From Music to Experiment:
A Practical Workshop in Empirical Music Research
Arranged by The Royal Academy of Music, Aarhus, Denmark
& The Academy of Music, Aalborg, Denmark
August 20th – 22nd 2009
This three-day workshop is intended to help musicians and music scholars learn the main techniques and concepts in modern empirical research. Participants will learn how to design and carry out a music experiment and how to apply empirical and statistical principles to historical and other problems. The workshop is designed specifically to develop practical research skills for musicians with little or no previous background in empirical methods, as well as for the scientifically more advanced student needing inspiration for experiments or a brush up on their experimental skills.
The workshop format will consist of a series of short lectures, interspersed with various hands-on and group activities — from running subjects to analyzing data. In addition, the workshop will include guest lectures by notable music scientists and musicologists.
The workshop defines and discusses hypothesis formation and testing, operational definitions, correlational and experimental approaches, field research, statistical significance, experimental control, and other useful concepts. Participants will also learn how to read and critique published scientific research related to music — identifying strengths and weaknesses in individual music-related studies.
The tools learned by participants will be applicable to most areas of music scholarship, including performance research, music history, music analysis, theory, music psychology, semiotics, ethnomusicology, cultural policy, and other areas.
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