Preamble

“As part of an ever changing and evolving world in music, our ethos is guided by the concept of an education that is strongly rooted in being openly communicative and interdisciplinary in its approach. Artistic practice, theory and research are interacted with as a whole, and are preceded by the basic openness and interest in any new developments.”

The JMLU is currently focusing on two major fields of research, which are also reflected in the two faculties of Music and Pedagogy:

Artistic Research (AR) is a relatively young research discipline, and as a fundamental artistic research it contributes significantly to the advancement and appreciation of the arts. AR is situated at the interface between science and the arts and is based on a dynamic relationship between scientific and artistic roles and positions, as well as theories and methods. A significant characteristic of AR is the further expansion of traditional epistemological perspectives by way of new forms of arts- and practice-based knowledge and experience, which are explored in various research projects at JMLU.

Music education research, on the other hand, has been part of a long prevalent tradition. Already in ancient Greece the ethical effects of music were being discussed, from which guidelines and instructions in education were formed. JMLU does not confine itself to research topics in instrumental pedagogy, but also faces new educational challenges. A sense of creativity is also something that is seen as very important in educational practice, so that in this respect artistic aspects can be readily recognised.

Cross-Faculty and Interdisciplinary Master Studies

The two research areas of art and pedagogy are not mutually exclusive, but rather from the outset they are different ways of approaching a topic or project throughout the course of one’s own studies, and ultimately lead to a focus on research questions and/or research methods. Therefore, in the introduction to scientific work, emphasis is placed on presenting the fundamentals of both fields of science regardless of their affiliations with either faculty. Thus, in the students’ works both approaches can be found, which correlates with JMLU’s strive towards maintaining a prominent role in innovative forms also in the field of research. On an organisational level JMLU has taken this goal into account by establishing an interdisciplinary study and research commission as well as a scientific unit. The interplay between creativity and educational practice on the one hand, and reflection on the other is positioned here at the center of the organization. Research at JMLU is further supported by the resources of music production provided by the faculty of Media Music. These consequently bring musical production and scientific research to the forefront when dealing with the interrelationships between music and communication, current media trends, and society in general. 

Understanding Research

Research processes at the Jam Music Lab University are oriented towards the epistemological potential and practical relevance of the silent, embodied stocks of knowledge and experience in the field of jazz and popular music. Specific problems are developed from the students' own artistic and artistic-pedagogical experience, developed from different theoretical and methodological perspectives, and fed back into creative processes or examined for their relevance in answering socially significant questions. The research approaches are based on dynamically coordinated combinations of application- and foundation-oriented EEK (development and development of the arts) with a special focus on artistic research (Artistic Research) and established scientific theories and methods.

In addition to the claim of innovation of artistic research, its connectivity to established scientific disciplines in the field of jazz and popular music is also taken into consideration. The focus is on the discursive further development of positions, theories and methods of artistic and artistic-pedagogical research.

The sensitive consideration of topics in the areas of gender competence, diversity and sustainability is anchored in the university research culture in a quality-assured manner, as are ethical principles and general guidelines of good scientific practice.

The research staff has proven scientific and/or artistic or artistic-pedagogical research competence and is led by an established personality with international experience in scientific as well as artistic jazz and popular music research.* In the spirit of the permeability of the fields of art and research strived for by the university, the joint development of research projects by artists, researchers, students and teachers is particularly supported.

Research includes written, discursive, performative, improvisational, compositional, technology-based, and conceptual activities, among others. Their documentation and presentation makes use of a variety of multimedia formats.

*The expansion of the research staff is planned for the period 2021-2023 according to the development plan.