In December 1971, the British rock band Deep Purple recorded Smoke on the Water, which became a global hit and significantly contributed to the band’s popularity. This study aims to investigate the reasons behind the song’s success, such as its inherent values, composition, lyrics, or music production design, as well as other potential explanations. We also study Smoke on the Water’s impact on music education. We interviewed music teachers, producers, students, and musicians from different countries to accomplish this. The study also relies on insights from interviews with Deep Purple members, observations made during concerts and study visits, and external sources. The study finds its theoretical basis in cultural psychology, education, economics, sociology, and musicology theories. The findings highlight the significance of understanding the fundamental elements of a song, which aspiring artists, musicians, and music producers should consider if they want to reach a broader audience.

The song "Smoke on the Water", recorded by the British rock group Deep Purple in December 1971, had a global reach and contributed much to Deep Purple's success and fandom. The song was recorded during a sound check when the band was jamming and trying out a location for a recording session and was initially not intended to be released. However, a turning point was a successful live album, "Made in Japan", in 1972, including the song, and in 1973, Smoke on the Water became a worldwide hit. Furthermore, the song has retained its popularity over the years. Therefore, it is interesting to ask: how can the success of Smoke on the Water be explained? The study presented here includes interviews with music teachers, music directors, music students and musicians in different countries, as well as interviews with some original members of Deep Purple. The findings are empirically surprising and indicate tension regarding understanding what is most important in a specific musical performance and piece of music or recording, such as Smoke on the Water, between those who perform or produce and those who listen.

In short, for many of those who study music and music production, the details of the music and various intrinsic aspects of musical content seem to be more important, compared to those who are more average listeners who seem to pay more attention to how the lyrics and music speak to them. Therefore, the results highlight some possible areas of development. At least for those students who want to produce music and reach listeners who cannot analyse music and deeply understand various advanced musical aspects as well as they, as music students, can. Nevertheless, when we teach in higher music education, we can help our students develop their sensitivity and understanding of what is needed to reach the listeners. Then the students should have good conditions to open the gates to a great working life, acquire valuable international connections and build up fruitful artistry.

Functions connected to mood and emotion regulation are often reported as the most frequent and important functions of music, particularly during adolescence. However, less is known on how adolescents with intellectual disabilities (ID) use music for emotion regulation. The aim of this study was therefore to explore how adolescents with intellectual disabilities (n = 30) use music for mood regulation in comparison to adolescents without ID (n = 34). We assessed the seven mood-regulation strategies of the Music in Mood Regulation questionnaire, personality traits, mood, and a number of variables regarding music listening. The result showed that personality and mood were associated with the use of music for mood regulation and that adolescents with ID were less specific in their use of mood regulation strategies than adolescents without intellectual disabilities, even when adjusting for gender differences. In conclusion, the present study shows that personality traits in addition to mood is related to differences in usage of music for mood regulation among adolescents with and without intellectual disability. The study provides initial insights into the use of music and the relationships between personality, mood, and music in mood regulation in adolescents with intellectual disabilities.

The aim of our study was to explore the connection between improvisation and flow. Data were collected from 252 tertiary music students from Slovenia and Croatia (121 male and 131 female musicians), who filled in The Questionnaire on Attitudes to Music Improvisation, The Inventory on Feelings associated with Music Improvisation, and the Work-related Flow Inventory. The results show that the female students have significantly more negative feelings and attitudes toward improvisation, and they experience less flow while improvising. Differences were even more pronounced when comparing students who only played classical music with those who played other genres, as well. Regression analysis showed that we can explain 71% of the variance in flow with attitudes toward improvisation.

AbstractTransition to sustainability is a process that requires change on all levels of society from the physical to the psychological. This review takes an interdisciplinary view of the landscapes of research that contribute to the development of pro-social behaviors that align with sustainability goals, or what we call ‘inner sustainability’. Engaging in musical and dance activities can make people feel trust and connectedness, promote prosocial behavior within a group, and also reduce prejudices between groups. Sustained engagement in these art forms brings change in a matter of seconds (such as hormonal changes and associated stress relief), months (such as improved emotional wellbeing and learning outcomes), and decades (such as structural changes to the brains of musicians and dancers and superior skills in expressing and understanding emotion). In this review, we bridge the often-separate domains of the arts and sciences by presenting evidence that suggests music and dance promote self-awareness, learning, care for others and wellbeing at individual and group levels. In doing so, we argue that artistic practices have a key role to play in leading the transformations necessary for a sustainable society. We require a movement of action that provides dance and music within a constructive framework for stimulating social sustainability.

Despite the fact that autistic people make up a significant portion of music therapy clients, we know about their subjective experience of music. Studies assessing the effectiveness of music interventions for autistic people mostly measure behavioural changes in social communication and interactions while disregarding well-being or quality of life. This raises important ethical questions. To gain a better understanding of how autistic adults view the relationship between music and well-being, we conducted interviews with 13 autistic participants (seven women and six men) who shared their experiences and understanding of music. The findings reveal the extensive and profound significance of music, encompassing everything from seemingly minor aspects, such as finding motivation to perform household chores, to existential questions like the choice to stay alive. The purpose of this presentation is to connect these findings with the fundamental psychological needs for autonomy, competence, and relatedness and to demonstrate how music can play a role in the well-being and empowerment of autistic adults. This knowledge can help in setting new goals and methods for measuring the effects of musical activities in future studies

Subjective experiences of autistic adults remain under-researched, especially in the field of art. To learn more about their uses and functions of music, we interviewed 13 autistic adults and, through a hermeneutic-phenomenological analysis, found four overarching themes: Well-being, Identity and self-development, Connectedness, and Negative experiences. Findings show a broad and deep meaning of music in their lives, spanning from seemingly trivial functions such as making chores more enjoyable to existential questions such as choosing to stay alive. We discuss the often-overlooked negative effects or experiences of music, noting that positive and negative effects must always be addressed together if we are to use music to lower stress and support well-being.

