I am a published early career researcher and internationally performed composer with a particular interest in music technology and education. I am currently a part-time lecturer and postdoctoral fellow at De Montfort University (Leicester, UK) on the Creative Economy Engagement Programme funded by the Midlands4Cities partnership. In 2017 I was awarded a PhD in the field of Music, Technology and Innovation from De Montfort University, which was sponsored by the Midlands3Cities Doctoral Training Partnership. My research has focused on widening access to new forms of music and the powerful role that creativity can play in this. I am also an experienced lecturer having taught modules at both De Montfort University and Coventry University. My compositional work has received recognition through being awarded the Rolf Gehlhaar Award for Electronic Music Composition while at Coventry University and by being a finalist in the 2014 Bangor Dylan Thomas Prize for Electroacoustic Composition at Bangor University. It has also been broadcast on Czech (Vitava - Radiocustica) and Dutch (Concertzender) radio. I am an experienced rock musician having played in a variety of bands that have performed at major festivals, released music internationally and supported a diverse range of artists including Dr Feelgood, The Primitives, The Enid and KT Tunstall. Supervisors: Professor Leigh Landy and Dr Sarah Younie
Students often find sound-based music (sbm, an umbrella term created by Leigh Landy to describe m... more Students often find sound-based music (sbm, an umbrella term created by Leigh Landy to describe music where sound is the basic unit rather than the musical note) difficult to understand when they first encounter it, and this article explores a practice-based method for increasing engagement through learning heightened listening skills. Accepting sound rather than notes as the basic unit of music can unlock access to a whole range of works and creative possibilities, but often this seems problematic for students. It therefore represents a 'threshold concept' in terms of the creative practice and appreciation of sbm. The approach outlined in this article utilizes a constructivist view of education, and it is suggested that overcoming ingrained preconceptions of what 'music' should be might be better achieved by allowing students to discover the potential of sbm through their own compositional work rather than through traditional methods of learning.
Students often find sound-based music (sbm, an umbrella term created by Leigh Landy to describe m... more Students often find sound-based music (sbm, an umbrella term created by Leigh Landy to describe music where sound is the basic unit rather than the musical note) difficult to understand when they first encounter it, and this article explores a practice-based method for increasing engagement through learning heightened listening skills. Accepting sound rather than notes as the basic unit of music can unlock access to a whole range of works and creative possibilities, but often this seems problematic for students. It therefore represents a 'threshold concept' in terms of the creative practice and appreciation of sbm. The approach outlined in this article utilizes a constructivist view of education, and it is suggested that overcoming ingrained preconceptions of what 'music' should be might be better achieved by allowing students to discover the potential of sbm through their own compositional work rather than through traditional methods of learning.
This paper describes the context and methodology for research into developing heightened listeni... more This paper describes the context and methodology for research into developing heightened listening as a pedagogical and compositional tool. It builds on my previous research into whether heightened listening (which is defined as a close concentration on sound that allows for external associations with the source) can be effective as an access tool for electroacoustic music. The paper describes the results of my previous project and outlines how my current research aims to build on this to help facilitate a greater interest in sound-based music, for school children, through creative practice. In the current research writing exercises are being used to help participants listen to their ‘inner soundscapes’ (Tzedaki, 2011). They are then required to create their own narratives and, when composing their pieces, use sounds that will support that narrative. In working this way, participants can begin to make the step to listen as composers by internalizing their initial listening, rather than just as listeners, an approach advocated by the composer Michelle Nagai (Nagai, 2011). It is hoped that through this process a deeper interest in sound-based music will be cultivated.
The heightened listening (HL) project investigated whether raising aural awareness in young inexp... more The heightened listening (HL) project investigated whether raising aural awareness in young inexperienced listeners could influence their appreciation of electroacoustic (E/A) music that includes real world sounds. It builds on the Intention/Reception (I/R) project (Weale, 2005), which found that inexperienced listeners can appreciate this type of music. Heightened listening is defined in the HL project as a focused concentration on the internal character of sounds while, in contrast to reduced listening, still allowing external associations to be made. It allows for shifts in focus between these aspects of sound depending on what is appropriate for the work that is being listened to. Workshops, which included listening exercises based on those advocated by R. Murray Schafer, were organised in a number of schools and their influence on appreciation was tested through questionnaires. A soundscape work was composed as test material to be used in the workshops. After data analysis the piece was recomposed based on listener feedback and then retested in a later session to investigate whether the intention/reception loop improved. As a reference, workshops were also conducted with blind or visually impaired participants (as subjects who already possess heightened sonic awareness through practiced everyday listening) to explore their response to E/A music. The results suggested that raised aural awareness did enhance appreciation for the inexperienced listeners. Two thirds of the participants expressed an interest in listening again to sound-based music in the future and the majority of these said the listening exercises aided their ability to listen to the sounds. Responses indicated that the results would have been more convincing if the methodology had allowed greater participation in the creative process. Future research could integrate this and explore how heightened listening could enable further use of the imagination, metaphors and memories in creative practice.
