Symposium

SIMM-posium #9 - International Conference on Musicians as Makers in Society

A three-day symposium exploring the social impact of participatory music-making across a wide range of cultural contexts.
Date
5.11-7.11.24
Address

Koncertsalen, RMC
Leo Mathisensvej 1
Kbh K 1437
Denmark

Entrance fee
Full in-person registration: 670 dkk (90 euro) - For more information about discount options see below

Welcome to the 9th SIMM-posium

The Rhythmic Music Conservatory and its Copenhagen Centre for Research in Artistic Citizenship (CReArC) are honored to host the 9th SIMM-posium in collaboration with the international research platform SIMM (Social Impact of Music Making). SIMM is a global network of researchers and organizations dedicated to exploring the social impact of music-making across diverse cultural contexts.

Building on the success of previous SIMM-posia held in Ghent, London, Porto, Bogota, Brussels, Paris, and Brisbane, the 2024 Copenhagen SIMM-posium will feature presentations, thematic panels, and keynotes. These sessions will delve into crucial topics such as musicians as makers in society, participatory music practices (as ground for community building), social aspects of listening, musical co-creation as social intervention, negotiations between/of artistic agency and social values, artistic citizenship as practice and music in detention or other freedom-deprived contexts.

Our scientific committee has organized the academic and artistic research presentations into thematic blocks, each followed by plenary discussions. To enhance interaction and encourage dialogue and reflection, presenters will offer brief 10-minute introductions, followed by extended discussions moderated by chairs. We warmly invite delegates to join us in person in Copenhagen. For those unable to attend physically, online presentations will be accommodated, and the sessions will be live-streamed.

Below, you will find the full program, a list of contributors and abstracts, and practical information about registration, accommodation, and transportation. We hope these details help you make the most of your time at the SIMM-posium.

We look forward to welcoming you to Copenhagen for an inspiring and engaging event!

Registration

Full in-person registration: 670 dkk (90 euro)

Student* in-person registration (with catering**): 370 dkk (50 euro)

Student* in-person registration (without catering): free

Single day in-person registration: 260 dkk (35 euro)

Online registration: 110 dkk (15 euro)

 

*Please note that student tickets are exclusively available for BA and MA students. A valid student ID must be presented at check-in.

**Catering includes both lunch, and coffee/tea/refreshments during the day. 


Click here to register!

REGISTRATION DEADLINE: OKTOBER 20th 2024

If you have any questions about purchasing tickets, please reach out to our coordinator, Mimmi Bie, at mimmi.bie@rmc.dk.

PROGRAMME

DAY 1 - Tuesday, November 5th

DAY 2 - Wednesday, November 6th

DAY 3 - Thursday, November 7th

About SIMM 

SIMM is an international network of researchers and organisations examining the social impact of music-making across a wide range of cultural contexts. Founded in 2015 it has grown to encompass a number of events, including research conferences, research seminars, international comparative research projects, podcasts and doctoral programs. For more information about SIMM, please visit: https://www.simm-platform.eu/.

List of contributors and abstracts

Scientific committee and Keynote Speakers

Keynote speakers

Professor Emily Achieng’ Akuno

Professor Akuno’s research and publications tackle issues around music and teacher education in cultural context, artistic citizenship, arts in and as education and the place of culture in modern education. She is a board member and past president of the International Music Council (IMC) and past president of the International Society for Music Education (ISME) as well as founding chair of the Music Education Research Group – Kenya (MERG-Kenya). A former Executive Dean of Faculty at the Technical University of Kenya and DVC (Academics) at the Cooperative University of Kenya, she currently serves as Vice Chancellor of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology in Siaya County, Kenya.

Abstract: Does Music Making Have an Impact on Social Work?

In this presentation, I shall interrogate the social of music, the socialising of music making and the social significance of music associations with a view to articulating the role of music making in enhancing the social work of child development.
Through music (in some cultural spaces, song and dance), members of a community engage in a deeply social and socialising activity of co-creation and/or co-managing an artistic event and aesthetic space. Community music is a communal event that brings together people of diverse tastes and abilities. Using two childhood music-making events and practices, I will, in this presentation, highlight a community’s recourse to music making towards the creation of social cohesion and management of internal relationships with emphasis on childhood experiences.

