Twitter: @MurielSR Supervisors: Prof Andree Grau (deceased) and Dr Barley Norton Phone: +441908 659220 Address: Research & Enterprise, Research, Enterprise and Scholarship The Open University Level 3 Charles Pinfold Building Walton Hall, Milton Keynes MK7 6AA, UK
Academic authorship is an important way in which new knowledge about Indigenous Australian music ... more Academic authorship is an important way in which new knowledge about Indigenous Australian music and history is shared. Academic analyses, however, do not always successfully convey the emotive nature of this new historical knowledge. Publishing is also an exclusionary activity, relying on an author’s academic training and familiarity with the protocols for publication. In this article I will suggest that instead we conceive of practice as research (PaR) in music as a method that is able to increase the participation of Indigenous people in the shaping of our communal understanding of Australian history. Performance as PaR allows more stories to be told by a diversity of people. In the hands of a good PaR researcher, performances are better able to communicate the emotive nature of colonial histories, broadening our understanding of Indigenous experiences of colonialism and how these impact on conciliation. Through documenting my work with Indigenous researcher and performer Jessie ...
In this piece I suggest that while applied ethnomusicology generally may have been vindicated of ... more In this piece I suggest that while applied ethnomusicology generally may have been vindicated of its “manipulative” charge, applied research in Christian post-mission contexts has not. Through the lens of my own applied, collaborative research project with the Lutheran Australian Aboriginal community choir of Hopevale, Northern Queensland, between 2004 and 2005 I will show, however, that it is possible to ethically accommodate Indigenous Christian beliefs, histories and the “ethics of style” (Rommen 2007) through musical performance even when changes to musical style are introduced in Christian contexts using an applied, practice as research approach. I will illustrate how I, as an atheist, applied, participatory action researcher, approached the ethics of style and performance aesthetics in the highly politicized context of post-mission Australia when performing for Aboriginal, tourist and local, mixed audiences and how this impacted positively on community members and singers alike. I propose that in applied post-mission, (post)-colonial Christian contexts the ethics of style married with the ethical responsibilities inherent in the facilitation of musical performance (Warren 2014) and the relationship between ethics and authenticity (Taylor 2018 [1991]) have an important role to play in how we rationalize the ethical implications of applied research in Christian contexts generally
The Routledge Companion to Interdisciplinary Studies in Singing, 2020
This chapter explores the relationship between Christian choral singing, Australian Aboriginal id... more This chapter explores the relationship between Christian choral singing, Australian Aboriginal identities, age and wellbeing, drawing on an ethnomusicological applied, practice research project undertaken in collaboration with the Lutheran Australian Aboriginal community of Hopevale, Northern Queensland in 2004-2005. The ethnomusicological field data are complemented by theory and research published in different disciplines showing how singing can positively influence wellbeing cross-culturally. It will also show how age, as a variable, impacts the efficacy of choral singing in promoting wellbeing in an Australian Indigenous Christian context
Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide, 2018
This is the introduction to the book _Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities ... more This is the introduction to the book _Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide_ (Routledge, 2018). In it, we propose the term ‘musical localization’ as a useful umbrella category to describe the processes by which Christian communities worldwide adapt, adopt, perform, and share congregational music. We first describe the related terms inculturation and indigenization, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. We then describe aspects of a methodological and theoretical approach common to each of the volume’s musical ethnographies and outline how the book’s chapters work together to flesh out four discrete but interrelated aspects of musical localization. Finally, through a self-reflexive discussion of how the co-editors selected our introductory musical example, we put forward several questions suggested by our work on musical localization that can benefit scholarly reflection on Christian congregational music.
This study investigates periodic body motion (foot-tapping and vertical hip motions) as a referen... more This study investigates periodic body motion (foot-tapping and vertical hip motions) as a reference structure in a specific style of traditional Norwegian dance music called telespringar. The intimate relationship between music and motion is often highlighted in rhythm studies of telespringar, so this study encompasses both sound and motion analyses. It is based on a motion capture study of three telespringar performers, examining the foot-stamping of one fiddler and vertical hip motions of two dancers. The results indicate that rather than being primarily derived from the sound itself, the underlying rhythmic structures in telespringar depend upon a shared and embodied knowledge of the underlying asymmetrical reference structure that is implicit in the production and perception of telespringar. I explore here how the methodology used by the author might be further justified and explored. I will also propose ways in which the article could be made more accessible to researchers who ...
This article explores the ways in which the relationships between music, health, wellbeing, medic... more This article explores the ways in which the relationships between music, health, wellbeing, medicine, and ethnomusicology are being researched internationally. It shows that while there is a widespread global interest among a variety of disciplines in studying these relationships, there is still an absence of disciplinary and international collaboration. This absence of collaboration, I argue, is caused by a variance between disciplines and countries in epistemologies, modes of dissemination, professional jargon, and national languages. This diversity of professional practice influences the sharing of information about music and wellbeing, often slowing down the creation of new knowledge, potentially to the detriment of those receiving musical care. Here I present the results of a short participatory action research study investigating the professional practices of ethnomusicologists, (neuro)psychologists, and music therapists researching the links between music and wellbeing. My findings are based on observations made in the United Kingdom, Austria, Finland, the United States, and Australia. I conclude by urging researchers to examine their practices and epistemologies reflexively, and not to assume other disciplines are homogenous. I also suggest that, for ethnomusicologists, grounded theory and community music therapy might be areas for future collaboration and that a proactive approach is needed to ensure knowledge about the links between music, health, and wellbeing are examined at a faster, more collaborative pace.
