Sound description and language in music analysis

·        Use of digital tools in musicological sound and music analysis (Sonic Visualizer, etc.)

·        Realization/production of recordings as student research in the studio

·        Hybrid formats and use of digital learning platforms

·        Higher education didactic methods related to audio technology

·        Historically and culturally comparative perspectives on the above questions

We explicitly understand ›Hands on Sonic Skills‹ as a learning, working, and workshop conference. Therefore, we ask you to consider organizing workshops (60-90 min) focusing on special teaching methods or topics, in addition to classical presentations (20 min + 10 min discussion) and joint panels (90 min). A poster session will provide the opportunity to exchange ideas about methods, didactics, and individual student projects. Smaller technical experiments and setups are explicitly encouraged.

The conference is organized as part of the educational research project METRONOM – Media Transformation of Musical Knowledge (2024-2026). Funding is provided by FREIRAUM financed by the BMBF and administered by the Foundation for Innovation in Higher Education (STIL). The conference is organized at the research section Music and Media, headed by Prof. Dr. Golo Föllmer. Team: Alan van Keeken, Sebastian Schwesinger, Lukas Iden, and Katja Lux.

Conference languages are German and English. Participation is free of charge.

Please send your abstract (max. 400 words) and CV (max. 100 words) by April 30, 2025, indicating your preferred format, to alan.van-keeken@musikwiss.uni-halle.de

Literatur/e:

Badura, Jens et al (2015): Künstlerische Forschung. Ein Handbuch, Zürich/Berlin.

Bates, Eliot (2016), Digital tradition: Arrangement and labor in Istanbul’s recording studio culture, New York.

Bennett, Samantha and Bates, Eliot (2018), ‘The Production of Music and Sound: A Multidisciplinary Critique’, in Bennett and Bates (eds), Critical Approaches to the Production of Music and Sound, New York, pp. 1–22.

Bennett, Samantha (2019), Modern Records, Maverick Methods: Technology and Process in Popular Music Record Production 1978-2000, New York.

Bourbon, Andrew and Zagorski-Thomas, Simon (eds) (2020), The Bloomsbury Handbook of Music Production., New York.

Bürkner, Hans-Joachim (2013): Trackproduktion als Trial and Error? in: Bürkner et al (eds): Akustisches Kapital. Wertschöpfung in der Musikwirtschaft, Bielefeld, pp. 45-98.

Butler, Mark J. (2014), Playing with something that runs: Technology, improvisation, and composition in DJ and laptop performance, Oxford.

Fickers, Andreas and van der Oever, Annie (2022), Doing Experimental Media Archaeology, Berlin/Boston.

Herbst, Jan Peter and Menze, Jonas (2021), Gear Aquisition Syndrome: Consumption of Instruments and Technology in Popular Music, Huddersfield.

Hepworth-Sawyer, Russ, Hodgson, Jay and Marrington, Mark (eds) (2019), Producing music. Perspectives on music production series, New York.

Huschner, Roland (2016), “[…] if it would be me producing the song…”: Eine Studie zu den Prozessen in Tonstudios der populären Musikproduktion, Humboldt-Universität Berlin.

Katz, Mark (2010), Capturing Sound: How Technology Has Changed Music, London.

King, Andrew and Himonides, Evangelos (eds) (2016), Music, Technology, and Education: Critical Perspectives, London and New York.

Meynell, Anthony (2017), How Recording Studios Used Technology to Invoke the Psychedelic Experience: The difference in staging techniques in British and American recordings in the late 1960s, London.

Rosati, Tommaso and Hsu, Timothy (2025), Play with Sound: Manual for Electronic Musicians and Other Sound Explorers, London.

Schmidt-Horning, Susan (2013), Chasing Sound: Technology, Culture and the Art of Recording from Edison to the L.P, Baltimore.

Sterne, Jonathan (2003), The Audible Past: Cultural Origins of Sound Reproduction., Durham.

Théberge, Paul (1997), Any Sound you can imagine: Making Music/Consuming Technology, Hanover.

van der Heijden, Tim and Kolkowski, Alexander (2023), Doing Experimental Media Archeology, Berlin/Boston.

Zagorski-Thomas, Simon (2016), ‘An Analysis of Space, Gesture and Interaction in Kings of Leon’s Sex on Fire’, in Moore, von Appen and Doehring (eds), Song Interpretation in 21st-Century Pop Music, London, pp. 115–33.

Call for Papers

Special Issue of Rock Music Studies

Rock in South America: Argentina, Chile, and PeruSpecial Issue of Rock Music Studies

Rock in South America: Argentina, Chile, and Peru

Guest Editors:

César Albornoz, Pontificia Universidad Católica, Chile

Lisa Di Cione, Universidad de Buenos Aires; Universidad Nacional Arturo Jauretche; Instituto Nacional de Musicología “Carlos Vega,” Argentina

Sergio Pisfil, Universidad Peruana de Ciencias Aplicadas, Perú

Contact: rockensudamerica.archpe@gmail.com

Rock Music Studies invites article proposals for a special issue exploring the unique characteristics of rock music written, produced, and performed in South America, with a particular focus on music created in Argentina, Chile, and Peru from the second half of the 20th century to the present.