Professor Jacob Anderskov

Jacob Anderskov (he/him) is an educator and artistic researcher, a pianist, a composer and a bandleader from Copenhagen. Over the years, he has led four large scale Artistic Research Projects, three of which have already been published as expositions at ResearchCatalogue.net, while the fourth, finished and pro tempore in final proof reading, with an expected release primo November 2024, is the project disseminated in this keynote. Anderskov has released 30+ albums as a bandleader and co-leader since his debut in 2001. He has received numerous awards and has been described by the international press as an outstanding voice in contemporary music. Anderskov’s oeuvre spans from improvised works in small groups to almost thoroughly composed material for larger ensembles. His music often incorporates improvisation, collective instant colouring, and other new ways of bridging the continuum between the composed and not-predefined music.

Abstract: ‘Echoes from the torn down fourth wall’

Drawing on findings and experience from the Artistic Research project "Echoes from the Torn Down Fourth Wall," this keynote will explore key perspectives on building bridges between “art music” (whatever that means) and community singing. The research project began with an inquiry into audience participation within improvised concerts and has reinterpreted familiar Danish song material in an art music setting where the audience sings along to songs they know.
Topics will include proposals for understanding the social dynamics of participation and listening through the framework of 4E cognition; in this case, thinking of listening as embodied, embedded, enacted, and extended. The role of the spectator across different performance art domains will be examined, focusing on how the project has challenged notions and ideals of the spectator’s separation (or lack thereof) from the musical event.
Additionally, genre theory will be employed to rethink the distinctions and overlaps between “cultural” and “art” perspectives in the interpretation of inherited musical traditions. Approaches to possible renegotiations of musical traditions – whether through confirmation or destabilization – will also be discussed, partly in the Danish context of the project, but also extended more generally beyond this specific starting point.

Scientific Committee

The scientific committee for the 9th SIMM-posium is composed of:

Brydie-Leigh Bartleet (President SIMM / Creative Arts Research Centre and Queensland Conservatorium Griffith University, Queensland, Australia)

Søren Kjærgaard (Vice Principal, Head of Research and Development / Associate Professor, Rhythmic Music Conservatory, Copenhagen, Denmark)

Maria Westvall (Professor, Centre for Research in Artistic Citizenship (CReArC) / Rhythmic Music Conservatory, Copenhagen, Denmark)

John Sloboda (Founding President SIMM / Research Professor Guildhall School of Music, London, UK)

Torben Snekkestad (Professor of Contemporary Music, Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo, Norway)

Lukas Pairon (Founder SIMM / Professor and Founder of Chair Jonet & Centre for Social Action and Music-Making (CESAMM), Ghent, Belgium)

Accomodation and transportation 

For conference participants traveling to Copenhagen, reaching the Rhythmic Music Conservatory is quite convenient. Whether you arrive at Copenhagen Airport or the Copenhagen Central Train Station, you can easily reach the conservatory within half an hour using public transport.

Delegates will be responsible for making their own travel and accommodation arrangements. However, RMC has arranged a 15% discount for three different hotels in the city center. The bookings include breakfast, WIFI and cancellation up until 14 days prior to arrival. This discount is available to all participants until the hotels are fully booked on a first-come, first-served basis, and will be distributed to participants when signing up. 

Copenhagen is a relatively compact city, so walking is a convenient option during your stay. Additionally, bus number 2A runs frequently from the city center directly to the conservatory. Depending on your location, the harbor bus might also be a relevant option. To plan the best route through the city, please visit the Journey Planner here: https://beta.rejseplanen.dk/en.

The easiest way to purchase tickets to public transportation is through the "DOT Billetter" app, available on the App Store and Google Play. Once downloaded, select "Indstillinger" (settings), then "Sprog" (language) to switch to English. You can then choose your fare and enter your credit card details. For more information,  visit: https://www.visitcopenhagen.com/copenhagen/planning/tickets-prices

INFORMATION FOR PRESENTERS

Individual presentations

Individual presentations will have a duration of 10 minutes and be grouped thematically by our scientific committee in blocks of 3 to 5 presenters. These will be followed by fellow discussion between the presenters of each thematic block. All presentations and discussions will have a designated chair to ease fluidity and participation.

Online presentations

Presenters that can not attend the conference in person, should submit their 10-minute presentation recorded in advanced, to later be played during their allocated time-slot. To submit your presentation please forward the matieral to research coordinator, Mimmi Bie, at mimmi.bie@rmc.dk. at your earliest convienience.  After the thematic block of presentations is over, you will be asked to join the discussion live online.

General advice

We encourage presenters to bring PowerPoint (ppt) presentations on a flash drive (USB) and deliver it to the staff before their presentation block begins.

There will be access to internet at RMC, however we encourage videos and audio to be downloaded and embedded in the presentation