Music therapy is a small, but evolving profession. Numbers of music therapists are increasing, ye... more Music therapy is a small, but evolving profession. Numbers of music therapists are increasing, yet little is known regarding the workforce and its employment characteristics. To understand the current profile of the music therapy workforce in the United Kingdom (UK), the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) commissioned a national survey of its membership. This survey explores the profile of the UK music therapy workforce in terms of demographics, training and employment characteristics. An online survey was circulated to all BAMT members. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. A total of 374 therapists responded (44% response rate). Following demographic information (including age, nationality and training background), we focus on employment characteristics such as income, types of work, settings, clients and age groups. Supervision and clinical fees are considered as well as commissioning and funding of self-employed ...
Academic authorship is an important way in which new knowledge about Indigenous Australian music ... more Academic authorship is an important way in which new knowledge about Indigenous Australian music and history is shared. Academic analyses, however, do not always successfully convey the emotive nature of this new historical knowledge. Publishing is also an exclusionary activity, relying on an author’s academic training and familiarity with the protocols for publication. In this article I will suggest that instead we conceive of practice as research (PaR) in music as a method that is able to increase the participation of Indigenous people in the shaping of our communal understanding of Australian history. Performance as PaR practice as research allows more stories to be told by a diversity of people. In the hands of a good PaR researcher, performances are better able to communicate the emotive nature of colonial histories, broadening our understanding of Indigenous experiences of colonialism and how these impact on conciliation. Through documenting my work with Indigenous researcher and performer Jessie Lloyd I will argue that PaR is a method well suited to Indigenous contexts, reflecting Indigenous cultural practices using oral formats that rely on story, interpersonal relationships and participation.
Music therapy is a small, but evolving profession. Numbers of music therapists are increasing, ye... more Music therapy is a small, but evolving profession. Numbers of music therapists are increasing, yet little is known regarding the workforce and its employment characteristics. To understand the current profile of the music therapy workforce in the United Kingdom (UK), the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) commissioned a national survey of its membership. This survey explores the profile of the UK music therapy workforce in terms of demographics, training and employment characteristics. An online survey was circulated to all BAMT members. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. A total of 374 therapists responded (44% response rate). Following demographic information (including age, nationality and training background), we focus on employment characteristics such as income, types of work, settings, clients and age groups. Supervision and clinical fees are considered as well as commissioning and funding of self-employed and employed music therapy work. As an initial mapping of the current UK workforce, this study offers a pragmatic platform to consider development and strategic priorities and thus to re-vision the future of music therapy in the country. Potential implications for the international music therapy community are also discussed.
This article explores the ways in which the relationships between music, health, wellbeing, medic... more This article explores the ways in which the relationships between music, health, wellbeing, medicine, and ethnomusicology are being researched internationally. It shows that while there is a widespread global interest among a variety of disciplines in studying these relationships, there is still an absence of disciplinary and international collaboration. This absence of collaboration, I argue, is caused by a variance between disciplines and countries in epistemologies, modes of dissemination, professional jargon, and national languages. This diversity of professional practice influences the sharing of information about music and wellbeing, often slowing down the creation of new knowledge, potentially to the detriment of those receiving musical care. Here I present the results of a short participatory action research study investigating the professional practices of ethnomusicologists, (neuro)psychologists, and music therapists researching the links between music and wellbeing. My findings are based on observations made in the United Kingdom, Austria, Finland, the United States, and Australia. I conclude by urging researchers to examine their practices and epistemologies reflexively, and not to assume other disciplines are homogenous. I also suggest that, for ethnomusicologists, grounded theory and community music therapy might be areas for future collaboration and that a proactive approach is needed to ensure knowledge about the links between music, health, and wellbeing are examined at a faster, more collaborative pace.
ABSTRACT: This study investigates periodic body motion (foot-tapping and vertical hip motions) as... more ABSTRACT: This study investigates periodic body motion (foot-tapping and vertical hip motions) as a reference structure in a specific style of traditional Norwegian dance music called telespringar. The intimate relationship between music and motion is often highlighted in rhythm studies of telespringar, so this study encompasses both sound and motion analyses. It is based on a motion capture study of three telespringar performers, examining the foot-stamping of one fiddler and vertical hip motions of two dancers. The results indicate that rather than being primarily derived from the sound itself, the underlying rhythmic structures in telespringar depend upon a shared and embodied knowledge of the underlying asymmetrical reference structure that is implicit in the production and perception of telespringar. I explore here how the methodology used by the author might be further justified and explored. I will also propose ways in which the article could be made more accessible to researchers who question the universality of research outcomes arrived at using laboratory-based experimental settings.