By the late 1950s, Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking countries in the Americas had been introduced to Elvis Presley, danced to “Rock Around the Clock,” and watched the film Blackboard Jungle. In the 1960s, Beatlemania swept through the region, the Rolling Stones sparked controversy, and heated debates about the hippie movement took place. Over time, Anglo-American rock evolved into something uniquely Latin American, shaped by a new language, distinct sounds, and a deeply rooted social experience.

South American rock has since become a subject of rigorous study. Traditional academia, investigative journalism, fan communities, and other spaces have contributed to publications and networks that foster dialogue and analysis. One recent example is the First International Congress of Peruvian Rock Studies, held in Lima in December 2024. This event included two keynote speakers from Chile and Argentina, offering a platform not only to share research from different regions but also to explore the connections between them. These three countries share patterns of cultural production that, through appropriation and reinterpretation, have created industries in constant exchange. Furthermore, in recent decades, all three nations have experienced violent dictatorships, political unrest, and underdevelopment—historical realities that have shaped the evolution of rock in distinct ways.

This Call for Papers invites contributions on South American rock, which understand rock as more than just a mainstream phenomenon of grand, mythic narratives, taking into account that it is also about everyday stories, shaped by local context. While South American rock has challenged the dominance of the white, Anglo-American, colonial, and Eurocentric rock star, it has also, at times, reinforced those narratives. Similarly, this special issue invites consideration of the fact that issues of gender, race, nation, power, violence, and self-construction are not relegated to the past, but remain central to contemporary discussions about voice, embodiment, performance, and celebrity.

While South America as a whole has distinct cultural characteristics worthy of study, focusing on Peru, Chile, and Argentina offers compelling case studies for examining a shared sonic and material legacy, with similarities and differences that call for interdisciplinary analysis.

Contributions are welcome on topics including, but not limited to:

• History and memory
• Epistemologies and theoretical frameworks
• The art of record production
• Live music studies
• Cultural industries
• Rock, labor, and markets
• Legislation and copyright
• Media ana mediation
• Celebrity and stardom
• Archives, collections, and heritage
• Decolonial studies: processes of “nationalization” and “regionalization”
• Rock, the State, and politics
• Identity and dissidence
• Intersectional studies (gender, sexuality, race, ethnicity, class, disability, etc.)
• Music theory and analysis

• Consumption and communities
• Bodies and performance
• Artificial intelligence and augmented reality

Prospective contributors should submit a 500-word abstract and a brief CV by April 30, 2025, to rockensudamerica.archpe@gmail.com. Proposals are welcome in either English or Spanish. Selected authors will be notified by May 30, 2025. Full manuscripts, written in English and between 6,000 and 8,000 words, will be due by October 15, 2025.

Popular Music History Special Issue for November 2025

The twenty-first century is defined by numerous wars. Unlike the large-scale global conflicts of the 20th century, today’s wars are predominantly localized. More broadly, conflicts shape lives politically, socially, and privately. Popular music has always played a dual role in such contexts: it has been used to mobilize masses for war while also serving as a medium for resistance. Anti-war songs are plentiful, ranging from the Italian “Bella ciao,” through the pacifist anthems of the Vietnam War era, to modern examples of resistance during the Intifada. As long as violent conflict has existed, so too have songs of resistance, such as “Biladi biladi” (“O my country!”) from Egypt’s 1919 revolution, or “Min djibalina” (“From our mountains”), opposing colonization.

Pro-war songs, while less common, do exist, particularly in forms that encourage or inspire soldiers. A distinct category includes anti-war songs often misinterpreted as patriotic, such as Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the U.S.A.” Another group comprises acts that focus their entire repertoire on historical events and wartime heroism, as exemplified by the Swedish metal band Sabaton.

War is also closely tied to migration, as displaced communities bring their cultural heritage, including music, to new places. These migrations can foster closer cultural bonds among communities, whether in foreign lands or domestically, while simultaneously generating new forms of popular music born from displacement.

Armed conflicts disrupt both physical and virtual connections. Access to social media and the internet becomes uncertain, with communication lines severed. However, history shows that new modes of connection and musicking emerge during such disruptions. Collective and personal memories play a significant role in shaping collective emotions and delineating the boundaries between allies and adversaries.

Popular Music History invites contributions for a special issue examining the role of music in the context of war, focusing on how music portrays, critiques, or supports conflict. Submissions may address any armed conflict in history and its relation to popular music. Suggested topics include, but are not limited to:

• The role of war songs
• Popular music as a means of fostering community during war
• The impact of war on migrants and their music
• Popular music as a tool of manipulation
• Music in marching and combat
• Resistance through popular music
• Narratives of war and peace in popular music
• Online music consumption during wartime
• Nationalism in the history of popular music
• The intersection of popular music genres and war
• Warfare and popular music
• The popular music business during armed conflicts

The proposed timeline for the publication process is as follows:

31.01.2025: Deadline for submitting extended abstracts (feedback on abstracts will be provided within 10 days; authors may skip this step and submit full papers by the end of May 2025; if you wish to submit abstract, please sent it to: b.peter [ at ] rug.nl and patryk.galuszka [at] uni.lodz.pl)

31.05.2025: Deadline for submitting full manuscripts (please submit your paper via journal’s submission system)

31.08.2025: Editorial decisions sent to authors for revisions

31.10.2025: Deadline for submitting revised papers

30.11.2025: Special issue published.

