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

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  Situating Personal Values in Artistic Practice: Towards a Reflective and Reflexive Framework (2022) author(s): Annick Odom published in: KC Research Portal
  In what ways can a musician use reflexivity and reflection to situate her personal values in her artistic practice? To answer this question and put the results into practice, the author combined archival and digital research, interviews, and fieldwork. By combining new and found materials inspired by Appalachian folk music and the state of West Virginia, the connected auto-ethnographic case study is a reflective attempt of the author to engage critically with her personal values of empathy, inclusion, and equity in her artistic practice. Using the reflective lenses of the author’s autobiography as an artist, the audience’s reactions, fellow artists comments, and literature review, she was better able to reflexively see her own assumptions and missteps, better allowing her to situate her personal values within her artistic practice. Besides creating a reflective framework by which other artists could consider their own artistic practice, she also found that by taking on new roles outside that of the traditional classically trained performer, she had a greater agency to influence and understand performance elements such as design and form, materials, context, audience, and production process.
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• You will never be a singer. (2022) author(s): May Kristin Hegvold Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: May Kristin Svanholm Hegvold Main subject: Classical singing Research supervisor: Gerard Bouwhuis Title of research: You will never be a singer. 
 Research question: How can focus on primal sound and positive reinforcement make a better singer? 
Summary of research: Walking through the halls of a conservatoire or a music school, attending a rehearsal or an audition, one can feel the stress and second guessing in the air. Maybe even hear things like “I am not sure I can do this”, “my teacher said I am not ready - will I ever be?” or “at least I will have a nice hobby”. The use of the voice is strongly tied with joy, self-confidence, self-realisation, personality and, in the end, life. We use our voices daily and for everything, such as communicating, sighing, laughing, crying and, of course, singing. The voice is our own built-in instrument that can be use freely to make music. Because we carry it with us and it is such an important part of our bodies, it is a personal one. Often singers feel that criticism of their voice is an attack on who they are and their musicality. It is as unique as a fingerprint and it reveals who you are immediately. My theory is that if singers are trapped in a negative environment it can cause them to sing in a way that is not true to their voice or, in the worst case, stop singing. In this research I have looked at how healthy vocal technique, with focus on primal sound, and positive reinforcement in teaching can lead to better, more confident and healthier singing.
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• Metamorphosing Iranian Folk Music (final) (2022) author(s): Rouzbeh Esfandarmaz Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Name: Rouzbeh Esfandarmaz Main Subject: Supervisors: Art of Sound Matthijs Ruijter, Jos Mulder Title of Research: Metamorphosing Iranian folk music This artistic research investigates the possibility of integrating recordings and samples of Iranian folk music with Electronic Dance Music (EDM). In its essence, this research is a response to a question that was motivated by my relation to these two very different musical cultures and genres. The principal question I seek to answer in this research is about determining if it is possible to integrate Iranian folk music (IFM) into an existing genre of global contemporary popular music, such as EDM or any branch and sub-genre within this categorization? To answer this question, I first investigated the general characteristics and attributes of both Iranian folk music and EDM, largely with respect to their musical and performative aspects. Based on these findings, I selected four recordings/samples of Iranian folk music and researched ways to integrate these four samples with an EDM subgenre, namely, Techno. Next, I analyzed both Techno and those four specific samples of IFM’s samples, examining both genres in terms of their composition, harmony, rhythm, and aspects of musical production - largely exploring and documenting their similarities and differences. This thesis also includes details on how using selections/samples/pieces from EDM and IFM as source material involved long periods of time in the studio, whereby I tried many different approaches of production and eventually developed a software tool which helped me to establish a practical bridge between these two different musical cultures/genres. Consequently, this provided a viable answer to my research question. Moreover, I now present my conclusions, practical findings, and experiences alongside a series of video recordings. This media explains how I manipulated and used IFM samples and EDM techniques - with the usage of particular music production software - to create new ideas within the Techno subgenre. These videos also explain many other practical and relevant approaches to the process and techniques I used to make the final result from this research: the development of an application that works as a tool for integrating different musical cultures. Finally, this research culminated in making a 20 minutes Techno set, which serves as a quick musical representation of a potential product based on the integration of these two types of musical styles. Biography: Rouzbeh Esfandarmaz (born 1985 in Tehran, Iran) is a multi-instrumentalist, performer, composer, music producer, and an entrepreneur who has been active in Iran for numerous years. He holds a Bachelor of Music in Clarinet Performance from The Tehran University of Art. Musically, he has a wide range of work experience, as he has successfully led a fusion band in Iran (which had top-charting songs) and has composed music for both feature and short films. He has composed and performed in theatrical projects around the world, and was a member of the Tehran Symphonic Orchestra. Furthermore, he is a continual advocate for Iran’s folk music.