This article explores the relationship between policy formation in higher education, ethics state... more This article explores the relationship between policy formation in higher education, ethics statements and ethical frameworks of professional conduct, within the discipline of ethnomusicology, from a UK and USA-based perspective. It will argue for an increased and sustained engagement with the formation of ethics statements on subjects of ethical concern and that this needs to be done through learned societies and critical mass. This, so I argue, will help inform UK and USA higher education institutions, funding bodies and sponsors on how best to approach the assessment of ethical rigour in ethnomusicological research activities. The article's introduction will explain the 2015–16 context in which it was written, because the paper is designed to offer an historical snapshot of ethnomusicology's engagement with ethical policy and is therefore time-sensitive. It will then explore ethnomusicological engagement with higher education's ethical assessment processes and compare this to similar engagement by anthropologists. I examine the role of learned societies in promoting ethical conduct and policy formation by looking at ethical statements from both anthropological and ethnomusicological learned societies. Here I will show why it is important that ethnomusicological learned societies such as the British Forum for Ethnomusicology (BFE), Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) and the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) provide sustained engagement with the ethical concerns of their discipline, using concepts of meta, normative and applied ethics. I conclude by providing examples of common ethical concerns that are not well-understood by medically-oriented ethics committees and offer suggestions as to how ethnomusicologists might engage with these.
This paper will explore how recent developments in the higher education sector in the UK have mea... more This paper will explore how recent developments in the higher education sector in the UK have meant that researchers and institutions are required to become more rigorous in the ways in which they evidence ethical research conduct and how this may or may not conflict with the ethical dilemmas with which researchers are faced whilst conducting research. It will also show how, with the introduction of open access mandates in the UK research integrity has had to broaden its scope to include rigorous and informed approaches to research data management, data protection and freedom of information requests. I will explore this topic from two angles simultaneously: that of an ethnomusicologist having conducted fieldwork in Indigenous Australia with vulnerable population groups such as children, those with mental illness and alcohol misuse issues and that of a University research administrator, working at a Higher Education Institution in charge of helping to implement the Research Integrity Concordat. During my paper I will highlight some of the common points of contention that I have come across and how these might be constructively engaged with by both research ethics and integrity committees and ethnomusicologists alike. Basing my arguments on the anthropology of law I will demonstrate that some of the legalistic aspects of research integrity and ethical clearance should to be context and culturally specific, but are often not within the HEI sector, which bases its compliance forms on scientific models of research and Western codes of conduct. I will posit that with the increased emphasis on interdisciplinarity HEIs would also do well to adjust their ethical codes of conduct to reflect this. Lastly, and controversially perhaps, I will suggest that the legalistic aspects of research integrity clearance are perhaps closer to the philosophy of ethics than some researchers might suspect.
This paper explores emerging practices in research data management in the arts, humanities and so... more This paper explores emerging practices in research data management in the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS). It will do so vis-à-vis current citation conventions and impact measurement for research in AHSS. Case study findings on research data inventoried at Goldsmiths’, University of London will be presented. Goldsmiths is a UK research-intensive higher education institution which specialises in arts, humanities and social science research. The paper’s aim is to raise awareness of the subject-specific needs of AHSS scholars to help inform the design of future digital tools for impact analysis in AHSS. Firstly, I shall explore the definition of research data and how it is currently understood by AHSS researchers. I will show why many researchers choose not to engage with digital dissemination techniques and ORCID. This discussion must necessarily include the idea that practice-based and applied AHSS research are processes which are not easily captured in numerical ‘sets’ and cannot be labelled electronically without giving careful consideration to what a group or data item ‘represents’ as part of the academic enquiry, and therefore how it should be cited and analysed as part of any impact assessment. Then, the paper will explore: the role of the monograph and arts catalogue in AHSS scholarship; how citation practices and digital impact measurement in AHSS currently operate in relation to authorship and how digital identifiers may hypothetically impact on metrics, intellectual property (IP), copyright and research integrity issues in AHSS. I will also show that, if we are to be truly interdisciplinary, as research funders and strategic thinkers say we should, it is necessary to revise the way we think about digital research dissemination. This will involve breaking down the boundaries between AHSS and other types of research.
Academic authorship is an important way in which new knowledge about Indigenous Australian music ... more Academic authorship is an important way in which new knowledge about Indigenous Australian music and history is shared. Academic analyses, however, do not always successfully convey the emotive nature of this new historical knowledge. Publishing is also an exclusionary activity, relying on an author’s academic training and familiarity with the protocols for publication. In this article I will suggest that instead we conceive of practice as research (PaR) in music as a method that is able to increase the participation of Indigenous people in the shaping of our communal understanding of Australian history. Performance as PaR allows more stories to be told by a diversity of people. In the hands of a good PaR researcher, performances are better able to communicate the emotive nature of colonial histories, broadening our understanding of Indigenous experiences of colonialism and how these impact on conciliation. Through documenting my work with Indigenous researcher and performer Jessie ...