Joint SMI and ICTM-IE Postgraduate Conference 2025

Trinity College Dublin

16–17 January 2025

Call for Papers

Deadline: Friday 8 November 2024

Email: smi.ictmd.2025@gmail.com

The Society for Musicology in Ireland (SMI) and the Irish National Committee of the International Council for Traditions of Music and Dance (ICTMD-IE) are pleased to announce their annual joint postgraduate conference will take place at Trinity College Dublin on Thursday 16 and Friday 17 January 2025.

Postgraduate students working in all areas of musical research are warmly invited to submit proposals for 20-minute papers or 30-minute lecture recitals of research conducted under supervision at a third-level institution. Poster presentations are also welcome. Areas of research include but are not limited to, historical musicology, ethnomusicology, music theory and analysis, composition, music technology, music pedagogy, popular music studies, performance studies, musical practice as research, psychology of music, and music and gender. Attendees should convey research findings and professional conclusions honestly and in alignment with established research integrity principles, including those relating specifically to the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI).

We are delighted to welcome Dr Méabh Ní Fhuartháin to give the 2025 keynote address. The conference will feature the presentation of the Harry White Doctoral Prize. As in previous years, the postgraduate conference will also include a Careers Forum and a dedicated session featuring prize-winners of the annual CHMHE competition for undergraduate dissertations.

To submit a proposal, please send an email attachment (.doc or .docx, not .pdf) to smi.ictmd.2025@gmail.com by 6pm on Friday 8 November 2024 with the following details:

• Title of paper
• Abstract (max. 250 words)
• Full name and institutional affiliation
• Short biography (max. 150 words)
• Please state whether you are proposing a:
  • 20-minute paper
  • 30-minute lecture-recital
  • 30-minute film, audio, or other media presentation (to include introduction and any commentary)
  • 10-minute presentation (Master’s Students)
  • Poster presentation

Please submit all information in a single Word document. Proposals will be anonymised prior to peer review and applicants will be notified of the outcome of this process by 9 December 2024.

On behalf of SMI and ICTMD-IE we thank you for your engagement. We are looking forward to welcoming delegates to Trinity College Dublin for two days of intellectually and socially enriching scholarly exchange.

4th Conference of the International Network for Artistic Research in Jazz (INARJ)

Communities of Practice

October 3-5, 2024, Jam Music Lab University

Vienna, Austria

Call for Proposals

 

The International Network for Artistic Research in Jazz (INARJ) was founded in 2019 in reaction to the increasing relevance of artistic perspectives in the academic discourses in jazz research. INARJ organizes regular symposia as a platform for knowledge exchange and connection between artistic jazz researchers worldwide. The specific focus for the fourth conference is artistic research and communities of practice ranging from geographic communities and the role of place making and curatorship, networks inside and outside of jazz, communities of pedagogy and education, social communities and marginalized groups, and economic and business communities, with the aim of discussing status, strategies, and transformation.

 

Some conference sessions will be provided in hybrid format, however, we encourage participants to plan on in-person attendance for more effective engagement in discussions and projects. Presentations should address one or more of the following areas in the form of discussion forums, project presentations, or performance sessions. 

 

Geographic Communities and Placemaking

Creative Placemaking strengthens communities through partnerships across sectors, integrating art, culture, and design activities, and helps advance local economies and social change. Creative Placemaking can be developed as an artistic strategy to bring attention to or elevate community assets, inject new or additional energy, people, resources, or activities into a place, community, issue or local community, envision new possibilities for a community or place, connect people, places, and economic opportunities via physical spaces or new relationships. What are opportunities, examples, options, strategies that connect the artistic practice of jazz with communities and placemaking activities and strategies?

Networks Inside and Outside of Jazz

Teitelbaum et al (2008)[1] note that “music is one of the richest sources of interaction between individuals”. The number of collaborations by jazz musicians is traditionally higher than in other musical genres due to the common practice of recording and performing in many different constellations. Jazz performances are highly interactive and as a result, the resulting social and musical networks are rather complex. Networks can be documented via archival, biographical, or various metadata sets and visualized in interactive maps. What is the role of artistic research in documenting existing networks, exploring the influence of networks, and exploring new ways of thinking about networks and changing norms? In which ways can artistic research contribute to the formation of new networks and what are its differences to traditional networks in jazz?

