Nordic Science Center for Amateur Music aims to strengthen research in the field of amateur music. 

The center has a special focus on how music influences the individual in a societal context, through social, psychological, creative, and health aspects.

 

Nordic Science Center for Amateur Music is founded as a part of MUSIK I NORDEN - Music in the North (MIN), which is an overarching umbrella organisation for many amateur music associations in the Nordic countries. The member countries include the 3 Scandinavian countries; Denmark, Norway, and Sweden as well as Finland and Iceland and the 3 autonomous areas: Greenland, Faroe Islands, and Åland Islands. The overall goal is to strenghthen the importance of playing music and its effect on cultural, democratic and internordic life.

 

The area lacks a lot of research in relation to, for example, music history or sports. We hope this catalog of ideas can inspire new areas to research in

1. How many performers (singers and musicians) are there in the Nordic amateur music scene (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, Greenland, the Faroe Islands and Åland), as there is only an unscientific estimate of approx. 200,000?

2. Investigation of the number of active practitioners of art and culture at amateur / leisure level - in all age categories, as well as their motives and benefits of participation.

3. What is the scope of the "non-institutionalized" music environment? - statistically reviewed

4. Where do the professional musicians come from? - are they all educated (from music school etc. via MGK to the conservatories) - or "self-educated"

5. Why is there a difference in the municipalities' support per citizen across the country? - distribution of municipalities - larger urban municipalities - rural areas

6. Why do many girls between approx. 13 and 17 years have high-costal breathing and are speaking in an over-compressed voice? - comparative involvement of foster children - comparative involvement of refugee children

7. Why do students decide the choice of their instrument? - study of school orchestras - examination of students' physiological fitness to instrument: size, teeth, and jaws - study of teachers' abilities to choose the best instrument for the student - possible involvement of Norway's many experiences

8. Why does an imbalance from childhood occur between boys and girls in the choice of the instrument? - girls often choose solo instruments and boys often play interplay instruments - why girls drop out in their teens - differences in classical and rhythmic music / conservatory

9. Is the brain trained to function holistically through the practice of music? - a study of the degree of synchrony between parts of the brain during the performance of choral singing (brain wave studies) and alpha, beta-theta fields

10. How many children, adolescents or adults have hearing damage (hearing loss, tinnitus, etc.) caused by orchestral playing?

11. Is there a connection between amateur culture practice and audience participation?

12. What role can amateur culture play in the inclusion of - immigrants - refugees - socially marginalized?

13. What is the effect of artistic participation in dementia treatment? - a number of good cases exists from the UK, the Netherlands (drum workshop) and not least from NOMA in New York (visual art).

14. Can active artistic participation play a role in stress treatment and stress prevention?

15. Can active artistic participation play a role for people affected by PTSD?

16. Can active artistic participation play a role for people affected by PTSD after war traumatic experiences? - many cases from the world of playback theater.

17. Can active artistic participation play a role for people with ADHD?

18. Can active artistic participation play a role for people affected by COPD?

19. Can active artistic participation play a role for people with physical disabilities?

20. Can active artistic participation play a role for people who are HSP - High Sensitive Person?

21. Study of the relationship between orchestra and choir conducting & corporate management

22. Breakup in the amateur / professional concept - study of the growth participant's many participant definitions - The Con Amore People, Passionate, Volunteer, Passionate, Amateur and Professional.

23. Youth's involvement in culture - why is it cool to get a bracelet and be at the Festival, and no so cool to be a board member of a cultural organization and work for the long haul

24. Music pedagogical approaches - an overview of music pedagogical experiences.

25. What is the learning and educational potential of amateur cultural activities? - including in the association participation?

26. What is the learning and educational potential of amateur cultural activities? - including in the association participation?

27. What amateur cultural activities are there in the villages - of a certain size - types

28. What is the role of music in teaching in primary / secondary school?

29. What significance does a school orchestra or school choir have across classes (horizontally) and grade levels (vertically) for the school's well-being, integration, empathy, etc. as a whole?

30. How are students best selected to play in a school orchestra? - should the student's musical abilities to pick up pitch, melody, chord and rhythm be taken into account in a small hearing test or should there be free choice? - which method gives the child the greatest success experience? - which method gives the orchestra the best musical growth?

31. What is the role of music for senior citizens?

32. Does music in school lead to better learning outcomes?

33. Does music in high school lead to a better learning outcome?

34. What significance do baby hymn singing and baby rhythmics have for children's motor development?

35. Can music play a role in psychiatric treatment? - why? - why not? - Possibly. how?

36. Do amateur musical activities have an impact on well-being, quality of life and mental well-being?

37. What is the linguistic benefit - both written and oral - of parallel music activities?

38. What does the community mean for participants in choir and orchestra activities?

39. Does participation in amateur music promote human rhetorical and communicative abilities?

40. Advantages and disadvantages of singing / playing to notes versus memorizing / improvising as in the gospel singing tradition and jazz - brain development

41. How are emotions and moods created in music?

42. How can music be used in team building?

43. Does music activity create increased empathy and the ability to express oneself?

 

We welcome suggestions for research topics and provide tips for empirics on:

https://videncenterforamatoermusik.dk/index.php/kontakt

 

1.10.2021