In this piece I suggest that while applied ethnomusicology generally may have been vindicated of ... more In this piece I suggest that while applied ethnomusicology generally may have been vindicated of its “manipulative” charge, applied research in Christian post-mission contexts has not. Through the lens of my own applied, collaborative research project with the Lutheran Australian Aboriginal community choir of Hopevale, Northern Queensland, between 2004 and 2005 I will show, however, that it is possible to ethically accommodate Indigenous Christian beliefs, histories and the “ethics of style” (Rommen 2007) through musical performance even when changes to musical style are introduced in Christian contexts using an applied, practice as research approach. I will illustrate how I, as an atheist, applied, participatory action researcher, approached the ethics of style and performance aesthetics in the highly politicized context of post-mission Australia when performing for Aboriginal, tourist and local, mixed audiences and how this impacted positively on community members and singers alike. I propose that in applied post-mission, (post)-colonial Christian contexts the ethics of style married with the ethical responsibilities inherent in the facilitation of musical performance (Warren 2014) and the relationship between ethics and authenticity (Taylor 2018 [1991]) have an important role to play in how we rationalize the ethical implications of applied research in Christian contexts generally
The Routledge Companion to Interdisciplinary Studies in Singing, 2020
This chapter explores the relationship between Christian choral singing, Australian Aboriginal id... more This chapter explores the relationship between Christian choral singing, Australian Aboriginal identities, age and wellbeing, drawing on an ethnomusicological applied, practice research project undertaken in collaboration with the Lutheran Australian Aboriginal community of Hopevale, Northern Queensland in 2004-2005. The ethnomusicological field data are complemented by theory and research published in different disciplines showing how singing can positively influence wellbeing cross-culturally. It will also show how age, as a variable, impacts the efficacy of choral singing in promoting wellbeing in an Australian Indigenous Christian context
Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide, 2018
This is the introduction to the book _Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities ... more This is the introduction to the book _Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide_ (Routledge, 2018). In it, we propose the term ‘musical localization’ as a useful umbrella category to describe the processes by which Christian communities worldwide adapt, adopt, perform, and share congregational music. We first describe the related terms inculturation and indigenization, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. We then describe aspects of a methodological and theoretical approach common to each of the volume’s musical ethnographies and outline how the book’s chapters work together to flesh out four discrete but interrelated aspects of musical localization. Finally, through a self-reflexive discussion of how the co-editors selected our introductory musical example, we put forward several questions suggested by our work on musical localization that can benefit scholarly reflection on Christian congregational music.
This study investigates periodic body motion (foot-tapping and vertical hip motions) as a referen... more This study investigates periodic body motion (foot-tapping and vertical hip motions) as a reference structure in a specific style of traditional Norwegian dance music called telespringar. The intimate relationship between music and motion is often highlighted in rhythm studies of telespringar, so this study encompasses both sound and motion analyses. It is based on a motion capture study of three telespringar performers, examining the foot-stamping of one fiddler and vertical hip motions of two dancers. The results indicate that rather than being primarily derived from the sound itself, the underlying rhythmic structures in telespringar depend upon a shared and embodied knowledge of the underlying asymmetrical reference structure that is implicit in the production and perception of telespringar. I explore here how the methodology used by the author might be further justified and explored. I will also propose ways in which the article could be made more accessible to researchers who ...
This article explores the ways in which the relationships between music, health, wellbeing, medic... more This article explores the ways in which the relationships between music, health, wellbeing, medicine, and ethnomusicology are being researched internationally. It shows that while there is a widespread global interest among a variety of disciplines in studying these relationships, there is still an absence of disciplinary and international collaboration. This absence of collaboration, I argue, is caused by a variance between disciplines and countries in epistemologies, modes of dissemination, professional jargon, and national languages. This diversity of professional practice influences the sharing of information about music and wellbeing, often slowing down the creation of new knowledge, potentially to the detriment of those receiving musical care. Here I present the results of a short participatory action research study investigating the professional practices of ethnomusicologists, (neuro)psychologists, and music therapists researching the links between music and wellbeing. My findings are based on observations made in the United Kingdom, Austria, Finland, the United States, and Australia. I conclude by urging researchers to examine their practices and epistemologies reflexively, and not to assume other disciplines are homogenous. I also suggest that, for ethnomusicologists, grounded theory and community music therapy might be areas for future collaboration and that a proactive approach is needed to ensure knowledge about the links between music, health, and wellbeing are examined at a faster, more collaborative pace.
Music therapy is a small, but evolving profession. Numbers of music therapists are increasing, ye... more Music therapy is a small, but evolving profession. Numbers of music therapists are increasing, yet little is known regarding the workforce and its employment characteristics. To understand the current profile of the music therapy workforce in the United Kingdom (UK), the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) commissioned a national survey of its membership. This survey explores the profile of the UK music therapy workforce in terms of demographics, training and employment characteristics. An online survey was circulated to all BAMT members. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. A total of 374 therapists responded (44% response rate). Following demographic information (including age, nationality and training background), we focus on employment characteristics such as income, types of work, settings, clients and age groups. Supervision and clinical fees are considered as well as commissioning and funding of self-employed ...