Communities of Pedagogy

Initially, during the rise of jazz as the dominant popular art form reintegrating improvisation as a musical practice in the musical discourse, jazz musicians developed their highly influential musical directions largely through autodidactic listening, practicing, jam sessions, and in touring bands. The development of an academic jazz pedagogy during the 1960s initiated the codification of jazz styles and performance practice. Parallel, rooted in the Lenox School of Jazz’ summer workshops, models of contemporary improvisation were conceived, synthesized, or even improvised resulting in various research devoted to improvisation. Current approaches focus on the notion of ‘play’ and the notion that music can serve as a model for improvisation practice in everyday life. What are new theoretical and organizational models, as well as new practices for institutional partnerships, the teaching of improvisation, teacher education, and theories of improvisation? How can artistic questions and strategies contribute to the development of jazz pedagogy in formal as well as informal learning environments?

Social Communities and Marginalized Groups

Throughout its history, jazz has functioned as a catalyst for social and political change. From early integrated bands to voices of protest for Civil Rights, to raising of awareness of contemporary racial discrimination, jazz musicians played an integral role as social and political activists. For example, during the height of the Cold War, the US Government selected a group of prominent jazz musicians to be world-wide ambassadors for peace. Furthermore, Max Roach’s 1960 release We Insist! Freedom Now! is one of the most important statements of contemporary music. However, jazz is the least diverse art form in terms of gender participation and the use of the term jazz has been widely disputed due to lingering racial connotations. Besides the canonic representations of jazz at established institutions, jazz and jazz-related practices have participated in the formation of a variety of social communities throughout the world. What contemporary social communities can we observe, are active, and are transformative through jazz practices? On the other hand, what groups are marginalized and what are effective strategies for integration? What is the role of jazz and specifically artistic practice in shaping the society of the future? How can jazz practices help to overcome gaps and conflicts between communities worldwide?

Economic Communities and Artist Teams

The music business has experienced drastic restructuring throughout the 20^th century which has accelerated during the digital age. Initially, income from recorded music fueled a thriving support system of record labels and distribution, with live music as a secondary income source and way to connect to the public. However, the current dominance of streaming services is a convenient and cheap source of access for the consumers but has failed to provide a substantial income stream for creators. Consequently, support structures for recorded music have disappeared and the reliance on income from live performances has grown exponentially. The artist now needs to control all aspects of career development and is often confronted with the need for substantial financial investment and increasing economic instability. What are the changes of artistic practices in the context of current communities for economic support and stability? What is the current career trajectory and options for future economic viability and how does this reflect in artistic work?

1. Presentations – 20-minute presentation followed by 10 minutes of Q&A and discussion
2. Performance Projects – 20 minute projects followed by 10 minutes of Q&A and discussion.
3. Open Formats – panels, jam session, focus groups up to 60 minutes

Projects can be shared via recorded materials or live. For live performances, the room allows for a basic combo setup with keyboard, bass and guitar amps, and drum set. However, it is not possible to allow for rehearsal time and space and human resources.

The conference will coincide with the launch of the Journal for Artistic Research in Jazz (ARJAZZ) through the Research Catalogue. The journal is administered through a consortium of universities and an INARJ initiative. Conference presentation have the option for submission to the second edition of ARJAZZ with publication pending peer review results.

For further information please visit http://www.artisticjazzresearch.com or contact monika.herzig@jammusiclab.com.

Please send conference proposals by July 5, 2024 in form of an Abstract of approximately 200 words or with links to media, a short Bio of not more than 150 words, and indication of presentation, performance project, or open format (with explanation) to conference@artisticjazzresearch.com.  

Conference Convenors

Michael Kahr (JAM MUSIC LAB Private University for Jazz and Popular Music Vienna / University of Music and Performing Arts in Graz)

Monika Herzig (JAM MUSIC LAB Private University for Jazz and Popular Music Vienna)

Andrew Bain (Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff UK)

Mike Fletcher (Royal Birmingham Conservatoire)

Matthias Heyman (Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel / Vrije Universiteit Brussel)

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[1] Teitelbaum, T., Balenzuela, P., Cano, P., Buldú, J.M. Community structures and role detection in music networks. Chaos Interdiscip. J. Nonlinear Sci. 18, 043105 (2008).

The 2024 Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium

Sheets of Sound: Jazz, Improvisation, and Liner Notes

University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada

September 11-13, 2024

The International Institute for Critical Studies in Improvisation (IICSI), in partnership with  the Guelph Jazz Festival and the University of Guelph, invites proposals for presentations at our  annual interdisciplinary international conference. The colloquium will take place September 11- 13, 2024, as part of the 31st annual Guelph Jazz Festival. Featuring panel discussions, debates,  performances, workshops, keynote presentations, and critical conversations among researchers,  artists, and audiences, the colloquium fosters a spirit of collaborative, boundary-defying inquiry  and dialogue, and an international exchange of cultural forms and knowledges. 

In his liner notes for John Coltrane’s 1958 recording Soultrane, jazz critic Ira Gitler famously  coined the phrase “sheets of sound” to describe Coltrane’s unique style of improvisational  playing. It’s an apt phrase not only for attempting to capture in writing the spirit and energy of  Coltrane’s distinctive style, but also for acting as a metaphoric descriptor for the very genre of  liner notes. As an important part of the history of jazz and creative improvised music, liner notes  might themselves be considered as something akin to “sheets of sound” that have played a vital  role in shaping our understanding of the music. 

