AEC Pop and Jazz Platform 2025

Luis Giménez – Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra (Spain)

The proposed workshop introduces “Human-Computer Artistic Bond” (H-C-A-B), an innovative application aimed at transforming group music performance through technology that facilitates real-time emotional improvisation. This session will explore how H-C-A-B enables musicians to interact dynamically, integrating emotional cues and musical elements provided by an AI-driven central system. Each musician, equipped with an iPad, receives individualized instructions on what and how to play, incorporating emotions like joy or sadness with varying levels of intensity.

These emotional cues directly influence the dynamics, articulation, and phrasing of each musician’s performance, ensuring that their interpretation aligns with the intended emotional atmosphere. The real-time adaptation of music, where both harmony and emotional directives are generated by AI and guided by a remote conductor, ensures that every performance remains a unique, living experience.

Activities and Interactive Components:

Participants will be introduced to the functionalities of H-C-A-B, followed by a live demonstration where they can experience how the system sends cues to each musician. To demonstrate the interactive nature, attendees will be encouraged to take part in a simplified simulation*, either by acting as musicians or by providing emotional inputs for the conductor to control. This exercise will illustrate how the technology bridges human creativity with digital coordination to create an immersive musical environment. Finally, the session will include a 15-minute Q&A segment where participants can discuss applications of this technology in live performance, pedagogy, and improvisation.

Luis Giménez is a jazz guitarist and music educator based in Pamplona, Spain, currently teaching at the Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Navarra. Studied in Berklee college of Music. With a background in performance and a passion for integrating technology into music, Luis has developed H-C-A-B as a progression of the Impro Master app (an app for iPhone and iPad) he developed 3 years ago, which focuses on AI-generated harmony for solo musicians. This project aims to enhance collaborative creativity.

Alba Chacón and Mario Carrillo – Centro Superior Música Creativa, Madrid (Spain)

Traditional music of the Iberian Peninsula is still vastly unknown, inside and outside of Spain, yet it is one of the richest musical traditions in Europe. This practical workshop will be focused around the two main elements which have played the most important role in transmitting traditional and popular culture in the Iberian Peninsula: the voice and the percussion. This workshop will be comprised of 2 main sections: an informative overview session and a practical demonstration where the participants will play traditional instruments accompanying the voice and sing and learn some traditional songs representing different folkloric traditions from Spain. The workshop will feature the main instrument used to accompany the voice all over Spain: the tambourine, which has reached very high levels of complexity and sophistication. An interesting particularity is that most of everything else used, generally by women, to make music for the events happening in a very rural and generally poor society were everyday use objects such as: Spoons, seafood shells, mortars, frying pans, spice cans, farming tools, etc which will be played as well. Other topics that will be explored will include: – Linguistic wealth of Spain: examples of songs from different regions in Spain sung in local languages or dialects – differences in feeling, rhythms, words, etc – What’s the connection of traditional Spanish music and Flamenco? – Gender perspective: Role of women as keepers of the tradition. – Transformation of the tradition. Current situation of traditional music in Spain. This workshop is suited for everyone interested in discovering the rich and still mostly unknown traditional music of Spain. No previous experience singing or playing percussion needed. Instruments will be provided.

Alba Chacón has studied for more than 20 years under maestro Eliseo Parra, delving for years into traditional Iberian music and performing with him in different formats and shows: Eliseo Parra Quartet, with the shows “Alumbre” and “Hispania Tribal” from the Iberian Dance Company, Cantar y Batir, Las Piojas en Costura, etc. She has also received training in Iberian and Latin American percussion with Aleix Tobias. She holds a diploma in music education and combines teaching at the school with activities related to folklore: since 2021, she has been giving classes in Iberian singing and percussion in Madrid, continuing the pedagogical work of Eliseo Parra, and she is the coordinator of Masters degree in Iberian Folk Music at Centro Superior Música Creativa.

Bassist and educator, Mario Carrillo holds degrees in Performance and Music Education from Berklee College of Music and a Master’s degree in Flamenco performance from ESMUC in Spain. He serves as Artistic Director of Centro Superior Música Creativa in Madrid since 2015 where he has been of the key people in the design and launch of several innovative degrees in Jazz and contemporary music, flamenco performance and most recently Iberian Folk Music, which are unique in Spain. As a performer, his main instrument is the double bass, even though he’s currently studying Spain’s traditional percussion instruments as well. He has recorded and arranged two full albums and produced several shows, including Spain´s National Ballet and Flamenco dancers, and played more than 400 concerts with his main artistic project, the Maureen Choi Quartet. He collaborates in anything from jazz to classical to electronica, however, his main interests revolve around traditional and popular music from all over the world, exploring its modern ways of expression. He is particularly well versed in Flamenco, Iberian folk music and Cuban and Latin-american music. He is currently serving his 3rd year as an elected member of the AEC PJP Working Group.

Anna Jalkéus – Royal College of Music Stockholm (Sweden)

As vocal teachers, we encounter many different types of students, each with their own unique voices, stylistic preferences, tendencies, and habits. In teaching jazz voice, for example, do some students naturally “get it,” or is there a way to help a student who is less naturally inclined toward a certain singing style sound more authentic to that style?

What makes a jazz singer sound like a jazz singer? Using a tool called Style Analysis (essentially a mind map, though “tool” sounds better), we can teach students to listen to master singers with deep, analytical ears and help them identify which aspects of the vocal performance contribute to an authentic style. By outlining parameters such as Tone (vocal placement, registration, etc.), Time Feel (relationship to the grid, micro-dynamics), and Style (inflections like scoops and falls, articulation, diction), we can identify musical and vocal elements to “borrow” from the masters and help our students add hammers and hues to their musical toolkits and vocal palettes.

Moreover, teaching students style authenticity becomes much easier when we, as instructors, clearly understand exactly what we’re trying to achieve. In this workshop, we will analyze one master singer and sing together, sharpening our ears for stylistic detail and becoming more aware of our technical choices using vocal jazz excerpts and mind mapping. Come ready to sing!

Anna Jalkéus is a Swedish singer, harpist, and composer known as a powerful and creative musician who writes genre-bending music with fearlessness and originality. She has received national awards such as the JEN Young Composer Showcase, the Swedish Monica Zetterlund and Ted Gärdestad awards, scholarships from STIM (Swedish ASCAP), and an “Outstanding Performance” award with her band in DownBeat Magazine. She composes for various ensembles, ranging from duos to full orchestra, and her pieces for harp ensemble are widely performed across the United States.

Her debut album, Estrogenia (2018), features original music written for a septet with voice and harp, two saxophones, piano, guitar, bass, and drums. It was described as “a thought-provoking work of art … a compelling debut recording by a fascinating artist and equally compelling group” (–Doc Wendell) by LA Jazz Scene. She has also notably composed and performed a concerto for herself as a jazz harp/voice soloist with a full symphony orchestra and rhythm section.

Since October 2021, Anna has held the position of Lektor (Associate Professor) in Jazz Voice at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, becoming the youngest person to receive this title at the university to date. She also teaches a modern jazz combo at the university and continues her freelance work as a performer and studio musician, both as a vocalist and harpist. From 2017 to 2019, Anna was part of the renowned jazz faculty at the University of North Texas (UNT), teaching voice lessons and improvisation and directing the award-winning UNT Jazz Singers in fall 2018. After freelancing as a singer/harpist in Boston, she is currently based in Stockholm, Sweden, while still occasionally working in the U.S. When she’s not performing, composing, or teaching, Anna enjoys baking and horseback riding.