Academic authorship is an important way in which new knowledge about Indigenous Australian music ... more Academic authorship is an important way in which new knowledge about Indigenous Australian music and history is shared. Academic analyses, however, do not always successfully convey the emotive nature of this new historical knowledge. Publishing is also an exclusionary activity, relying on an author’s academic training and familiarity with the protocols for publication. In this article I will suggest that instead we conceive of practice as research (PaR) in music as a method that is able to increase the participation of Indigenous people in the shaping of our communal understanding of Australian history. Performance as PaR practice as research allows more stories to be told by a diversity of people. In the hands of a good PaR researcher, performances are better able to communicate the emotive nature of colonial histories, broadening our understanding of Indigenous experiences of colonialism and how these impact on conciliation. Through documenting my work with Indigenous researcher and performer Jessie Lloyd I will argue that PaR is a method well suited to Indigenous contexts, reflecting Indigenous cultural practices using oral formats that rely on story, interpersonal relationships and participation.
Music therapy is a small, but evolving profession. Numbers of music therapists are increasing, ye... more Music therapy is a small, but evolving profession. Numbers of music therapists are increasing, yet little is known regarding the workforce and its employment characteristics. To understand the current profile of the music therapy workforce in the United Kingdom (UK), the British Association for Music Therapy (BAMT) commissioned a national survey of its membership. This survey explores the profile of the UK music therapy workforce in terms of demographics, training and employment characteristics. An online survey was circulated to all BAMT members. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of open-ended responses. A total of 374 therapists responded (44% response rate). Following demographic information (including age, nationality and training background), we focus on employment characteristics such as income, types of work, settings, clients and age groups. Supervision and clinical fees are considered as well as commissioning and funding of self-employed and employed music therapy work. As an initial mapping of the current UK workforce, this study offers a pragmatic platform to consider development and strategic priorities and thus to re-vision the future of music therapy in the country. Potential implications for the international music therapy community are also discussed.
This article explores the ways in which the relationships between music, health, wellbeing, medic... more This article explores the ways in which the relationships between music, health, wellbeing, medicine, and ethnomusicology are being researched internationally. It shows that while there is a widespread global interest among a variety of disciplines in studying these relationships, there is still an absence of disciplinary and international collaboration. This absence of collaboration, I argue, is caused by a variance between disciplines and countries in epistemologies, modes of dissemination, professional jargon, and national languages. This diversity of professional practice influences the sharing of information about music and wellbeing, often slowing down the creation of new knowledge, potentially to the detriment of those receiving musical care. Here I present the results of a short participatory action research study investigating the professional practices of ethnomusicologists, (neuro)psychologists, and music therapists researching the links between music and wellbeing. My findings are based on observations made in the United Kingdom, Austria, Finland, the United States, and Australia. I conclude by urging researchers to examine their practices and epistemologies reflexively, and not to assume other disciplines are homogenous. I also suggest that, for ethnomusicologists, grounded theory and community music therapy might be areas for future collaboration and that a proactive approach is needed to ensure knowledge about the links between music, health, and wellbeing are examined at a faster, more collaborative pace.
ABSTRACT: This study investigates periodic body motion (foot-tapping and vertical hip motions) as... more ABSTRACT: This study investigates periodic body motion (foot-tapping and vertical hip motions) as a reference structure in a specific style of traditional Norwegian dance music called telespringar. The intimate relationship between music and motion is often highlighted in rhythm studies of telespringar, so this study encompasses both sound and motion analyses. It is based on a motion capture study of three telespringar performers, examining the foot-stamping of one fiddler and vertical hip motions of two dancers. The results indicate that rather than being primarily derived from the sound itself, the underlying rhythmic structures in telespringar depend upon a shared and embodied knowledge of the underlying asymmetrical reference structure that is implicit in the production and perception of telespringar. I explore here how the methodology used by the author might be further justified and explored. I will also propose ways in which the article could be made more accessible to researchers who question the universality of research outcomes arrived at using laboratory-based experimental settings.
This article explores the relationship between policy formation in higher education, ethics state... more This article explores the relationship between policy formation in higher education, ethics statements and ethical frameworks of professional conduct, within the discipline of ethnomusicology, from a UK and USA-based perspective. It will argue for an increased and sustained engagement with the formation of ethics statements on subjects of ethical concern and that this needs to be done through learned societies and critical mass. This, so I argue, will help inform UK and USA higher education institutions, funding bodies and sponsors on how best to approach the assessment of ethical rigour in ethnomusicological research activities. The article's introduction will explain the 2015–16 context in which it was written, because the paper is designed to offer an historical snapshot of ethnomusicology's engagement with ethical policy and is therefore time-sensitive. It will then explore ethnomusicological engagement with higher education's ethical assessment processes and compare this to similar engagement by anthropologists. I examine the role of learned societies in promoting ethical conduct and policy formation by looking at ethical statements from both anthropological and ethnomusicological learned societies. Here I will show why it is important that ethnomusicological learned societies such as the British Forum for Ethnomusicology (BFE), Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) and the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM) provide sustained engagement with the ethical concerns of their discipline, using concepts of meta, normative and applied ethics. I conclude by providing examples of common ethical concerns that are not well-understood by medically-oriented ethics committees and offer suggestions as to how ethnomusicologists might engage with these.
