Research Catalogue

an international database for artistic research

• 3. Internal publication Research published in this issue are only for internal circulation within the Royal Conservatoire, The Hague.
• 2. Royal Conservatoire Investigations Royal Conservatoire Investigations
• 1. Master Research Projects All research in KC

• How to apply Kodály Principles And Methods To Jazz Solfeggio And Theory Teaching In Higher Professional Music Education (2015) author(s): Erik Albjerg Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Erik Albjerg Main subject: Theory of Music Research coaches: Dr. László Norbert Nemes, (Liszt Academy Budapest), Mónika Benedek (Helsinki) Title of research: How to apply Kodály principles and methods to jazz solfeggio and theory teaching in higher professional music education Abstract In my teaching of jazz theory, solfeggio and ear training I will integrate elements of the Kodály concept. This in order to improve my teaching and increase the learning outcomes of the students. Despite quite some development and improvement of lessons and material over the past 15 years I see too many students having trouble combining theory and practice. Exactly in this regard I assume that the Kodály concept can offer great positive effect. Since 2009 I have become practically acquainted with the Kodály concept through several workshops, courses and 4 visits to primary schools in Hungary. From my perspective as a jazz musician and theory teacher the Kodály concept offers many valuable aspects that I will integrate: a good balance between experiencing music, musicianship skills and music theory. The musical experience is based on singing (in tune), the basic theoretical understanding is provided by solmization often combined with hand signs, and the musical material is original repertoire of master composers. Since the Kodály concept is mainly focussing on folk and classical art music, there is a challenge in applying the teaching elements to jazz music. The main research questions are: The practicality of solmization and hand signs regarding the high degree of chromaticism in melody and harmony as well as tempo in jazz music To find a form for the lesson in which improvisation and playing and are integrated as well The research will be practice based in testing the learning material and activities with jazz students. The material and experiences of this practice-based research will lead to a workbook for students and a teacher's manual in June 2015. The results of the research are manifold. It has become clear for me that it is possible to teach jazz inspired by the Kodály concept. As a teacher the change of approach is more challenging than I expected and at times it feels like a transformation. As such it is work in progress, much more has to be done. This presentation will reflect on the status quo at this moment in the process. The presentation will be a demonstration of a first year jazz theory class. Biography Erik Albjerg (Svendborg, Denmark 1972), initially studied jazz trumpet, but soon turned to Theory of Music (Jazz, BA 2000). After that he studied jazz double bass (BA 2003), all at the Royal Conservatoire in The Hague. Since 1998 Erik teaches a diverse range of jazz music theory subjects for several departments. He published an article in the Dutch Journal of Music Theory on Gil Evans’s arrangement of Moon Dreams (2000). He is the co-author of several readers. He gave a presentation on the teaching of jazz harmony at the congress of the Dutch-Flemish Society for Music Theory (Antwerp 2012).
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  The Early Violone (2015) author(s): Maggie Urquhart published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Margaret Urquhart Main Subject: Master of Music Research Coach: Peter Holman Title of Research: The Early Violone Research Question: What were the earliest violones, how can they be defined and how were they used till 1700? Summary of Results: After looking at evidence of the emergence of the first low bowed string instruments in Europe, this paper follows the types and use of the main instruments which could be termed violones till 1700, mainly centered in Italy. Through the study of treatises referring to the violone, scores using the term, iconography, secondary sources and the reconstruction of a copy of a violone from 1590, it follows the development of the violone till it becomes an octave-doubling instrument. The presentation of the extended paper will include a closer look at the issues surrounding the history of, and the term, violone, and live performance of music demonstrating the early violone, together with two viola da gambas in a consort. Biography: Margaret Urquhart studied double bass and violone with Anthony Woodrow and viola da gamba with Anneke Pols at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. She subsequently joined many notable Baroque ensembles. In 1986, she became a member of Frans Bruggen’s Orchestra of the Eighteenth Century of which she is the first bassist. In addition to a busy performing schedule, she teaches at Amsterdam and The Hague conservatories, gives master classes internationally and coaches at the European Baroque Orchestra courses. She performs on the Viennese bass, the 8’ violone in various tunings and the 16’ violone and double bass.