Inspired by the Dylan Thomas poem 'The force that through the green fuse drives the flower' and f... more Inspired by the Dylan Thomas poem 'The force that through the green fuse drives the flower' and featuring the voice of the poet Julie Boden.
Students often find sound-based music (sbm, an umbrella term created by Leigh Landy to describe m... more Students often find sound-based music (sbm, an umbrella term created by Leigh Landy to describe music where sound is the basic unit rather than the musical note) difficult to understand when they first encounter it, and this article explores a practice-based method for increasing engagement through learning heightened listening skills. Accepting sound rather than notes as the basic unit of music can unlock access to a whole range of works and creative possibilities, but often this seems problematic for students. It therefore represents a 'threshold concept' in terms of the creative practice and appreciation of sbm. The approach outlined in this article utilizes a constructivist view of education, and it is suggested that overcoming ingrained preconceptions of what 'music' should be might be better achieved by allowing students to discover the potential of sbm through their own compositional work rather than through traditional methods of learning.
Students often find sound-based music (sbm, an umbrella term created by Leigh Landy to describe m... more Students often find sound-based music (sbm, an umbrella term created by Leigh Landy to describe music where sound is the basic unit rather than the musical note) difficult to understand when they first encounter it, and this article explores a practice-based method for increasing engagement through learning heightened listening skills. Accepting sound rather than notes as the basic unit of music can unlock access to a whole range of works and creative possibilities, but often this seems problematic for students. It therefore represents a 'threshold concept' in terms of the creative practice and appreciation of sbm. The approach outlined in this article utilizes a constructivist view of education, and it is suggested that overcoming ingrained preconceptions of what 'music' should be might be better achieved by allowing students to discover the potential of sbm through their own compositional work rather than through traditional methods of learning.
This paper describes the context and methodology for research into developing heightened listeni... more This paper describes the context and methodology for research into developing heightened listening as a pedagogical and compositional tool. It builds on my previous research into whether heightened listening (which is defined as a close concentration on sound that allows for external associations with the source) can be effective as an access tool for electroacoustic music. The paper describes the results of my previous project and outlines how my current research aims to build on this to help facilitate a greater interest in sound-based music, for school children, through creative practice. In the current research writing exercises are being used to help participants listen to their ‘inner soundscapes’ (Tzedaki, 2011). They are then required to create their own narratives and, when composing their pieces, use sounds that will support that narrative. In working this way, participants can begin to make the step to listen as composers by internalizing their initial listening, rather than just as listeners, an approach advocated by the composer Michelle Nagai (Nagai, 2011). It is hoped that through this process a deeper interest in sound-based music will be cultivated.
The heightened listening (HL) project investigated whether raising aural awareness in young inexp... more The heightened listening (HL) project investigated whether raising aural awareness in young inexperienced listeners could influence their appreciation of electroacoustic (E/A) music that includes real world sounds. It builds on the Intention/Reception (I/R) project (Weale, 2005), which found that inexperienced listeners can appreciate this type of music. Heightened listening is defined in the HL project as a focused concentration on the internal character of sounds while, in contrast to reduced listening, still allowing external associations to be made. It allows for shifts in focus between these aspects of sound depending on what is appropriate for the work that is being listened to. Workshops, which included listening exercises based on those advocated by R. Murray Schafer, were organised in a number of schools and their influence on appreciation was tested through questionnaires. A soundscape work was composed as test material to be used in the workshops. After data analysis the piece was recomposed based on listener feedback and then retested in a later session to investigate whether the intention/reception loop improved. As a reference, workshops were also conducted with blind or visually impaired participants (as subjects who already possess heightened sonic awareness through practiced everyday listening) to explore their response to E/A music. The results suggested that raised aural awareness did enhance appreciation for the inexperienced listeners. Two thirds of the participants expressed an interest in listening again to sound-based music in the future and the majority of these said the listening exercises aided their ability to listen to the sounds. Responses indicated that the results would have been more convincing if the methodology had allowed greater participation in the creative process. Future research could integrate this and explore how heightened listening could enable further use of the imagination, metaphors and memories in creative practice.
Inspired by the Dylan Thomas poem 'The force that through the green fuse drives the flower' and f... more Inspired by the Dylan Thomas poem 'The force that through the green fuse drives the flower' and featuring the voice of the poet Julie Boden.
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In the current research writing exercises are being used to help participants listen to their ‘inner soundscapes’ (Tzedaki, 2011). They are then required to create their own narratives and, when composing their pieces, use sounds that will support that narrative. In working this way, participants can begin to make the step to listen as composers by internalizing their initial listening, rather than just as listeners, an approach advocated by the composer Michelle Nagai (Nagai, 2011). It is hoped that through this process a deeper interest in sound-based music will be cultivated.
In the current research writing exercises are being used to help participants listen to their ‘inner soundscapes’ (Tzedaki, 2011). They are then required to create their own narratives and, when composing their pieces, use sounds that will support that narrative. In working this way, participants can begin to make the step to listen as composers by internalizing their initial listening, rather than just as listeners, an approach advocated by the composer Michelle Nagai (Nagai, 2011). It is hoped that through this process a deeper interest in sound-based music will be cultivated.