Beatriz Galán – Prince Claus Conservatoire, Groningen (The Netherlands)

In the Primitive Movement Workshop, the musicians will be able to connect with their more original movements by first discovering their body language and then expanding their body vocabulary. We will reach this state of connection through a small session of Ecstatic Dance.

Embodying the story – embodying emotions

In the following section, set to the rhythms of diverse Pop and Jazz melodies, we will explore the narratives and emotions woven into the songs, first as a group and then in individual expressions. Participants will share and showcase their own dance and movement, creating a rich tapestry of experience. This moment of exchange proves to be profoundly enriching, as each musician expands their body vocabulary and cultivates empathy for the emotions of others.

Primitive Movement unveils a refreshing perspective on the repertoire, flowing through the body and embracing sensation. This innovative approach invites musicians to let their true selves blossom from the outset, culminating in a distinctive and genuine interpretation. The workshop’s essence lies in providing students with a joyous and less analytical avenue to explore their repertoire, empowering them to express their creativity through the art of body improvisation.

Bea Galán (1990) started her classical piano studies at the Professional Conservatory of Palma de Mallorca, graduating with an Honor Award for Chamber Music. Then, she studied for a Bachelor’s Degree specializing in contemporary music in Musikene, the High School of Music of the Basque Country. In June 2021, Bea completed her Master of Music Cum Laude at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen, The Netherlands.

Bea has participated in several piano competitions winning the 3rd prize in the piano category at the 1st International Piano Competition “Vila de Capdepera” (2001), at the 7th International Piano Competition “Ciutat de Mallorca” (2003) and being finalist of the prestigious Grachtenfestival Conservatorium Concours in Amsterdam (2021).

She has played piano recitals in cities in Spain such as Mallorca, Cieza, San Javier, Zaragoza, Almeria, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Madrid, Valencia. In France, Castillonnès, Le Prieuré Le Mesnil Saint Martin (Villeréal) and in The Netherlands, Groningen, Leiden. Bea has received advice from distinguished pianists and pedagogues such as Andrzej Jasinski, Leonid Sintsev, David Kuyken, Marta Zabaleta, Igor Roma, and Roberto Bravo, among many others.

For years, she had in mind the idea of merging the two genres that accompanied her throughout her life by researching classical piano repertoire with Jazz influences. Her purpose is to spread this relatively unknown repertoire and give classical pianists tools to transfer the essence of Jazz style into classical piano repertoire with Jazz idioms. She has presented her project Classics meet Jazz in the ninth edition of AEC European Platform for Artistic Research in Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London (2022), in the RAPP Lab at Hohschule fur Musik und Tanz in Köln (2023), and she has been invited by the Dutch radio, broadcasting live at Stadsgehoorzaal in Leiden for the program De Tienen Van Nederland and De Klassieken, NPO Radio4, among other festivals and concerts.

Bea Galán is based in Groningen, where she teaches the elective Dance Your Repertoire for Bachelor and Master students (Classical and Jazz) at Prins Claus Conservatorium, giving recitals, carrying out her project Classics meet Jazz, and as a private piano teacher. She combines her activity as a musician with her Workshops about conscious movement for musicians to enhance their performance and also others for non-musicians. CUrrently, she is studying the master “Healing in Movement” with Gimnasio del Alma.

Barbara Wiernik – Royal Conservatoire Antwerp (Belgium)

In this workshop, we will explore vocal improvisation that reflects the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe. Drawing from my ongoing doctoral research titled “Contemporary Vocal Jazz: An Artistic Cartography of European Encounters”, we’ll examine how singers from various backgrounds integrate their linguistic and cultural heritage into their improvisational choices.

The workshop will focus on three main forms of vocal improvisation: structured improvisation, where singers follow specific guidelines; free improvisation, which allows for full creative freedom; and Circle Songs, a collaborative, layered form of improvisation based on vocal loops. Through practical exercises, participants will experience these styles while discovering different sounds that are influenced by the singer’s native language and musical tradition.

European vocal jazz, though inspired by American jazz, has developed its own distinct identity since the 1970s, blending local influences into a unique and evolving musical tapestry. Singers have continuously pushed boundaries by experimenting with new sonic landscapes and incorporating techniques such as singing without vibrato, exploring extreme vocal registers, or using the voice as a rhythmic instrument. These innovations are key examples of the richness and diversity of European vocal jazz, highlighting the continent’s ability to blend tradition and experimentation in a constantly evolving art form.

Throughout the workshop, I will share insights from my research into artistic practices, providing a deeper understanding of how vocal jazz and improvisation are evolving across Europe. This session will not only celebrate our shared heritage but also inspire new and varied ways to approach vocal improvisation in creative and meaningful ways.

Barbara Wiernik is a versatile jazz artist, celebrated as a singer, songwriter, lyricist, teacher, and researcher. After graduating, she enriched her musical palette through training in traditional Indian singing, which added a distinctive flavor to her repertoire. In addition to her stage career, Barbara has released numerous albums under her name. She has spent over twenty years teaching jazz vocals, vocal improvisation, and ensemble singing at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Antwerp, and more recently at the Royal Conservatory of Liège.

She is also actively involved in jazz research at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, where she continues to explore the evolving landscape of Vocal jazz.

Mario Calzada – Conservatorium Maastricht (The Netherlands)

This Workshop is directly connected with the topics:

• The impact of language on musical expression, teaching and learning
• Language and choice of repertoire
• Questions concerning tradition vs. innovation
• .Pedagogical strategies for nurturing traditional and indigenous music forms
• Music an identity
• The evolving role(s) of the teacher in Higher Music Education
• Teaching and Learning Methods
• Improvisation

Content:

In this workshop we will learn how to count and clap the flamenco rhythm of Soleá. During the course I will expose the count in Spanish: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12

An explanation of Soleá in international jazz notation. Several patterns of clapping Soleá. We will clap it together. An explanation of it’s most classical harmony. One exercise designed to develop the solo over this rhythm and harmony. An adaptation of this rhythm to be played at the drums. The transcription of Soleá del Churri – Diego Amador. We will listen to it and clap to it. Discussion about common cultural misconceptions on flamenco appreciation. During the workshop we will explore the importance of Spanish language in the development of the sound. I will offer my experience teaching Flamenco Appreciation at Conservatorium Maastricht.

Elisa Asín Senosiáin – Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra (Spain)

Related topics: Instrument and body-specific issues, Musicians’ body awareness, Body language, Aesthetics of musical performance on stage, Performance, Creative Movement, Communication Skills on stage, Identity on stage, Improvisation.

In this workshop we are going to play with our body, firstly individually, and then communicating through it with our partners using improvisation, leading us to a groupal instrumental body performance. We will focus on the discovery of our own body as instrument forms as well as movement awareness. The dynamics of listening, acceptance, and proposal will be worked on as a means for body improvisation and communication.

Proposed activities:

• Body expression exercises to warm up.
• Simultaneous individual practices of body creation based on specific movement guidelines.
• Work in pairs on creative body communication and improvisation taking my own instrument lines as inspiration.
• Practice in groups and performance of the work in progress for the rest of the participants. Comfortable clothing and socks are recommended for working barefoot.