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  Navigating through Harmony (2015) author(s): Karst de Jong published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Karst de Jong Main subject: Music Theory & Improvisation Research coaches: Michiel Schuijer & Thomas Noll Title of research: Navigating through Harmony Research question: How can spatial representation of harmony contribute to the understanding and teaching of harmonic progressions in tonal improvisation? And does the application of the directional approach provide an effective navigation tool for the improviser while shaping the harmony? 
 Summary of results: The navigation system can help in the choice of logical harmonic progressions while improvising. As a navigation tool it allows harmonic movement to be felt as opposed to calculated. As a tool for invention, the arrows challenge the obvious progressions one makes habitually as an improviser and one develops a sense of the basic movements in harmony: prolongation, movement and consolidation. It is clear that a simpler organization of harmony in the improviser's mind stimulates an active imagination, stands less in the way of the creative process, and leaves more time to anticipate what lies ahead. The research experiences have reconfirmed the importance of playing with one's ears wide open while improvising. As a teaching tool the directional approach is promising, although new materials have to be developed. This is work in progress. Clearly this research is not finished here. The next step is to take the results as a starting point for changes in the teaching of improvisation. One wish is to integrate the directional ideas with certain elements from the Partimento tradition. Then there is further research needed on the relationship between the upper structures and the underlying fundamental melody, dealing with stylistic elements such as chord forms and voice leading. The presentation has the format of a report (45 minutes) as it is in fact a portfolio of many activities leading up to this very moment, including a case study and experiments with teaching an ensemble. The presentation will consist of a summary of the theoretical background, followed by improvisations played on the piano and by an ensemble to demonstrate the ideas behind the directional approach. Biography Karst de Jong studied Classical Piano with Geoffrey Douglas Madge and Music Theory at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague and started teaching early at the conservatoires of Amsterdam and The Hague. In 2003 he was appointed professor of composition techniques and improvisation at the ESMUC in Barcelona, and has since been pursuing the practice of improvisation as an integral part of the curricula of higher music education. He has given many concerts with improvisations for solo piano or with ensembles in Europe, China and Japan. He taught in many international festivals, among them the International Chamber Music Festival Schiermonnikoog, the Piano-Pic Festival in Bagneres de Bigorre and the Paul Badura Skoda Vila-seca Music Festival in Spain. In 2012 he released his first solo CD with improvisations entitled "Improdisiac". Karst de Jong currently lives in Barcelona.
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• Collecting Repertoire for Kodály-inspired Music Lessons in Dutch Elementary Schools (2015) author(s): Daniel Salbert published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Daniel Salbert Main subject: Theory of Music Research coach: László Norbert Nemes Title of research: Collecting Repertoire for a Kodály-inspired Music Curriculum Research question: Is it possible to gather Relevant Repertoire for Dutch Elementary Schools to build a Kodály-inspired Music Curriculum? Abstract Six years ago, I visited a Kodály-course in Manchester, UK. This was the initial experience that changed my whole teaching and also my view on Music Education in general. After several study tours to Hungary I was convinced that it would be possible to develop a Kodály-inspired Music curriculum for Dutch elementary schools. Musical skills should and can be taught to anyone, beginning already in elementary school and not only at conservatoire level. As Kodály puts it: “Let music belong to everyone”. Singing musical repertoire is the fundament of all Kodály-inspired music teaching. So I began collecting relevant repertoire for Kodály-inspired music lessons in Dutch elementary schools: songs, rhymes, singing games, (folk) dances, canons, quodlibets, etc. To answer the research question I have collected many Dutch and International song books for elementary school from past to present and went through them for closer musical analysis. Besides, I researched song material at the Meertens Institute Amsterdam, organized a (folk) dancing workshop for elementary school teachers and went on study tours to Budapest and Glasgow. And of course I took notice of the repertoire that my fellow Kodály-colleagues at the Royal Conservatoire (KC) used. Searching and collecting repertoire became an attitude. But searching repertoire is not a theoretical business. Therefore, in the last two years I was testing repertoire in some of my classes: 1) Jong-KC-junior-students of the Royal Conservatoire at the age of 7-9 years; these children were following a special talent education. 