“Part publication relations blitz, part advertisement, part advance directive for hipsters, part  forum for writers hoping to match chops with the musicians they adored, liner notes  accomplished several tasks at once” writes Timothy Gray in his essay on “Jazz Criticism and  Liner Notes” in the recently published volume Jazz and American Culture. This year’s edition of  The Guelph Jazz Festival Colloquium invites presentations, prompts, and creative responses that  reflect on some of these tasks, and that take up the question of what it means to use the liner note  genre to write about jazz and creative improvised music. 

In what ways have liner notes shaped the way the music is received? To what extent do liner  notes contribute to the ways in which we negotiate and construct meaning about the music, how  we understand history, how and why we listen? In what ways have digital dissemination and  streaming services disrupted our notions of liner notes? And how has this shifted  listener/audience understanding about their favourite artists? 

Citing the “far-out notes produced by Sun Ra, John Coltrane,” and others, Daphne Brooks in her  book Liner Notes for the Revolution explains that “liner notes hold out the possibility of  operating as critical, fictional, or experimental works of writing in and of themselves.  Conventional liner notes,” she suggests, “often walk a fine line between pedagogy and  socialization, between sociohistorical and cultural reportage and heuristic conditioning (here’s

how and why to love the artist in question). The most ambitious notes strive toward the narrative  realization, or the narrative reimagining, of a sonic collection of songs altogether.” What, then,  does it mean to engage in a narrative realization or reimagining of music? What are some of the  critical, fictional, conceptual, or experimental forms and practices being advanced by writers of  liner notes? What is it like to hear about the music from the artist’s perspective, and how might  this shape the listener’s sonic experience? What is the future of liner notes in an age dominated  by the digital delivery and dissemination of music? Does writing liner notes constitute a lost art  or is the practice enjoying a resurgence? In what ways do archived/archival forms of liner notes  play into thinking and writing about jazz and creative improvised music today? And what roles  do artwork, design and layout play in the presentation and impact of liner notes and the reception  of an album?  

We invite presentations that address these (and other related) questions and concerns, as well as  creative work that takes up the conference prompts. We are particularly interested in  interdisciplinary presentations that speak to both an academic audience and a general  public. We also invite presenters to submit completed versions of their papers and presentations  to our peer‐reviewed journal, Critical Studies in Improvisation/Études critiques en improvisation  (www.criticalimprov.com) for consideration.

Please send (500 word) proposals (for 15-minute delivery—alternate formats may also be  considered) and a short bio by May 31, 2024, to Dr. Ajay Heble at jazzcoll@uoguelph.ca

Pop music is constitutively ambivalent: It emerges within the tension between counterculture and capitalist exploitation logic, as can be demonstrated by the formation of rock ‘n‘ roll in the fifties. Furthermore, pop music is characterized by the fusion of various musical styles, making pop music a prototypical example of how different cultural forms, including those from the global South, are appropriated and co-opted by practices originating in the global North. This can be observed in elements like the off-beat rhythms of blues from West Africa and reggae from Jamaica among many other examples. It’s important to note that the principle of fusion is crucial for the continual reformation of pop music, shaping it into a potent practice whose commercial distribution center have historically been predominantly located in the global North. A sociological and historical approach to pop music that does not align with this hegemonic distribution form is known to be challenging. Every scholarly reference is almost compelled to take into account the visible expressions of pop music, which typically obscure the constitutive interweaving of this influential articulation of popular culture with the cultural forms of the global South. In this special issue of the Zeitschrift der Weltgeschichte we seek to find new answers to these challenges. Based on the briefly outlined problematics of pop music, the following questions are intended to be discussed and examined in an interdisciplinary manner.

1. How can pop music from the global South be identified and appropriately made visible? What are the possibilities and limitations of the cultural and social sciences in making visible something that is regularly marginalized in cultural practice and co-opted by the hegemony of culture? How can the protagonists of pop music from the global South articulate themselves effectively? What historical examples can be found for this?
2. How can the fusional logic of pop music be adequately reflected upon within the fields of cultural and social sciences? If pop music is inconceivable without cultural appropriation, which is a point for discussion, how can it then be understood as global music without regularly marginalizing its diverse interconnections in line with the capitalist exploitation logic of the global North? What are the implications of this for the cultural and social scientific research of pop music?
3. What transformations have occurred in the global power dynamics of the pop music industry in recent years due to new digital distribution possibilities, specific trends such as Reggaeton, subcultural infiltrations, decolonial efforts in fields like sound studies, etc.?
4. Can research on pop music be conducted in the global North from a post-colonial perspective? What methodological premises and theoretical tools do we need for this? What institutional prerequisites need to be established for such research?
5. How can a contemporary, global, and postcolonial historiography of pop music be formulated, which takes into account the ruptures and discontinuities as well as the significance of the pop musical articulations and influences from the global South in the context of global pop music?
   
   Zeitschrift für Weltgeschichte is a interdisciplinary, peer-reviewed journal which is published in German. Contributions in English can be translated.
   