Born in Pamplona, Elisa Asín Senosiáin trained throughout her childhood and youth in plastic arts and Navarrese folk dance. Then, she became passionate about acting, and in her first theatrical experience as a protagonist, she received the Best Young Actress award from the Government of Navarra. During her university studies, she oriented her artistic training towards the performing arts with the most prominent teachers of the local scene, such as the Navarra Theater School, also participating in various productions playing main characters such as Doña Inés at the Gayarre Theater. Later, she continued her training in Buenos Aires in Acting Improvisation with Mosquito Sancineto, in Madrid in Creative Movement, and in Ireland in Alexander Technique with Richard Brennan, among others. Contemporary Dance is a vital part of her education, a discipline she has practiced continuously since her youth, mainly at the Official Dance School of the Government of Navarra with Marisa Vera and today with Becky Siegel. She also trained in musical theater, having the opportunity to work closely with musicians, acting or directing, highlighting her leading role and stage direction in “Jorge Negrete: A Beautiful and Beloved Musical.” Her Master’s Degree in Advanced Theater Studies, with a thesis on performance and music, entitled “The Performative in the Staging of Peacock Tales and the Corporeality of Martin Fröst,” allowed her to delve deeper into the issues she had worked on in practice for many years and provided new perspectives on the matter. She is a certified teacher of the Pilates Method and a Communicational Coach and works as a Human Resources Consultant through the Performing Arts. She has been a professor at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Navarra (CSMN) for 17 years, teaching Movement, Performing Skills for Musicians, Pilates, and Body Techniques, all within the specialty of Creative Movement.

Ennio Pinillos Izcue – Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra (Spain)

*Participants are welcomed to bring their own instruments in order to participate in the interactional activities. Piano, drums, and double bass will be at disposal at the space. To be able to carry out the exercises, it is suggested that the attendees become familiar with the standard “All the Things You Are.”

Related topics:
Questions concerning tradition vs. innovation
Ways and styles of learning in jazz music
Teaching and learning methods
Improvisation
Music communication

Introduction:
The aim of this workshop is to carry out some collaborative exercises that I am implementing with jazz students at CSMN in the Improvisation class. The goal is to foster and develop creativity in improvised performances, as students often focus solely on imitating preceding performers. While imitation is also a significant aspect, it is important not to limit to it, but rather to explore and develop our own artistic voice. Additionally, when playing with others, in order to maintain a dialogue, it is essential to listen and respond to the stimuli that arise before us.

Interactional activities
–  Act. A – Motivic improvisation round: Any number of attendees can participate in this exercise: To improvise starting from a motif, modify it, and end with a different motif from the initial one. The next participant will begin their improvisation with the motif with which the previous one ended.
–  Act. B – Shared improvisation dialogue: Depending on the number of participants, about 6 duos (12 people) will be created at the workshop, and each one will have about 3 minutes to try: This exercise will be practiced in pairs. While both participants improvise simultaneously, they will need to listen to each other in order to incorporate musical material from their partner into their own discourses.

Graduated in Jazz Saxophone and Master’s in Performance and Research, Ennio Pinillos is currently pursuing a PhD at UPNA, working on a thesis focused on the development and promotion of creativity in jazz improvisation. Currently, he is a professor of Jazz Saxophone and Improvisation at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Navarra (CSMN), combining teaching, research, and artistic activities. In 2022, he released his first album, “Solipsismo.”

Beatriz Galán – Prince Claus Conservatoire, Groningen (The Netherlands)

In the Primitive Movement Workshop, the musicians will be able to connect with their more original movements by first discovering their body language and then expanding their body vocabulary. We will reach this state of connection through a small session of Ecstatic Dance.

Embodying the story – embodying emotions

In the following section, set to the rhythms of diverse Pop and Jazz melodies, we will explore the narratives and emotions woven into the songs, first as a group and then in individual expressions. Participants will share and showcase their own dance and movement, creating a rich tapestry of experience. This moment of exchange proves to be profoundly enriching, as each musician expands their body vocabulary and cultivates empathy for the emotions of others.

Primitive Movement unveils a refreshing perspective on the repertoire, flowing through the body and embracing sensation. This innovative approach invites musicians to let their true selves blossom from the outset, culminating in a distinctive and genuine interpretation. The workshop’s essence lies in providing students with a joyous and less analytical avenue to explore their repertoire, empowering them to express their creativity through the art of body improvisation.

Bea Galán (1990) started her classical piano studies at the Professional Conservatory of Palma de Mallorca, graduating with an Honor Award for Chamber Music. Then, she studied for a Bachelor’s Degree specializing in contemporary music in Musikene, the High School of Music of the Basque Country. In June 2021, Bea completed her Master of Music Cum Laude at the Prins Claus Conservatorium in Groningen, The Netherlands.

Bea has participated in several piano competitions winning the 3rd prize in the piano category at the 1st International Piano Competition “Vila de Capdepera” (2001), at the 7th International Piano Competition “Ciutat de Mallorca” (2003) and being finalist of the prestigious Grachtenfestival Conservatorium Concours in Amsterdam (2021).

She has played piano recitals in cities in Spain such as Mallorca, Cieza, San Javier, Zaragoza, Almeria, San Sebastian, Bilbao, Madrid, Valencia. In France, Castillonnès, Le Prieuré Le Mesnil Saint Martin (Villeréal) and in The Netherlands, Groningen, Leiden. Bea has received advice from distinguished pianists and pedagogues such as Andrzej Jasinski, Leonid Sintsev, David Kuyken, Marta Zabaleta, Igor Roma, and Roberto Bravo, among many others.

For years, she had in mind the idea of merging the two genres that accompanied her throughout her life by researching classical piano repertoire with Jazz influences. Her purpose is to spread this relatively unknown repertoire and give classical pianists tools to transfer the essence of Jazz style into classical piano repertoire with Jazz idioms. She has presented her project Classics meet Jazz in the ninth edition of AEC European Platform for Artistic Research in Music at the Royal Academy of Music in London (2022), in the RAPP Lab at Hohschule fur Musik und Tanz in Köln (2023), and she has been invited by the Dutch radio, broadcasting live at Stadsgehoorzaal in Leiden for the program De Tienen Van Nederland and De Klassieken, NPO Radio4, among other festivals and concerts.

Bea Galán is based in Groningen, where she teaches the elective Dance Your Repertoire for Bachelor and Master students (Classical and Jazz) at Prins Claus Conservatorium, giving recitals, carrying out her project Classics meet Jazz, and as a private piano teacher. She combines her activity as a musician with her Workshops about conscious movement for musicians to enhance their performance and also others for non-musicians. CUrrently, she is studying the master “Healing in Movement” with Gimnasio del Alma.

Alba Chacón and Mario Carrillo – Centro Superior Música Creativa, Madrid (Spain)

Traditional music of the Iberian Peninsula is still vastly unknown, inside and outside of Spain, yet it is one of the richest musical traditions in Europe. This practical workshop will be focused around the two main elements which have played the most important role in transmitting traditional and popular culture in the Iberian Peninsula: the voice and the percussion. This workshop will be comprised of 2 main sections: an informative overview session and a practical demonstration where the participants will play traditional instruments accompanying the voice and sing and learn some traditional songs representing different folkloric traditions from Spain. The workshop will feature the main instrument used to accompany the voice all over Spain: the tambourine, which has reached very high levels of complexity and sophistication. An interesting particularity is that most of everything else used, generally by women, to make music for the events happening in a very rural and generally poor society were everyday use objects such as: Spoons, seafood shells, mortars, frying pans, spice cans, farming tools, etc which will be played as well. Other topics that will be explored will include: – Linguistic wealth of Spain: examples of songs from different regions in Spain sung in local languages or dialects – differences in feeling, rhythms, words, etc – What’s the connection of traditional Spanish music and Flamenco? – Gender perspective: Role of women as keepers of the tradition. – Transformation of the tradition. Current situation of traditional music in Spain. This workshop is suited for everyone interested in discovering the rich and still mostly unknown traditional music of Spain. No previous experience singing or playing percussion needed. Instruments will be provided.