The master’s thesis explores the importance of our bodies as musicians in establishing the

positive impacts of mindfulness on performance, particularly in terms of improving body

mapping. Musicians are aware that holding extreme tension in their bodies can affect the quality

of the music. Therefore, understanding the complex workings of our bones, muscles, and

connective tissues while performing can provide deep explanations on how to reduce pain and

tension that can be caused by poor posture, a lack of balance, restricted movement, and other

related factors. The approaches taken in this thesis involve developing an awareness of the

important joints and bones for violinists and understanding their functions during performances,

as well as whether they are well mapped or mis-mapped.

For the sounding part, my exam concert included Beethoven's "Kreutzer" violin sonata No. 9,

Op. 47, in A minor, and Shostakovich's Piano Trio No. 2 in E minor. The reason for choosing

these two pieces to be performed in one concert is because they demand a high level of stamina

and muscle strength from the performers.

Abstract 

The purpose of the thesis was to immerse myself in a written style analysis with notation, history and contemporaneity. I have compared four different fiddlers who play slängpolska from eastern Södermanland. An older sound recording with Gustaf Wetter from 1966 was an addition for the historical part. The present was represented by Leif Johansson, Christina Frohm and Ulf Lundgren which I recorded as solo recordings in 2012. Through the recordings I could immerse myself in melody, rhythm, harmony and sound. The process would then lead to me performing a solo at the graduation concert with the tune that all the contemporary fiddlers played. I played the similarities and differences between the variations that the three fiddlers made of the same tune: Slängpolska after Axel Axelsson from Östtorp and Anders Andersson from Lästringe in Södermanland, Sweden. Then I added my own way of playing the tune as a further variation. The result shows that there is a certain similarity between all four of us in rhythm and expression. Environment and heritage have an impact on our way of playing since the tradition goes from fiddler to fiddler. Therefore, the slängpolskan is played in a way typical for eastern Södermanland. It is also noted that the same slängpolska can be played with great variation as it is a type of tune that is permissive and durable in terms of style. Each fiddler is unique and therefore there are both similarities and differences in style. 

The graduation concert was done together with my twin sister Madliene Ahlström Eriksson and therefore the title of the concert was "Sister Concert". We wanted to make two graduation concerts into a joint concert and with two acts including an intermission. We wanted to create a varied concert with everything from solos to twenty-six musicians and dancers on stage at the same time. We chose music that is close to both Madliene and me. Both traditional and newly written with a focus on interplay, play to dance and dance to play. The concert reflected the years before Kungl. Musikhögskolan (KMH), the time during KMH and the time after KMH. 

When I studied to become a musician on my instruments violin and nyckelharpa at the Department of Folk Music at the Royal College of Music (KMH) in Stockholm. Musikhögskolan (KMH) in Stockholm, I wrote an artistic bachelor thesis in music. In the thesis, I made a style analysis between the Näck-tuned melodies of Tyska klockorna performed by Pelle Björnlert, Gustaf Wetter and Pär Näsbom. The analysis included a comparison between these fiddlers and musicians with history and notation. I studied their melodies, rhythms, harmonies, tempos, moods, stringing, phrasing, dynamics and sound. I also studied and compared their emotions/values, contextual associations, expression, musical structure, performance/technique and general conditions in three different stylistic mappings between these fiddlers and musicians. At the oral presentation, I performed these three melodies of the Tyska klockorna on my violin, playing as close to Björnlert, Wetter and Näsbom's playing styles as possible.

My twin sister Caroline Eriksson and I studied at KMH at the same time. When we started our degree projects, a graduation concert was included. We chose to have a joint “Sister Concert”, where two graduation concerts became one. The concert reflects the years before KMH, the years during KMH and the years after KMH. A varied concert with 24 fantastic fellow musicians and dancers, where we performed the music that is very close to us, both traditional and newly written, with a focus on interaction, play to dance and dance to play.

In a youth orchestra, there are many borders to cross, for example, different competency levels, cultures, languages, socio-economic circumstances, races etc. Another challenge for beginners is learning orchestra music by only following the conductor’s instructions and gestures. On numerous occasions, Eva Nivbrant Wedin, from KMH in Stockholm, has worked with the North- West Youth Orchestra in South Africa, helping them learn their repertoire through eurhythmics. Therefore, this basic qualitative study aims to understand what meaning youth orchestra members ascribed to their experiences of learning orchestra music through eurhythmics. We collected data through interviews, which were thematically analysed. Six themes emerged: social interaction, enjoyment, better understanding, empowerment, expression, and improved performance. Therefore, we argue that eurhythmics can be used to cross borders in youth orchestras, thereby creating understanding between members of different languages, ages, and cultures and improving their musical understanding and performance of orchestral works.