   Please send your proposal (max. 5000 characters) for a contribution to the thematic issue to frank.hillebrandt@fernuni-hagen.de or anna.daniel@fernuni-hagen.de by April 30, 2024

Building Collective Futures: Communities Thriving Through Music

IASPM Canada Annual Conference 2024: Call for Papers

University of Regina: Regina, Saskatchewan

September 27-29, 2024

Submission deadline: 1 April, 2024

Submit proposals through: https://forms.gle/qVgRUoGyF1frMcX98

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We live in a time of uncertainty: multiple theatres of war and conflict, refugee movements across the globe, rampant technological change, political polarization, cultural upheaval, and a global climate crisis threaten individual and collective futures at every turn.  At this unprecedented point in time, how can we envision and build thriving, alternative futures?  And for whom?  Does Canada have a special place in all of this: how do we transition from the inequities of our past relationships (to Indigenous populations and to the earth) to building respectful, inclusive, and sustainable futures?  What role(s) does popular music play in such projects?  Is it sometimes, also, a part of the problem? How does digitality help or hinder efforts to elevate humanity through musicking? How do new methodologies provide insight in changing times? How are musicians working collectively to build thriving futures?

Building Collective Futures is the theme and challenge of the 2024 IASPM-CA Annual Conference. Across scholarship and practice, the pursuit of sustainability has become paramount. However, mere sustainability is no longer sufficient. Instead, we ask what musical futures would sound like if they focused on thriving collectively.  As we envision a future where sustainability extends beyond mere survival to encompass vibrant, thriving communities, music emerges as a powerful force for change.

We invite scholarship and music that brings to light the building of sustainable futures in challenging times. This call seeks presentations that explore innovative approaches across popular music studies, with particular focus on the subthemes of cultural sustainability, sovereignty, digital futures, thriving local, regional, and global music scenes, and ecological resilience.

Themes to be Explored:

1.              Cultural and Artistic Sustainability:

• Moving from the sustainability of artistic expressions into new forms of collective thriving
  • Ways in which cultural sustainability can be integrated into music production, performance, and distribution practices

2.              Sovereignty:

• Indigenous survivance and musical futures
  • Communities’ enactments of sovereignty using popular music 
  • The role music plays in asserting cultural sovereignty and promoting self-determination

3.              Digital Futures for Music:

• Shaping the use of digital technologies to more collectively impact the future of music creation, distribution, and consumption
  • Opportunities and challenges digital platforms present for promoting sustainability and equitable access to music

4.              Thriving Music Scenes:

• The role of local scenes as spaces for collective participation in the face of challenges and changes
  • Digital and hybrid music scenes
  • Musical utopias and future building
  • Local, regional, and global music scenes’ roles in contributing to the economic, social, and cultural sustainability of communities
  • Challenges and supports to strengthen local music ecosystems
  • The role of events in the making of a scene (concerts, festivals, conflicts and wars, etc.)

5.              Ecological Resilience:

• Acknowledging, mitigating, and correcting for the environmental impact of the music industry
  • Strategies for musicians, venues, and industry stakeholders to promote eco-friendly practices and advocate for environmental stewardship

While we welcome papers on any aspects of popular music, we encourage papers that align with the conference sub-themes above.

Submission Guidelines:

Abstracts of individual papers, workshops, performances and other presentations should be no longer than 300 words. The program committee is especially interested in proposals in diverse formats.  Panel submissions should include a title and abstract for the panel (300 words max.) as well as titles and abstracts for the individual papers on the panel. All abstracts for a panel should be submitted together, with one member or respondent designated as the chair. Abstracts will be adjudicated individually, so it is possible for a panel to be accepted but not an individual paper and vice versa. Each abstract should also include a short biography of the author (100 words max.) including the institutional affiliation, if any, and email address of each author. Each abstract should also include five keywords. Submissions in French and English are acceptable. Proposals will be blind-reviewed.

Submit proposals through: https://forms.gle/qVgRUoGyF1frMcX98

Presentation Logistics and Modality:

Papers will be limited to 20 minutes followed by 10 minutes of questions. Panels will be limited to a maximum of 4 papers. Other presentations (workshops, film screenings, roundtables, etc.) will generally be limited to 60 minutes, but alternatives can be proposed. All participants must be members of IASPM-Canada at the time of the conference. Membership information is available on the following website: https://www.iaspm.ca/signup.

Although in-person presentations are the conference norm, should you wish to request accessibility accommodations for a virtual presentation (e.g. a health need or visa concern), please email Charity Marsh at Charity.Marsh@uregina.ca at the time of proposal submission.

For questions about the conference, please contact the Program Committee Chair Liz Przybylski (liz.przybylski@ucr.edu), or Local Organising Chair Charity Marsh (Charity.Marsh@uregina.ca).