Alba Chacón has studied for more than 20 years under maestro Eliseo Parra, delving for years into traditional Iberian music and performing with him in different formats and shows: Eliseo Parra Quartet, with the shows “Alumbre” and “Hispania Tribal” from the Iberian Dance Company, Cantar y Batir, Las Piojas en Costura, etc. She has also received training in Iberian and Latin American percussion with Aleix Tobias. She holds a diploma in music education and combines teaching at the school with activities related to folklore: since 2021, she has been giving classes in Iberian singing and percussion in Madrid, continuing the pedagogical work of Eliseo Parra, and she is the coordinator of Masters degree in Iberian Folk Music at Centro Superior Música Creativa.

Bassist and educator, Mario Carrillo holds degrees in Performance and Music Education from Berklee College of Music and a Master’s degree in Flamenco performance from ESMUC in Spain. He serves as Artistic Director of Centro Superior Música Creativa in Madrid since 2015 where he has been of the key people in the design and launch of several innovative degrees in Jazz and contemporary music, flamenco performance and most recently Iberian Folk Music, which are unique in Spain. As a performer, his main instrument is the double bass, even though he’s currently studying Spain’s traditional percussion instruments as well. He has recorded and arranged two full albums and produced several shows, including Spain´s National Ballet and Flamenco dancers, and played more than 400 concerts with his main artistic project, the Maureen Choi Quartet. He collaborates in anything from jazz to classical to electronica, however, his main interests revolve around traditional and popular music from all over the world, exploring its modern ways of expression. He is particularly well versed in Flamenco, Iberian folk music and Cuban and Latin-american music. He is currently serving his 3rd year as an elected member of the AEC PJP Working Group.

Mario Calzada – Conservatorium Maastricht (The Netherlands)

This Workshop is directly connected with the topics:

• The impact of language on musical expression, teaching and learning
• Language and choice of repertoire
• Questions concerning tradition vs. innovation
• .Pedagogical strategies for nurturing traditional and indigenous music forms
• Music an identity
• The evolving role(s) of the teacher in Higher Music Education
• Teaching and Learning Methods
• Improvisation

Content:

In this workshop we will learn how to count and clap the flamenco rhythm of Soleá. During the course I will expose the count in Spanish: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 12

An explanation of Soleá in international jazz notation. Several patterns of clapping Soleá. We will clap it together. An explanation of it’s most classical harmony. One exercise designed to develop the solo over this rhythm and harmony. An adaptation of this rhythm to be played at the drums. The transcription of Soleá del Churri – Diego Amador. We will listen to it and clap to it. Discussion about common cultural misconceptions on flamenco appreciation. During the workshop we will explore the importance of Spanish language in the development of the sound. I will offer my experience teaching Flamenco Appreciation at Conservatorium Maastricht.

Elisa Asín Senosiáin – Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra (Spain)

Related topics: Instrument and body-specific issues, Musicians’ body awareness, Body language, Aesthetics of musical performance on stage, Performance, Creative Movement, Communication Skills on stage, Identity on stage, Improvisation.

In this workshop we are going to play with our body, firstly individually, and then communicating through it with our partners using improvisation, leading us to a groupal instrumental body performance. We will focus on the discovery of our own body as instrument forms as well as movement awareness. The dynamics of listening, acceptance, and proposal will be worked on as a means for body improvisation and communication.

Proposed activities:

• Body expression exercises to warm up.
• Simultaneous individual practices of body creation based on specific movement guidelines.
• Work in pairs on creative body communication and improvisation taking my own instrument lines as inspiration.
• Practice in groups and performance of the work in progress for the rest of the participants. Comfortable clothing and socks are recommended for working barefoot.

Born in Pamplona, Elisa Asín Senosiáin trained throughout her childhood and youth in plastic arts and Navarrese folk dance. Then, she became passionate about acting, and in her first theatrical experience as a protagonist, she received the Best Young Actress award from the Government of Navarra. During her university studies, she oriented her artistic training towards the performing arts with the most prominent teachers of the local scene, such as the Navarra Theater School, also participating in various productions playing main characters such as Doña Inés at the Gayarre Theater. Later, she continued her training in Buenos Aires in Acting Improvisation with Mosquito Sancineto, in Madrid in Creative Movement, and in Ireland in Alexander Technique with Richard Brennan, among others. Contemporary Dance is a vital part of her education, a discipline she has practiced continuously since her youth, mainly at the Official Dance School of the Government of Navarra with Marisa Vera and today with Becky Siegel. She also trained in musical theater, having the opportunity to work closely with musicians, acting or directing, highlighting her leading role and stage direction in “Jorge Negrete: A Beautiful and Beloved Musical.” Her Master’s Degree in Advanced Theater Studies, with a thesis on performance and music, entitled “The Performative in the Staging of Peacock Tales and the Corporeality of Martin Fröst,” allowed her to delve deeper into the issues she had worked on in practice for many years and provided new perspectives on the matter. She is a certified teacher of the Pilates Method and a Communicational Coach and works as a Human Resources Consultant through the Performing Arts. She has been a professor at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Navarra (CSMN) for 17 years, teaching Movement, Performing Skills for Musicians, Pilates, and Body Techniques, all within the specialty of Creative Movement.

Ennio Pinillos Izcue – Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra (Spain)

*Participants are welcomed to bring their own instruments in order to participate in the interactional activities. Piano, drums, and double bass will be at disposal at the space. To be able to carry out the exercises, it is suggested that the attendees become familiar with the standard “All the Things You Are.”

Related topics:
Questions concerning tradition vs. innovation
Ways and styles of learning in jazz music
Teaching and learning methods
Improvisation
Music communication

Introduction:
The aim of this workshop is to carry out some collaborative exercises that I am implementing with jazz students at CSMN in the Improvisation class. The goal is to foster and develop creativity in improvised performances, as students often focus solely on imitating preceding performers. While imitation is also a significant aspect, it is important not to limit to it, but rather to explore and develop our own artistic voice. Additionally, when playing with others, in order to maintain a dialogue, it is essential to listen and respond to the stimuli that arise before us.

Interactional activities
–  Act. A – Motivic improvisation round: Any number of attendees can participate in this exercise: To improvise starting from a motif, modify it, and end with a different motif from the initial one. The next participant will begin their improvisation with the motif with which the previous one ended.
–  Act. B – Shared improvisation dialogue: Depending on the number of participants, about 6 duos (12 people) will be created at the workshop, and each one will have about 3 minutes to try: This exercise will be practiced in pairs. While both participants improvise simultaneously, they will need to listen to each other in order to incorporate musical material from their partner into their own discourses.

Graduated in Jazz Saxophone and Master’s in Performance and Research, Ennio Pinillos is currently pursuing a PhD at UPNA, working on a thesis focused on the development and promotion of creativity in jazz improvisation. Currently, he is a professor of Jazz Saxophone and Improvisation at the Higher Conservatory of Music of Navarra (CSMN), combining teaching, research, and artistic activities. In 2022, he released his first album, “Solipsismo.”