This paper will explore how recent developments in the higher education sector in the UK have mea... more This paper will explore how recent developments in the higher education sector in the UK have meant that researchers and institutions are required to become more rigorous in the ways in which they evidence ethical research conduct and how this may or may not conflict with the ethical dilemmas with which researchers are faced whilst conducting research. It will also show how, with the introduction of open access mandates in the UK research integrity has had to broaden its scope to include rigorous and informed approaches to research data management, data protection and freedom of information requests. I will explore this topic from two angles simultaneously: that of an ethnomusicologist having conducted fieldwork in Indigenous Australia with vulnerable population groups such as children, those with mental illness and alcohol misuse issues and that of a University research administrator, working at a Higher Education Institution in charge of helping to implement the Research Integrity Concordat. During my paper I will highlight some of the common points of contention that I have come across and how these might be constructively engaged with by both research ethics and integrity committees and ethnomusicologists alike. Basing my arguments on the anthropology of law I will demonstrate that some of the legalistic aspects of research integrity and ethical clearance should to be context and culturally specific, but are often not within the HEI sector, which bases its compliance forms on scientific models of research and Western codes of conduct. I will posit that with the increased emphasis on interdisciplinarity HEIs would also do well to adjust their ethical codes of conduct to reflect this. Lastly, and controversially perhaps, I will suggest that the legalistic aspects of research integrity clearance are perhaps closer to the philosophy of ethics than some researchers might suspect.
This paper explores emerging practices in research data management in the arts, humanities and so... more This paper explores emerging practices in research data management in the arts, humanities and social sciences (AHSS). It will do so vis-à-vis current citation conventions and impact measurement for research in AHSS. Case study findings on research data inventoried at Goldsmiths’, University of London will be presented. Goldsmiths is a UK research-intensive higher education institution which specialises in arts, humanities and social science research. The paper’s aim is to raise awareness of the subject-specific needs of AHSS scholars to help inform the design of future digital tools for impact analysis in AHSS. Firstly, I shall explore the definition of research data and how it is currently understood by AHSS researchers. I will show why many researchers choose not to engage with digital dissemination techniques and ORCID. This discussion must necessarily include the idea that practice-based and applied AHSS research are processes which are not easily captured in numerical ‘sets’ and cannot be labelled electronically without giving careful consideration to what a group or data item ‘represents’ as part of the academic enquiry, and therefore how it should be cited and analysed as part of any impact assessment. Then, the paper will explore: the role of the monograph and arts catalogue in AHSS scholarship; how citation practices and digital impact measurement in AHSS currently operate in relation to authorship and how digital identifiers may hypothetically impact on metrics, intellectual property (IP), copyright and research integrity issues in AHSS. I will also show that, if we are to be truly interdisciplinary, as research funders and strategic thinkers say we should, it is necessary to revise the way we think about digital research dissemination. This will involve breaking down the boundaries between AHSS and other types of research.
The Mission Songs album album defies categorisation in an exciting and innovative way. It capture... more The Mission Songs album album defies categorisation in an exciting and innovative way. It captures and revives older songs created between 1900 – 1999 by Indigenous Australian mission communities.
Simultaneously, the aim of the album and related Mission Songs Project is to actively sustain these extremely important musical contributions. Hence, the CD comes with a booklet of lyrics and guitar chords to facilitate the learning of songs on the album and stimulate performance. The album is therefore both historical as well as contemporary and most certainly post-contact.
Book Review: 'Sustainable Futures for Music Cultures: An Ecological Perspective'. Huib Schippers ... more Book Review: 'Sustainable Futures for Music Cultures: An Ecological Perspective'. Huib Schippers and Catherine Grant. 2016. Oxford Univesrity Press.
Review of Author: Editor: Birgit Abels, Co-editor: Barbara Titus; Guest Editors: Dan Bendrups and... more Review of Author: Editor: Birgit Abels, Co-editor: Barbara Titus; Guest Editors: Dan Bendrups and Huib Schippers Category: Books, Cultural Policy, Ethnomusicology Berlin: VWB: Verlag für Wissenschaft und Bildung, 2015, 146 pages ISSN: 0043-8774, ISBN: 978-3-86135-910-4 Reviewed by Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg
Book review:
Soundscapes of Wellbeing in Popular Music (Gavin J. Andrews, Paul Kingsbury & Robin... more Book review:
Soundscapes of Wellbeing in Popular Music (Gavin J. Andrews, Paul Kingsbury & Robin Kearns, Eds.)