Program Committee Members:

Vanessa Blais-Tremblay, Université du Québec à Montréal

Maxim Bonin, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Maren Hancock, University of Wolverhampton

Charity Marsh, University of Regina

Liz Przybylski, University of California, Riverside

Paul Théberge, Carleton University

Appel à contributions

Construire des avenirs collectifs pour des communautés musicales plus prospères

Conférence annuelle de l’IASPM Canada 2024 : Appel à communications

Université de Regina : Regina, Saskatchewan

Du 27 au 29 septembre 2024

Date limite de soumission : 1er avril 2024

Soumettre les propositions via :https://forms.gle/qVgRUoGyF1frMcX98

Nous vivons des temps de grandes incertitudes : multiples théâtres de guerre et de conflit, mouvements de réfugié·es à travers le monde, changements technologiques accélérés, polarisation politique, bouleversements culturels et crise climatique mondiale menacent les avenirs individuels et collectifs à chaque tournant. En cette période sans précédent, comment pouvons-nous envisager et construire des avenirs alternatifs et prospères ?  Et pour qui ?  Le Canada occupe-t-il une place particulière dans tout cela : comment passer des inégalités de nos relations passées (avec les populations autochtones, racisées ; avec la terre) à la construction d’avenirs respectueux, inclusifs et durables ?  Quel(s) rôle(s) la musique populaire joue-t-elle dans ce projet collectif?  Fait-elle parfois partie du problème ? Comment la numérisation aide-t-elle ou entrave-t-elle les efforts visant à élever l’humanité par le biais de la musique ? Comment les nouvelles méthodologies permettent-elles de mieux comprendre ces temps qui changent ? Comment les musicien·nes travaillent-ils·elles collectivement à la construction d’un avenir plus prospère ?

La construction d’avenirs collectifs pour des communautés musicales plus prospères est le thème – et le défi – de la conférence annuelle 2024 de l’IASPM-CA. Dans les études comme dans la pratique de la musique, la recherche de durabilité est devenue incontournable. Cependant, la simple durabilité ne suffit pas. Ainsi, nous nous demandons à quoi ressembleraient nos futurs en musique s’ils se concentraient sur la prospérité collective.  Alors que nous envisageons un avenir où la durabilité va au-delà de la simple survie pour englober des communautés dynamiques et prospères, la musique apparaît comme une puissante force de changement.

Nous invitons les chercheur·ses et les musicien·nes à mettre en lumière différentes manières à travers lesquelles un avenir durable peut être pensé et construit à travers des présentations qui mettent de l’avant des approches innovantes au sein des études sur la musique populaire, en particulier en ce qui concerne les sous-thèmes de la durabilité culturelle; de la souveraineté; des futurs numériques; des scènes musicales locales, régionales et mondiales prospères; et de la résilience écologique.

Thèmes à explorer :

1. Durabilité culturelle et artistique :

-Passage de la simple durabilité des expressions artistiques à de nouvelles formes de prospérité collective

-Manières d’intégrer la durabilité culturelle aux pratiques de production, de représentation et de distribution de la musique.

2.         Souveraineté :

-Survivance autochtone et avenirs musicaux

-Mise en application de la souveraineté par les communautés à l’aide de la musique populaire 

-Rôle de la musique dans l’affirmation de la souveraineté culturelle et la promotion de l’autodétermination

3. Avenir numérique de la musique :

-Façonner l’utilisation des technologies numériques pour influencer de manière plus collective l’avenir de la création, de la distribution et de la consommation de musique

-Opportunités et défis que représentent les plateformes numériques pour promouvoir la durabilité et l’accès équitable à la musique.

4.         Scènes musicales plus prospères :

-Rôle des scènes musicales locales en tant qu’espaces de prise en charge collective des défis et des changements actuels et passés

-Scènes musicales numériques et hybrides

-Utopies musicales et construction de l’avenir

-Rôle des scènes musicales locales, régionales et mondiales dans la durabilité économique, sociale et culturelle des communautés

-Défis et formes de soutien visant à renforcer les écosystèmes musicaux locaux

-Rôle des événements dans la constitution des scènes (concerts, festivals, conflits et guerres, etc.)

5.         Résilience écologique :

-Reconnaître, atténuer et corriger l’impact environnemental de l’industrie musicale

-Stratégies permettant aux musicien·nes, aux salles de concert et aux acteur·rices de l’industrie musicale de promouvoir des pratiques respectueuses de l’environnement et de plaider en faveur de sa protection.

Bien que nous acceptions des communications sur tous les aspects de la musique populaire, nous encourageons particulièrement celles qui correspondent aux thème et sous-thèmes détaillés ci-dessus.

Directives pour la soumission :

Les résumés des communications individuelles, des ateliers, des concerts et autres présentations ne doivent pas dépasser 300 mots. Le comité de programme est particulièrement intéressé par des propositions de formats divers. Les propositions de panels doivent inclure un titre et un résumé pour le panel (300 mots maximum) ainsi que les titres et les résumés des communications individuelles. Tous les résumés d’un panel doivent être soumis ensemble, et un·e membre ou un·e répondant·e doit être désigné·e comme président·e de séance. Les résumés seront évalués individuellement; il est donc possible qu’un panel soit accepté et non un article individuel, et vice versa. Chaque résumé doit également inclure une courte biographie de l’auteur·rice (100 mots maximum), y compris l’affiliation institutionnelle, le cas échéant, et une adresse électronique. Chaque résumé doit également inclure cinq mots-clés. Les soumissions en français et en anglais sont acceptées. Les propositions seront anonymisées dans le cadre du processus d’évaluation.