Luis Giménez – Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra (Spain)

The proposed workshop introduces “Human-Computer Artistic Bond” (H-C-A-B), an innovative application aimed at transforming group music performance through technology that facilitates real-time emotional improvisation. This session will explore how H-C-A-B enables musicians to interact dynamically, integrating emotional cues and musical elements provided by an AI-driven central system. Each musician, equipped with an iPad, receives individualized instructions on what and how to play, incorporating emotions like joy or sadness with varying levels of intensity.

These emotional cues directly influence the dynamics, articulation, and phrasing of each musician’s performance, ensuring that their interpretation aligns with the intended emotional atmosphere. The real-time adaptation of music, where both harmony and emotional directives are generated by AI and guided by a remote conductor, ensures that every performance remains a unique, living experience.

Activities and Interactive Components:

Participants will be introduced to the functionalities of H-C-A-B, followed by a live demonstration where they can experience how the system sends cues to each musician. To demonstrate the interactive nature, attendees will be encouraged to take part in a simplified simulation*, either by acting as musicians or by providing emotional inputs for the conductor to control. This exercise will illustrate how the technology bridges human creativity with digital coordination to create an immersive musical environment. Finally, the session will include a 15-minute Q&A segment where participants can discuss applications of this technology in live performance, pedagogy, and improvisation.

Luis Giménez is a jazz guitarist and music educator based in Pamplona, Spain, currently teaching at the Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Navarra. Studied in Berklee college of Music. With a background in performance and a passion for integrating technology into music, Luis has developed H-C-A-B as a progression of the Impro Master app (an app for iPhone and iPad) he developed 3 years ago, which focuses on AI-generated harmony for solo musicians. This project aims to enhance collaborative creativity.

Barbara Wiernik – Royal Conservatoire Antwerp (Belgium)

In this workshop, we will explore vocal improvisation that reflects the rich cultural and linguistic diversity of Europe. Drawing from my ongoing doctoral research titled “Contemporary Vocal Jazz: An Artistic Cartography of European Encounters”, we’ll examine how singers from various backgrounds integrate their linguistic and cultural heritage into their improvisational choices.

The workshop will focus on three main forms of vocal improvisation: structured improvisation, where singers follow specific guidelines; free improvisation, which allows for full creative freedom; and Circle Songs, a collaborative, layered form of improvisation based on vocal loops. Through practical exercises, participants will experience these styles while discovering different sounds that are influenced by the singer’s native language and musical tradition.

European vocal jazz, though inspired by American jazz, has developed its own distinct identity since the 1970s, blending local influences into a unique and evolving musical tapestry. Singers have continuously pushed boundaries by experimenting with new sonic landscapes and incorporating techniques such as singing without vibrato, exploring extreme vocal registers, or using the voice as a rhythmic instrument. These innovations are key examples of the richness and diversity of European vocal jazz, highlighting the continent’s ability to blend tradition and experimentation in a constantly evolving art form.

Throughout the workshop, I will share insights from my research into artistic practices, providing a deeper understanding of how vocal jazz and improvisation are evolving across Europe. This session will not only celebrate our shared heritage but also inspire new and varied ways to approach vocal improvisation in creative and meaningful ways.

Barbara Wiernik is a versatile jazz artist, celebrated as a singer, songwriter, lyricist, teacher, and researcher. After graduating, she enriched her musical palette through training in traditional Indian singing, which added a distinctive flavor to her repertoire. In addition to her stage career, Barbara has released numerous albums under her name. She has spent over twenty years teaching jazz vocals, vocal improvisation, and ensemble singing at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Antwerp, and more recently at the Royal Conservatory of Liège.

She is also actively involved in jazz research at the Koninklijk Conservatorium Brussel, where she continues to explore the evolving landscape of Vocal jazz.

Anna Jalkéus – Royal College of Music Stockholm (Sweden)

As vocal teachers, we encounter many different types of students, each with their own unique voices, stylistic preferences, tendencies, and habits. In teaching jazz voice, for example, do some students naturally “get it,” or is there a way to help a student who is less naturally inclined toward a certain singing style sound more authentic to that style?

What makes a jazz singer sound like a jazz singer? Using a tool called Style Analysis (essentially a mind map, though “tool” sounds better), we can teach students to listen to master singers with deep, analytical ears and help them identify which aspects of the vocal performance contribute to an authentic style. By outlining parameters such as Tone (vocal placement, registration, etc.), Time Feel (relationship to the grid, micro-dynamics), and Style (inflections like scoops and falls, articulation, diction), we can identify musical and vocal elements to “borrow” from the masters and help our students add hammers and hues to their musical toolkits and vocal palettes.

Moreover, teaching students style authenticity becomes much easier when we, as instructors, clearly understand exactly what we’re trying to achieve. In this workshop, we will analyze one master singer and sing together, sharpening our ears for stylistic detail and becoming more aware of our technical choices using vocal jazz excerpts and mind mapping. Come ready to sing!

Anna Jalkéus is a Swedish singer, harpist, and composer known as a powerful and creative musician who writes genre-bending music with fearlessness and originality. She has received national awards such as the JEN Young Composer Showcase, the Swedish Monica Zetterlund and Ted Gärdestad awards, scholarships from STIM (Swedish ASCAP), and an “Outstanding Performance” award with her band in DownBeat Magazine. She composes for various ensembles, ranging from duos to full orchestra, and her pieces for harp ensemble are widely performed across the United States.

Her debut album, Estrogenia (2018), features original music written for a septet with voice and harp, two saxophones, piano, guitar, bass, and drums. It was described as “a thought-provoking work of art … a compelling debut recording by a fascinating artist and equally compelling group” (–Doc Wendell) by LA Jazz Scene. She has also notably composed and performed a concerto for herself as a jazz harp/voice soloist with a full symphony orchestra and rhythm section.

Since October 2021, Anna has held the position of Lektor (Associate Professor) in Jazz Voice at the Royal College of Music in Stockholm, becoming the youngest person to receive this title at the university to date. She also teaches a modern jazz combo at the university and continues her freelance work as a performer and studio musician, both as a vocalist and harpist. From 2017 to 2019, Anna was part of the renowned jazz faculty at the University of North Texas (UNT), teaching voice lessons and improvisation and directing the award-winning UNT Jazz Singers in fall 2018. After freelancing as a singer/harpist in Boston, she is currently based in Stockholm, Sweden, while still occasionally working in the U.S. When she’s not performing, composing, or teaching, Anna enjoys baking and horseback riding.

Andy West – Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington (USA)

The predominance of English language lyric in Western Popular Music is one of the reasons why the Mother Tongue dominates the study of Songwriting in Higher Education. As a Songwriting facilitator who speaks only in the Mother Tongue, I have until now placed a self-imposed restriction to include only the selection of English language songs for analysis. This limitation is extended to group workshops, where students are obliged to present original songs with lyrics in the Mother Tongue. In its broadest form, the study of Songwriting focuses on the interaction of lyric, melody, harmony, performance, structure, arrangement, texture, and production. Only one of the eight components of a song is directly concerned with the Mother Tongue: the lyric. My experience of teaching at institutions in the UK, Europe, and the US is that students who speak English as a second language often seek to express their lyrics in a tongue that would be ‘other’ to many of their peers.