Reviewed by Muriel E. Swijghuisen Reigersberg
Title: Soundscapes of Wellbeing in Popular Music | Editors: Gavin J. Andrews, Paul Kingsbury & Robin Kearns | Publication year: 2014 | Publisher: Ashgate | Pages: 320 | ISBN: 978-1937440534
In this piece I suggest that while applied ethnomusicology generally may have been vindicated of ... more In this piece I suggest that while applied ethnomusicology generally may have been vindicated of its “manipulative” charge, applied research in Christian post-mission contexts has not. Through the lens of my own applied, collaborative research project with the Lutheran Australian Aboriginal community choir of Hopevale, Northern Queensland, between 2004 and 2005 I will show, however, that it is possible to ethically accommodate Indigenous Christian beliefs, histories and the “ethics of style” (Rommen 2007) through musical performance even when changes to musical style are introduced in Christian contexts using an applied, practice as research approach. I will illustrate how I, as an atheist, applied, participatory action researcher, approached the ethics of style and performance aesthetics in the highly politicized context of post-mission Australia when performing for Aboriginal, tourist and local, mixed audiences and how this impacted positively on community members and singers alike.
I propose that in applied post-mission, (post)-colonial Christian contexts the ethics of style married with the ethical responsibilities inherent in the facilitation of musical performance (Warren 2014) and the relationship between ethics and authenticity (Taylor 2018 [1991]) have an important role to play in how we rationalize the ethical implications of applied research in Christian contexts generally.
Ethical Scholarly Publishing Practices, Copyright and Open Access: A view from Ethnomusicology and Anthropology, 2019
Using ethnomusicological and anthropological examples this chapter explores how concepts of music... more Using ethnomusicological and anthropological examples this chapter explores how concepts of musical authorship, creativity and ownership are culturally determined and how this impacts on the writing of ethnographies and the ethical sharing of creative outputs in relation to copyright and research scholarship.
I use Foucault's broad definition of 'an author' to support my arguments.
Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide, 2018
Introduction to the volume: Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide ... more Introduction to the volume: Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide (2018)
Ingalls, Monique, Swijghuisen Reigersberg, Muriel and Sherinian, Zoe (eds.) Routledge
This introduction examines the categories of musical inculturation, contextualization, and indigenization. We argue that these three terms, though useful up to a point, are inadequate to account for the interplay between structure, agency, change, and continuity within the diverse music-making practices of Christian communities around the world. We propose ‘musical localization’ as a more useful umbrella category to describe the processes by which Christian communities worldwide adapt, adopt, create, perform, and share congregational music. We define musical localization as the process whereby Christian communities take a variety of musical practices – some considered ‘indigenous,’ some ‘foreign,’ some shared across spatial and cultural divides; some linked to past practice, some innovative – and make them locally meaningful and useful in the construction of Christian beliefs, theology, practice, and identity.
Web blog submission for 'the future of practice research'. Applied ethnomusicology, impact and re... more Web blog submission for 'the future of practice research'. Applied ethnomusicology, impact and research in Australian Aboriginal Christian contexts.
Entry SEM newsletter Vol. 2, Number 3, Summer 2018 on importance of engaging in shaping policies ... more Entry SEM newsletter Vol. 2, Number 3, Summer 2018 on importance of engaging in shaping policies and processes for a discipline-appropriate approach to facilitating research ethics in ethnomusicology and how professional conduct in and out of the field matters.
Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide, 2018
This is the introduction to the book _Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities ... more This is the introduction to the book _Making Congregational Music Local in Christian Communities Worldwide_ (Routledge, 2018). In it, we propose the term ‘musical localization’ as a useful umbrella category to describe the processes by which Christian communities worldwide adapt, adopt, perform, and share congregational music. We first describe the related terms inculturation and indigenization, assessing their strengths and weaknesses. We then describe aspects of a methodological and theoretical approach common to each of the volume’s musical ethnographies and outline how the book’s chapters work together to flesh out four discrete but interrelated aspects of musical localization. Finally, through a self-reflexive discussion of how the co-editors selected our introductory musical example, we put forward several questions suggested by our work on musical localization that can benefit scholarly reflection on Christian congregational music.
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Papers by Dr M E E Swijghuisen Reigersberg
I will explore this topic from two angles simultaneously: that of an ethnomusicologist having conducted fieldwork in Indigenous Australia with vulnerable population groups such as children, those with mental illness and alcohol misuse issues and that of a University research administrator, working at a Higher Education Institution in charge of helping to implement the Research Integrity Concordat. During my paper I will highlight some of the common points of contention that I have come across and how these might be constructively engaged with by both research ethics and integrity committees and ethnomusicologists alike.
Basing my arguments on the anthropology of law I will demonstrate that some of the legalistic aspects of research integrity and ethical clearance should to be context and culturally specific, but are often not within the HEI sector, which bases its compliance forms on scientific models of research and Western codes of conduct. I will posit that with the increased emphasis on interdisciplinarity HEIs would also do well to adjust their ethical codes of conduct to reflect this. Lastly, and controversially perhaps, I will suggest that the legalistic aspects of research integrity clearance are perhaps closer to the philosophy of ethics than some researchers might suspect.