2) ‘Normal’ children of the age of 6-8 years at a local Dutch elementary school. To gather the repertoire I built a database in File Maker Pro. I analysed the repertoire concerning musical parameters that are relevant to build a curriculum for Music education. The advantage of such a database is the fact that it is searchable. So when building a curriculum, repertoire can be grouped and sequenced according to the musical learning goals that are aimed at. Also staff notation, a game description and a demonstration video are provided. In the future I would like to transform this into an online database that could serve as a repertoire source for any Music teacher. After two years of research I can positively answer the research question. The next step would be to sequence the repertoire for the benefit of a step-by-step curriculum for the full eight years of Dutch elementary school education. Then Music at Dutch elementary schools might again become a subject that matters. Biography Daniel Salbert (Nuremberg, Germany 1971), studied Music Teaching (BA 1999), Choral Conducting (BA 2001) and Music Theory (BA 2009) at the Royal Conservatoire of The Hague (KC). He conducted different choirs such as children, chamber and oratorio choirs. At the moment he conducts the Young Talent Choirs and the First Year’s Choir of the KC and Concertkoor Rijswijk. He teaches Musicianship and Solfege for the Singing Department of the KC. He also teaches Solfege and Kodály-methodology for the Saturday-course “Music as a Subject” and the Master “Music Education according to the Kodály-concept”. He also teaches Musicianship and Music Theory at the School for Young Talent of the KC.
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• LMA (Laban movement analysis) in music (2015) author(s): Maya Felixbrot Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Research of LMA with focus on Effort factors. in a thorough different perspectives of experiencing music
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• Playing by Heart (2015) author(s): Inês Serrano Diogo published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Ines Serrano Diogo Main Subject: Classical Trumpet Research coach: Susan Williams Title of research: Playing By Heart Research question: Is the application of the Playing by Heart memorization model useful for learning and performing trumpet orchestral excerpts? Summary of the results: The main objective while undergoing this research was to put the PbH memorization model to test in a real life situation. However, this endeavor resulted in many secondary realizations. Firstly, the very concept of “playing from memory” has evolved from being a process that pursues the interiorization of the rhythmic and melodic figures that compose what we call music (playing without any physical memory aid) to a much more emotional, even spiritual involvement of one’s consciousness with the message the particular music tries to convey, its content and not just its form. This it to say that to know the very essence of what a musical excerpt stands for as well as its context is a much more powerful method than to simply learn it by memory: it is playing it by heart. Although the PbH memorization model was designed to improve performance, the obtained results revealed that while this method sharply boosts such traits as focus and accuracy y (which make for better music), it may have damaged other aspects of performing that require an external; awareness, like a performer’s presence on stage for example. Another interesting effect of this research was its lack of selectivity. This means that although the performer tried to apply the PbH memorization model to a select number of excerpts, the method’s nature (as well as the performer’s brain’s nature) made it impossible to avoid some of its principles to bleed into other excerpts, which were not meant to be affected. The Playing by Heart memorization model is considered applicable and useful in learning and performing trumpet orchestral excerpts. Biography: Ines Serrano Diogo was born in Portimao, Portugal, and started playing the trumpet by the age of 8. She finished her trumpet bachelor degree in Escola Superior de Musica de Lisboa (Portugal) in 2012, and is currently finishing her master degree with orchestra specialization at The Royal Conservatoire in The Hague.
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