The shaping of self-identity is integral to Songwriting, and in his 2011 book ‘Through the Looking Glass,’ the linguist Guy Deutscher argues how our Mother Tongue affects the way we perceive the world around us. In his 2023 book ’Linguistic Fingerprints,’ Roger Kreutz explores how our use of language reveals our identity. In a Songwriting context, both arguments suggest a need to evaluate the extent to which language shapes identity.

In my current role at Jacobs School of Music, I am designing a Creation and Production curriculum that involves Songwriting analysis and seeks to be inclusive at all levels. The apparent conundrum presented by the predominance of the Mother Tongue is one I feel I should examine as part of my course design. In this presentation, I would like to present my thoughts and hear the perspectives of colleagues who face similar challenges.

Professor Andy West (DPhil, MA) has been a professional musician since 1990 when he joined Hugh Cornwell (The Stranglers) and Roger Cook (Blue Mink) to form the eclectic trio Cornwell, Cook, and West. Over the past three decades, more than 350 of Andy’s songs have been published, featuring in the Grammy-winning shows ‘Heroes,’ ‘Lost,’ and ‘True Blood,’ and on film and TV in over 40 countries. Whilst resident in Nashville between 1997 and 2003, Andy wrote songs at Warner Chappell, Nashville. He also released a solo album ‘Sundays and Birthdays’ on the US-based Infinity Cat label and produced Julie Lee’s ‘Sillhouse Road,’ an album featuring Grammy-winning vocalists Alison Krauss and Vince Gill. While a Course Director at Bath Spa University between 2004 and 2011, Andy designed and course directed the world’s first Masters’ degree in Songwriting. His first book ‘The Art of Songwriting’ was published by Bloomsbury in 2016, and a second book ‘Paul Weller and Popular Music’ was published by Routledge in 2022. Andy has taught Songwriting as a guest lecturer across Europe and was Head of Postgraduate Studies at Leeds Conservatoire from 2011 to 2023. A Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, Andy is currently an Associate Professor of Music Production at the Jacobs School of Music, Bloomington, Indiana.

Nerea Erviti Larralde – Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra (Spain)

Involution and evolution are often considered opposite forces, but the exploration of tradition can give us tools to innovate. Tradition is something that is constantly changing and that is what keeps it alive.

Monodic song is one of the most interesting and least studied aspects of the Basque musical tradition. One of the aspects that draws attention is the neutral tuning. Although from our cultural perspective it may seem that this way of singing is out of tune, it could be an established form of expression that has been transmitted from generation to generation through oral transmission. Nowadays, there are very few recordings of this type of singing. We can find certain singers from Iparralde, a Basque-speaking area located in the south of France, with these characteristics, but the way of singing has been learned, coexisting with current music. Likewise, current bertsolaris (improvisers of Basque poems) play with tuning as a tool to better express the lyrics they are improvising. Thanks to some recordings made by the Prussian Phonographic Commission during the First World War of prisoners of Basque origin, Nerea Erviti’s research work “Neutral tuning in Basque monodic singing: an analysis of the recordings of Basque prisoners in Germany during the First World War (1916-1917)” emerged, in which vocal characteristics are extracted through timbre and neutral tuning.

In Free Jazz we find the key that allows us to experiment with both languages, the mother tongue and current music. Improvisation gives us the freedom to search for a new syncretic language between jazz and Basque, towards our own identity.

Related topics:

• Mother tongue
• Questions concerning tradition vs. Innovation
• Music and identity
• European identities
• Ways and styles of learning in music

With a background in both Traditional music and Jazz, Nerea Erviti is singer, diatonic button accordion player, teacher and researcher. After graduation, she immersed herself in the study of traditional music, holding a Master’s degree in Music Research. In his quest to find a new syncretic language between Free Jazz and the Basque Tradition towards his own identity, he recorded “Itsasotik Iturrira” in 2018 with the work group Lurpekariak.

She is currently a professor of Jazz Singing at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Navarra (CSMN). While she delves into a new personal musical project in the group she currently leads, she collaborates in several formations, En-Kantu and Tapia eta Leturia. On the other hand, she continues her journey with Estill Voice Training, a vocal technique in which she has been certified and works as an Estill Master Trainer (EMT) with Helen Rowson as her mentor.

María Sanz – Centro Superior Música Creativa, Madrid (Spain)

We have already discussed multiple times how important student voices are in institutions. In order for the HME system to get stronger, it is crucial to listen to what students have to say about the education they are receiving. At the end of the day, this is all about training musicians so that they can face the real working world with more than enough skills.

As a student representative myself, I have been part of many discussions, both with students and management officers, about the importance of students’ voices in institutions. I have learned that the reality of student representation systems is very different in each country. In some of them, they have the students very much involved all along the management structures of the education system, while in others they do not know yet how positive this all could be for their institutions. Realities are varied, and it is not a bad thing. It shapes European identities that give us all the chance to learn from each other’s differences.

A reality I see often is the willingness of high positions to involve students more, but their discouragement when seeing that students do not feel motivated or empowered enough to commit to a bigger responsibility inside their conservatory. What tends to happen in these situations is that either the institutions do not know how to encourage their students, or they think it is not on them to help their students find empowerment.

In this open floor, I will be, on the one hand, sharing my experience with finding the big power of my voice as a student from a country where student representation systems are not especially present in higher management structures, and I will dive into specific tools institutions do have to empower their students. On the other hand, we will be opening a discussion to get to know more about our European identities: what is the reality of student representation in your country? And in your institution? Have you faced any challenges strengthening the students’ voices in your conservatory?

María Sanz is a jazz vocals bachelor student at Centro Superior Música Creativa (Madrid, Spain). In 2022, while in her first year of bachelor, she got selected as a member of the AEC Goes Green Working Group in the frame of AEC ‘ARTEMIS’ project. As she joined the project and started working with the association, she met many people, especially students, who inspired her a lot. Thus she learned how important students’ voices are, not only in their own institutions, but in society in general. Since her institution (a small, private, and relatively new higher music education institution) had no student representation body, she founded the much-needed student council.

Aside from her work at the AEC Goes Green WG and as president of her institution’s student council, María is finishing her music bachelor, touring with artists as backing vocalist and multi-instrumentalist, and making her own music.

Monika Herzig – JAM MUSIC LAB, Vienna (Austria)

This presentation discusses the current EU funded project “New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by European Woman Composers”. The project started October 2024 and will run until September 2028 with the goal of publishing a collection of jazz compositions by European woman composers through Schott Verlag and a recording of selected arrangements by MIDJ, the Italian organization for jazz musicians. Professor of Artistic Research at the Jam Music Lab Vienna, Monika Herzig, has the role of principal investigator and by the time of the AEC conference I would like to introduce the selection process for the compilation and lead a discussion on the steps and phases of the project. Most important for the theme of the conference is the theme of European Heritages and Identities. In contrast to the model of this compilation, the Berklee Publication New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Women Composers (Berklee Press, 2022), Europe includes a large number of distinct cultures, histories, regions, musical traditions that are distinct, unique, and separate. In addition, borders have shifted, countries have changed, and regions have been separated. Thus, the art form jazz as expressed and merged with traditions in these different has developed unique genres and sounds and the issue of gender and inclusion is influenced by distinct social structures. The selection process of compositions for this book compilation needs to be based on a set of criteria that is sensitive to the various heritages and identities far beyond the initial US Model. The goal of this presentation is to gather input on these sensitive issue and incorporate suggestion into the selection process.

