Sibelius Academy

About: Sibelius Academy is a based out in . It is known for research contribution in the topics: Music education & Musical. The organization has 40 authors who have published 107 publications receiving 2249 citations. The organization is also known as: Helsinki Music Institute & Taideyliopiston Sibelius-Akatemia.

Computer-Assisted Composition at IRCAM: From PatchWork to OpenMusic

Abstract: In recent years, IRCAM has been exploring and developing software for computer-assisted composition (CAC). These software packages allow composers and musicologists to formalize and experiment with the structures and dynamics of musical languages. The Formes program (Rodet and Cointe 1984), although primarily devoted to the control of sound synthesis, was really a compositional environment with a high-level object-oriented architecture. The Crime environment (Assayag, Castellengo, and Malherbe 1985; Amiot, Assayag, Malherbe, and Riotte 1986) was the first attempt at IRCAM to realize a general CAC environment where the user could define and control abstract musical formalisms. Francis Courtot developed CARLA as an attempt to use a visual programming interface to a Prolog-based logic-programming system (Balaban, Ebcioglu, and Laske 1992). The development of the PatchWork environment, by M. Laurson, J. Duthen, and C. Rueda (Laurson and Duthen 1989; Laurson 1996), was the next stage in the development of CAC programs at IRCAM. The combination of programming simplicity and a highly visual interface in a personal computing concept created an infatuation with PatchWork among European composers with highly diverse musical and aesthetic backgrounds, including Antoine Bonnet, Michel Fano, Brian Ferneyhough, Gerard Grisey, Paavo Heininen, Magnus Lindberg, Claudy Malherbe, Tristan Murail, Kaija Saariaho, and many others. OpenMusic, designed by G. Assayag and C. Agon (Assayag, Agon, Fineberg, and Hanappe 1997; Agon, Assayag, Delerue, and Rueda 1998), is the most recent IRCAM CAC environment. It is a visual interface to CLOS, the Common Lisp Object System (Steele 1990). Aside from being a superset of PatchWork, it opens new territories by allowing the composer to visually design sophisticated musical object classes. It introduces the maquette concept, which enables high-level control of musical material over time, and it revises the PatchWork visual language in a modern way.

Garage rock bands: a future model for developing musical expertise?

Abstract: A commonly accepted assumption in music education based on the apprenticeship tradition is that teachers deliver their musical expertise using pedagogically relevant methods that will help them to have effective mastery and control over the process of learning. This article decentres the traditional notion of mastery and pedagogy. Rather, it is suggested that, in line with situated learning theories and research on expertise-based learning, garage rock bands and their informal ways of learning can exemplify how to develop knowledge-building communities and musical expertise in formal music education. However, this approach is not intended to question or replace the need for teachers.

Musical aptitude is associated with AVPR1A-Haplotypes

Abstract: Artistic creativity forms the basis of music culture and music industry. Composing, improvising and arranging music are complex creative functions of the human brain, which biological value remains unknown. We hypothesized that practicing music is social communication that needs musical aptitude and even creativity in music. In order to understand the neurobiological basis of music in human evolution and communication we analyzed polymorphisms of the arginine vasopressin receptor 1A (AVPR1A), serotonin transporter (SLC6A4), catecol-O-methyltranferase (COMT), dopamin receptor D2 (DRD2) and tyrosine hydroxylase 1 (TPH1), genes associated with social bonding and cognitive functions in 19 Finnish families (n = 343 members) with professional musicians and/or active amateurs. All family members were tested for musical aptitude using the auditory structuring ability test (Karma Music test; KMT) and Carl Seashores tests for pitch (SP) and for time (ST). Data on creativity in music (composing, improvising and/or arranging music) was surveyed using a web-based questionnaire. Here we show for the first time that creative functions in music have a strong genetic component (h(2) = .84; composing h(2) = .40; arranging h(2) = .46; improvising h(2) = .62) in Finnish multigenerational families. We also show that high music test scores are significantly associated with creative functions in music (p<.0001). We discovered an overall haplotype association with AVPR1A gene (markers RS1 and RS3) and KMT (p = 0.0008; corrected p = 0.00002), SP (p = 0.0261; corrected p = 0.0072) and combined music test scores (COMB) (p = 0.0056; corrected p = 0.0006). AVPR1A haplotype AVR+RS1 further suggested a positive association with ST (p = 0.0038; corrected p = 0.00184) and COMB (p = 0.0083; corrected p = 0.0040) using haplotype-based association test HBAT. The results suggest that the neurobiology of music perception and production is likely to be related to the pathways affecting intrinsic attachment behavior.

Social media as an opportunity for pedagogical change in music education

Abstract: Many higher education institutes have been utilizing Learning Management Systems in their teaching. These systems and the ways they are used, however, usually implement a traditional product oriented approach to teaching. Social Networking Platforms and online communities are an integral part of most music student’s everyday life. SNP’s are used for creating connections, but also for sharing one’s music, providing information, as well as for learning. They can also introduce a student centred approach to learning by offering ownership of the environment to its core users, and by creating a need to communicate and contribute to a community of practice.