Soumettre les propositions par : https://forms.gle/qVgRUoGyF1frMcX98

Logistique et modalités de la présentation :

Les communications individuelles seront limitées à 20 minutes, suivies d’une période de questions de 10 minutes. Les panels seront limités à un maximum de 4 communications. Les autres présentations (ateliers, projections de films, tables rondes, etc.) seront généralement limitées à 60 minutes, mais des alternatives peuvent être discutées/proposées. Tous·tes les participant·es doivent être membres de l’IASPM-Canada au moment de la conférence. Les informations relatives à l’adhésion sont disponibles sur le site web suivant : https://www.iaspm.ca/signup.

Bien que les présentations en personne soient la norme de la conférence, si vous souhaitez demander des aménagements d’accessibilité pour une présentation virtuelle (par exemple, un besoin de santé ou un problème de visa), veuillez envoyer un courriel à Charity Marsh à Charity.Marsh@uregina.ca au moment de la soumission.

Pour toute question concernant la conférence, veuillez contacter la président·e du comité de programme Liz Przybylski (liz.przybylski@ucr.edu) ou la présidente de l’organisation locale Charity Marsh (Charity.Marsh@uregina.ca).

Membres du comité de programme :

Vanessa Blais-Tremblay, Université du Québec à Montréal

Maxim Bonin, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue

Maren Hancock, Université de Wolverhampton

Charity Marsh, Université de Regina

Liz Przybylski, Université de Californie, Riverside

Paul Théberge, Université de Carleton

CALL FOR PAPERS

Progressive Rock: Beyond Time, Genre, Geography…

The 6th Biennial International Conference 

of the Progect Network for Studies of Progressive Rock

5-7 SEPTEMBER 2024

The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow (POLAND)

The central idea for the Conference would be to combine creatively the two temporal dimensions in which Progressive Rock can be interpreted today: the past – from its genesis and original definitions through an analysis of the PROG classics to an attempt to read it anew; and the future – from meta-genre fusions to a critical post-progressive current. Hence, we suggest several subjects to be chosen by the participants and specific scopes to be included.

MAIN TOPIC CATEGORIES:

1.         Progressive Rock and Metal: Between Past and Future

2.         Experiencing Progressive Rock: Then and Now

3.         Retro vs Post Progressive Rock: Past Reflections and Future Visions

4.         Interpreting Progressive Rock: From Analysis to Recontextualization

DETAILED SUBJECTS ­– SPECIFIC SCOPES:

• Roots, Sources and Primal Concepts of PROG
• Mediating Progressive Rock/Metal
• Progressive Rock/Metal Fandom
• Aesthetics of Progressive Rock/Metal
• Neo- and Post-Progressive 
• Future of PROG
• Prog Goes Global ‒ Globalization vs Glocalization of Progressive Music
• Progressive performance 
• Between Prog and Jazz: Progressive Jazz ‒ Third Stream ‒ Fusion
• Progressive as eclectic meta- and post-genre
• Progressive Genres as Paradox of Pop Culture
• Other…

The Programme Committee’s plan provides

• Two Keynote lectures
• 20-minute paper presentations (in two parallel sessions)
• Round table discussions
• Accompanying events
• Concert, Meeting with Polish PROG Artist
  
  

We encourage researchers to present papers that develop an interdisciplinary approach to progressive rock across at least six fields: musicology, sociology, media studies, performance studies, philology, culture studies. We recommend stationary (live) participation. In exceptional circumstances, remote participation will be possible.

Submission Procedure

​Scholars are invited to submit proposal abstracts for 20-minute presentations in English to prog24@amuz.krakow.pl by 15 January 2024 (contact person: Andrzej Mądro). 

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Please attach two files to the email submission, both in Word file format (.docx):

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1.         a proposal comprising only the paper title and abstract (300 words). This file should not include any identifying information.

2.         a short document providing the following information: author name, institutional affiliation, a short bio (100 words), paper title, keywords, and any audio-visual equipment needs.

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All abstracts will be subject to a peer-review process, with authors notified of acceptance by the end of February 2024. The results of the topic selection will be communicated by email, as will any registration information.

Probable conference fee:

Scholars: 140 EUR (full amount),

Students, doctoral students: 70 EUR (50% discount) 

The fee does not include travel and accommodation costs. The organisers will offer assistance in booking accommodation in Krakow at favourable prices.

Programme committee:

Sarah Hill (University of Oxford, U.K.)

John Covach, (University of Rochester, U. S. A.)

Chris Anderton (Solent University, U. K.)

Lori Burns (University of Ottawa, Canada)

Local organising committee

(The Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Krakow):

Agnieszka Draus

Andrzej Mądro

Iwona Sowińska Marcin Strzelecki