Currently Professor for Artistic Research at the Jam Music Lab Private University in Vienna, Dr. Monika Herzig is the author of “David Baker – A Legacy in Music” (IU Press), Experiencing Chick Corea: A Listener’s Companion  (Rowman and Littlefield, 2017), co-editor of Jazz and Gender (Routledge, 2022) and PI for the current EU project New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by European Women Composers. She is also the chair of the research committee for the Jazz Education Network and editor of JAZZ (Jazz Education in Research and Practice, IU Press).

As a jazz pianist she has toured the world, opened for acts such as Power of Tower, Sting, Yes and her music has won DownBeat Magazine Awards and is featured on NPR and JazzWeek. Her all female Supergroup Sheroes was voted as one of the best groups of 2018 by DownBeat Magazine and her composition “Just Another Day at the Office” is one of the selections in New Standards: 101 Lead Sheets by Female Composers (Berklee Press, 2022).  Herzig’s awards include a 1994 DownBeat Magazine Award for Best Original Song, a Jazz Journalist Association Hero 2015 award, as well as grants from the NEA, the Indiana Arts Commission, MEIEA, Jazz Tours, the US Embassy among others. Monika is a CASIO Artist.

Lilli Unwin – Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, London (UK)

Recent studies concerning mental health in the music industry show correlations between poor mental health and music careers. In particular, perfectionism (the rigid pursuit of unattainable high standards) has been identified as a potential contributor to the deterioration of one’s mental health. While there is evidence of perfectionism in performance and Higher Education (HE) settings, there are few qualitative studies, and none in the singer-songwriter population.

The pilot study I have recently conducted investigated the impacts of perfectionism on the creative process of singer-songwriters through qualitative methodology. 20 UK-based singer-songwriters (professional and undergraduate) completed questionnaires, followed by interviews. The data was analysed using Reflexive Thematic Analysis and four main themes were developed: (1) perfectionism disrupts a healthy relationship with the creative process; (2) the insidious effects of saving face; (3) the detrimental pressures of ‘trying to make it’ in the music industry; and (4) the turbulent paradox of creative expression. These themes provide insight into the pressures singer-songwriters face: from financial pressures of the occupation to the turbulent relationship with the self that creative expression can elicit. In conclusion, it may be beneficial to provide students in HE guidance on how to healthily manage their relationships with perfectionism, creativity, and themselves to flourish sustainably throughout their student journey and in their professional careers.

I hope that this presentation provides audiences with insights into the issues our students are currently facing, as well as stimulate conversations that put the health and well-being of emerging artists at the heart of our educational community. Following the presentation there is the opportunity for discussion based on the topics raised, seeking to answer questions similar to: “What are ways we as educators can evolve to support our students in creating healthy and sustainable careers?”.

Lilli Unwin is a singer-songwriter producing multi-genre music that fuses jazz, folk & pop. Her 2021 ‘Letter Songs’ EP was praised by BBC Introducing as “grabbed me by the heartstrings and wouldn’t let go”, with Trust the Doc Media describing the second single ‘Drifting’ as “…an ethereal, alluring alternate universe”. Lilli has performed in venues such as Ronnie Scotts, Pizza Express, and Cheltenham Jazz Festival, as well as worked with Dave Holland, Norma Winstone, New York Voices, and the Swingle Singers. Lilli teaches at Trinity Laban, with FHEA status, and is currently pursuing a Master’s in Voice Pedagogy at the Voice Study Centre, specialising in performance coaching. Her recent pilot study explores the impacts of perfectionism on the creative process of singer-songwriters.

Susanna Mesïa – Metropolia University of Applied Sciences, Helsinki (Finland)

The traditional assessment models and criteria of musical performance in higher music education in the time of learner-centered approaches have been found problematic as they often fall short in capturing the wide array of skills, knowledge, creativity, and personal development of a performer. This workshop contributes to the ongoing endeavor of developing assessment methods which aim for transparency and equality, and which would provide the performer with a multi-faceted assessment of their performance. This workshop discusses and presents in action the conversational 360-degree assessment model applied within the popular music and jazz vocal performance studies at the Metropolia University of Applied Sciences Music degree in Finland. It involves the performer themselves, the instrument teacher, the band, the audience, and a working-life representative in the assessment conversation. The workshop includes an introduction to the model with relevant literature references, continuing with a showcase of how the model works in action. For this, we activate the PJP participants. We also need a student and a band (preferably performing two pieces in a way that is used in musical performance exams of the student). We would appreciate it if the teacher of the student would also be present. The language of the conversation will be English, so some language skills are needed from students and the teacher.

Pedro Cravinho – Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (UK)

This paper will examine encounters between jazz and fado in Portugal. One project the international jazz community commonly assumes to comprise one such encounter is the album Dialogues (Verve Records, 1990), recorded in Paris by double-bassist Charlie Haden and virtuoso of Portuguese guitar Carlos Paredes. However, Dialogues‘ music is not the traditional Lisbon fado repertoire. Other jazz artists have more recently worked with celebrated fadistas to explore the possibilities of this confluence, acquiring international visibility and acclaim. It was the case of the album Jazz in Fado (Universal Music Portugal, 2017), led by Madrid-based Cuban producer Óscar Gómez.

Nevertheless, blending these two musical genres is not a new idea. In response to the conference call, this paper – based on archival and bibliographical research, complemented by interviews – will discuss some jazz and fado encounters in Portugal. By doing that, it aims to highlight, to some extent, how some of those encounters have led to the reshaping of the Portuguese national song into unsung, creative ways that may allow young generations of Portuguese jazz students to connect to their native language repertoire as an alternative to the dominance of the US jazz standards cannon.

Dr Pedro Cravinho is an educator and a Senior Research Fellow in Ethnomusicology and Jazz Studies at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC) and the Keeper of the Archives at the Faculty of Arts, Design, and Media at Birmingham City University (UK). He is also a CITCEM–Transdisciplinary Centre “Culture, Space and Memory” member at the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at the University of Porto (Portugal). He teaches at the RBC’s Jazz Department, co-leads the RBC Jazz Studies Research Custer, and is RBC’s Representative at the European Association of Conservatoires. His research interests include the political, cultural, and social history of the twentieth-century jazz diaspora and its distinct media representation in the public sphere.

Dr Cravinho is a co-founder and member of the editorial board of Jazz-Hitz (Musikene, Spain) and, as an author and editor advisor, has collaborated in many international publications, including Jazz and Totalitarianism (2017, Routledge), The History of European Jazz: The Music, Musicians and Audience in Context (2018, Equinox), Encounters with Jazz on Television in Cold War Era Portugal: 1954:1974 (2022, Routledge), and The Routledge Companion to Diasporic Jazz Studies (2024 Routledge).