Firstly, I shall explore the definition of research data and how it is currently understood by AHSS researchers. I will show why many researchers choose not to engage with digital dissemination techniques and ORCID. This discussion must necessarily include the idea that practice-based and applied AHSS research are processes which are not easily captured in numerical ‘sets’ and cannot be labelled electronically without giving careful consideration to what a group or data item ‘represents’ as part of the academic enquiry, and therefore how it should be cited and analysed as part of any impact assessment.
Then, the paper will explore: the role of the monograph and arts catalogue in AHSS scholarship; how citation practices and digital impact measurement in AHSS currently operate in relation to authorship and how digital identifiers may hypothetically impact on metrics, intellectual property (IP), copyright and research integrity issues in AHSS.
I will also show that, if we are to be truly interdisciplinary, as research funders and strategic thinkers say we should, it is necessary to revise the way we think about digital research dissemination. This will involve breaking down the boundaries between AHSS and other types of research.
I will explore this topic from two angles simultaneously: that of an ethnomusicologist having conducted fieldwork in Indigenous Australia with vulnerable population groups such as children, those with mental illness and alcohol misuse issues and that of a University research administrator, working at a Higher Education Institution in charge of helping to implement the Research Integrity Concordat. During my paper I will highlight some of the common points of contention that I have come across and how these might be constructively engaged with by both research ethics and integrity committees and ethnomusicologists alike.
Basing my arguments on the anthropology of law I will demonstrate that some of the legalistic aspects of research integrity and ethical clearance should to be context and culturally specific, but are often not within the HEI sector, which bases its compliance forms on scientific models of research and Western codes of conduct. I will posit that with the increased emphasis on interdisciplinarity HEIs would also do well to adjust their ethical codes of conduct to reflect this. Lastly, and controversially perhaps, I will suggest that the legalistic aspects of research integrity clearance are perhaps closer to the philosophy of ethics than some researchers might suspect.
Firstly, I shall explore the definition of research data and how it is currently understood by AHSS researchers. I will show why many researchers choose not to engage with digital dissemination techniques and ORCID. This discussion must necessarily include the idea that practice-based and applied AHSS research are processes which are not easily captured in numerical ‘sets’ and cannot be labelled electronically without giving careful consideration to what a group or data item ‘represents’ as part of the academic enquiry, and therefore how it should be cited and analysed as part of any impact assessment.
Then, the paper will explore: the role of the monograph and arts catalogue in AHSS scholarship; how citation practices and digital impact measurement in AHSS currently operate in relation to authorship and how digital identifiers may hypothetically impact on metrics, intellectual property (IP), copyright and research integrity issues in AHSS.
I will also show that, if we are to be truly interdisciplinary, as research funders and strategic thinkers say we should, it is necessary to revise the way we think about digital research dissemination. This will involve breaking down the boundaries between AHSS and other types of research.
Simultaneously, the aim of the album and related Mission Songs Project is to actively sustain these extremely important musical contributions. Hence, the CD comes with a booklet of lyrics and guitar chords to facilitate the learning of songs on the album and stimulate performance. The album is therefore both historical as well as contemporary and most certainly post-contact.
Category: Books, Cultural Policy, Ethnomusicology
Berlin: VWB: Verlag für Wissenschaft und Bildung, 2015, 146 pages
ISSN: 0043-8774, ISBN: 978-3-86135-910-4
Reviewed by Muriel Swijghuisen Reigersberg
Soundscapes of Wellbeing in Popular Music (Gavin J. Andrews, Paul Kingsbury & Robin Kearns, Eds.)
Reviewed by Muriel E. Swijghuisen Reigersberg
Title: Soundscapes of Wellbeing in Popular Music | Editors: Gavin J. Andrews, Paul Kingsbury & Robin Kearns | Publication year: 2014 | Publisher: Ashgate | Pages: 320 | ISBN: 978-1937440534
for Aboriginal, tourist and local, mixed audiences and how this impacted positively on community members and singers alike.
I propose that in applied post-mission, (post)-colonial Christian contexts the ethics of style married with the ethical responsibilities inherent in the facilitation of musical performance (Warren 2014) and the relationship between ethics and authenticity (Taylor 2018 [1991]) have an important role to play in how we rationalize the ethical implications of applied research in Christian contexts generally.
I use Foucault's broad definition of 'an author' to support my arguments.
Ingalls, Monique, Swijghuisen Reigersberg, Muriel and Sherinian, Zoe (eds.) Routledge
This introduction examines the categories of musical inculturation, contextualization, and indigenization. We argue that these three terms, though useful up to a point, are inadequate to account for the interplay between structure, agency, change, and continuity within the diverse music-making practices of Christian communities around the world. We propose ‘musical localization’ as a more useful umbrella category to describe the processes by which Christian communities worldwide adapt, adopt, create, perform, and share congregational music. We define musical localization as the process whereby Christian communities take a variety of musical practices – some considered ‘indigenous,’ some ‘foreign,’ some shared across spatial and cultural divides; some linked to past practice, some innovative – and make them locally meaningful and useful in the construction of Christian beliefs, theology, practice, and identity.