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• The facilities and the complications of beginner ensembles in the professional lif (2022) author(s): Antonio Bove Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Many students, including me, have problems to change from their student-life to the professionallife. As a student I think it is caused by too much focus on developing instrumental skills, as for a future career, there are more skills a student should develop. Practice is important but we should not forget that nowadays contemporary/modern music has to struggle to get new audiences. This research investigates the possibilities we have, as a new ensemble, to enter into the professional music world. We have been executing some experiments with my new percussion trio “XTRO”. The outcome of these experiments will show that there are good and bad ways to promote your ensemble. The importance of good and well thought-of programs and repertoire, collaborations with composers, guidelines how to introduce your group to programmers of venues and the cleverest ways to use social networks are subjects that will be treated in this research. This research will provide and explore the approaches that are necessary for starting ensembles in order to enter and to promote themselves in the music industry.
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  Towards a renewed form of organ education with age-old roots (2022) author(s): Evan Bogerd Limited publication. Only visible to members of the portal : KC Research Portal
  Master-pupil relationship in modern perspectives. How to use such an old principle as master-pupil relationships as organ teachers and students in our days. This exposition answer the question why we need to use master-pupil relationships to prepare the next generation for the future.
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  Music, Meaning and Emotion (2022) author(s): Hannah Jefferies published in: KC Research Portal
  Name: Hannah Jefferies Main Subject: Classical Flute Research Supervisors: Ines de Avena Braga, Research Question: How can elements and features from psychology and philosophy illustrate what is fundamental to our emotions, in what way can these concepts be represented within and expressed by the flute repertoire, and how can we incorporate and convey these understandings as performers to create music meaningfully and be of beneficence to others? Summary of Results: This research sets out to contrast and evaluate diverse standpoints from psychology and philosophy to discuss firstly how emotions can be defined, whether music creates real emotions in us, and what capacities we possess to be both receptive and conveying of emotion within music. During my discussion, I incorporate examples of excerpts from the flute repertoire, consider the harmonic language used and function of musical structures, and balance this against the resulting emotional response from us. This initial discussion is in support of a questionnaire which I conducted in order to gather results from respondents of their perceived emotional response and valence when presented with differing musical excerpts, both upon an initial and second listening. I aimed to gauge and qualify their reaction to musical traits which have been connected more strongly than others to specific emotional states, and additionally I was interested to find if there was a connection between memory of a piece of music, and emotional valence due to this familiarity. Finally, having demonstrated the emotive strength it is possible for music to hold, I investigate how as artists we can harness and emphasise certain functions of music to create performances which are highly engaging and positively affecting for listeners. Additionally, this research then leads us to an understanding of the impact of integrating the effects of emotion and music, and suggests how this combination can be beneficial and utilised in and for the wider society, namely in the field of music therapy. Biography: I am currently a second year masters student from the UK studying classical flute at the Koninklijk Conservatorium with Jeroen Bron and Dorine Schade, having recently completed my Bachelors degree at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. During my studies I have been very lucky to have had the opportunity to perform as part of ensembles including Asko|Schönberg, New European Ensemble, European Youth Wind Orchestra, and Amadeus Orchestra Academy. Outside of performance, I greatly enjoy being part of outreach and community music; a highlight was working with the Manchester Camerata Orchestra, delivering music therapy to people with Dementia.
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