Gilvano Dalgna ,Clarissa Foletto (Universidade de Aveiro/INET-md) and Richard Simas (Independent Researcher)

The expressive potential of popular music lyrics often remains constrained by traditional song structures, limiting the genre’s ability to support intricate storytelling and thematic exploration. These structural conventions, including repetitive rhyme schemes, choruses, and concise verse lengths, while integral to the genre’s accessibility and appeal, can sometimes restrict narrative depth. This paper presents an artistic research project that seeks to address this issue by exploring how narrative prose techniques can expand the expressiveness and pedagogical scope of popular songwriting. Led by the researchers themselves—a writer and two songwriters—this project documents their creative process using methods such as stimulated recall analysis and self-reflective journaling, offering insights into the collaborative dynamics that emerge between the three. By reflecting on their practices and choices in real time, they are able to trace the emergence of strategies that enrich their artistic voice, especially those that arise from the intersection of prose and lyric-based writing. While this study aligns with recent scholarly interest in the narrative dimensions of song lyrics, it expands upon prior research by actively integrating prose techniques into songwriting in a structured, systematic way. This approach not only bridges an identified gap between songwriting and literary narrative techniques but also challenges the genre’s traditional limits, offering alternative forms of expression that might be particularly valuable in educational contexts. The findings contribute to broader discussions in artistic research and popular music studies, suggesting new methodologies with applications in both composition and pedagogy. These insights provide tools for educators and songwriters interested in exploring expanded narrative possibilities within popular music, ultimately offering new pathways for creative expression.

Gilvano Dalagna is an artistic researcher, songwriter, and guitarist. He is an invited Assistant Professor at the University of Aveiro (Portugal) and an integrated researcher at the Institute of Ethnomusicology/Centre for Studies in Music and Dance (Portugal). He completed a European PhD in Music (with honours and distinction) at the University of Aveiro, which included an Erasmus funded research period at University College London’s Institute of Education. His research interests focus on the intersections between artistic research, popular music, and contemporary culture, and how the outcomes of these intersections can inform pedagogical practices in higher music education.

Richard Simas is a freelance writer living in Montréal with a background in literature, music, and the performing arts. His publications appear regularly in contemporary art and literary reviews in Europe and North America, with awards from the Journey Prize anthology, the Fiddlehead Review Fiction competition, and a Camões Institute prize. His book about the musical exchanges between a Portuguese cod-fishing captain and a young Newfoundland accordion player, “The Mystery of the Portuguese Waltzes,” was published in 2019 with Running the Goat Press in Newfoundland and was a finalist in the 2020 Indie Publisher Awards. “Searching for the Origins of the Portuguese Waltzes,” a collection of chronicles, was published in 2024 with Peter Lang Ltd.

Clarissa Foletto is a researcher at the Institute of Ethnomusicology – Center of Studies in Music and Dance and the University of Aveiro in Portugal. She holds a European PhD in Instrumental Teaching from the University of Aveiro and the Institute of Education at University College London. Her research focus is on innovative approaches to instrumental teaching and learning, digital teaching and learning, artistic research, and strings pedagogy. As a violinist and performer, she is a member of the musical group Atma Kirtana, where her activities include songwriting, arranging, performing, and public relations.

Jan-Olof Gullö – Royal College of Music, Stockholm (Sweden)

 Our ongoing research project, “Searching for Sophia [Wisdom] in Music Production,” explores the critical factors contributing to successful music production by examining it across music education, musicology, psychology, and sociology. This sub-project focuses on micro-rhythm and micro-timing manipulation in digital music production, particularly during the mixing of music. Micro-timing adjustments, involving small temporal shifts of audio tracks, enhance phase coherency and alter groove perception, impacting the listener’s experience. Drawing from the Haas effect, we conducted experiments using micro-timing strategies in drum recordings and other instruments, revealing their influence on groove and sound unity. We have conducted several studies in which we experimented with altering the timing between different sound sources, such as drums, electric bass, guitar, and vocals, to enhance or change the musical groove. An unexpected finding from these studies is that changing the rhythm can influence how loud or soft the music is perceived to be by listeners. The clearest aspect is that such manipulation can have a significant impact on how a groove is perceived in mixing and other post-production. This is a powerful tool for enhancing static expression that is not frequently explored thoroughly and is also not used to its full extent by many music producers. The results are valid across most music genres in general and, in particular, from our experience in Jazz and Pop music. Another aspect of our project involves examining how micro-timing can impact the experience of music when combined with other media, such as audiovisual productions. We have additional sub-studies to complete in this area and will revisit this topic in the future.

Jan-Olof Gullö (Dr Phil., M.F.A.) is a professor of music production (KMH) and an affiliated professor of music education at Linnæus University (LNU) Växjö, Sweden. He has former affiliations at Dalarna University, Karlstad University, Stockholm University, and Södertörn University. Gullö has a professional background as a record producer and musician. His research interests focus on music production and teaching and learning in higher education; he has conducted various studies on creativity in music production, covering technical, entrepreneurial, and artistic aspects. ORCID: 0000-0003-4939-0938

Staffan Mossenmark and Vanessa Liftig – Academy of Music and Drama – University of Gothenborg (Sweden)

In the presentation, two different perspectives will be presented: methods that are exploratory around “Who am I?” by working with “unlikely” scenarios, but here considered as a reality—that everything is possible—and as methods for the student to be able to see and understand himself from different perspectives. The presentation will include actual work by students, presented via images and audio examples. Examples will be given of different ways of composing music, regardless of the genre the student composes music for.

• The first method, Mapping the Field, takes as its starting point the student’s own experiences, which form the basis and driving force through a personal retrospective in a historical context from growing up to the start of a musical career, early studies, listening to friends’ music, and starting to play in bands. The student charts (a visual map) his history, important musical events, and life-changing inspirations. The student then selects an artist based on their map, for example, “Bowie,” Madonna, or John Lennon, to carry out a collaboration and write music together.

• The second method, How Will I Sound in 4 – 7 – 20 Years, involves the student writing his own future story where a fictional time travel takes him 20 years into the future after completing his studies, allowing the artistic and now professional musician’s musical journey to be followed via a fictitious but perhaps possible development and life story. Before the student writes his story, a selected artist’s long career is studied, e.g., Björk, to analyze the artist’s musical journey as a way to contextualize the student’s own future as a musician.

Staffan Mossenmark is a professor in composition and teaches and tutors in the artistic area of performative sound art, site-specific performance, and sound art in public places. He conducts research in the field of public space as a venue for art and public expression and is a part of USIT – Urban Sound Institute, a research group with members from the fields of architecture, public space, acoustics, and composition.

Mossenmark is often seen as a person who goes his own way and combines different ways of staging composed music and sound art. His catalogue includes several operas (such as Mrs. Björk’s Destiny and Adventures, The Changeling, and Stjärneborg) as well as many chamber works composed for distinguished musicians. At the same time, many of his projects are centered on public space, sometimes involving unusual settings and combinations of instruments or sounding objects. Examples include OZONE II – concert for 24 ice cream vans, Phony – concert for cellphones, Song of a Siren – concert for boats, V8 – concert for American cars, Iron – concert for bodybuilders, Scooter Ballet – concert for snow scooters, WROOM – concert for 100 Harley-Davidson motorcycles, and Good Vibrations – concert for Dynapack machines.

Mossenmark’s compositions and performances, often accompanied by huge media attention, have been presented all over Europe as well as in the USA, Canada, Japan, China, Russia, and Australia. He has given numerous lectures and workshops around Europe at academies of music, art, architecture, and design, and has played an active role in EU-funded projects involving up to as many as 10 countries. Since 2009-2023, he has been the artistic director of the festival GAS – Göteborg Art Sounds, and since 2007, he has been one of the founding members and artistic directors of Verona Risuona, a festival in which art, music, and performance take place in the streets and public spaces of Verona, Italy.

Web:
www.mossenmark.com
https://www.gu.se/en/about/find-staff/staffanmossenmark