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.

Målet med projektet har varit att utveckla min förmåga att andas hjälpsamt medan jag spelar viola. Framförallt att inte hålla andan då det skapar och förvärrar fysiska samt mentala spänningar som hämmar violaspelet. För att uppnå syftet har jag med hjälp av videologgbok utforskat och  experimenterat med min andning under violaövande. Processen har bestått i att hämta kunskap om hur andning fungerar samt genom videologgboken bli medveten om hur jag andas, hur andningen påverkar mig och hur jag kan påverka andningen.

Projektet har resulterat i för mig nya övningar och förhållningssätt kring andning och musicerande samt en förändrad  kroppshållning. Jag har hämtat kunskap och inspiration bland musikaliska och icke-musikaliska sammanhang som yoga, medveten andning, Alexanderteknik, samt hur sångare och andra stråkmusiker förhåller sig till andning. En specialiserad sjukgymnast har gett mig övningar i syfte att  förändra kroppshållningen för att bl.a. underlätta andning under violaspel. Genom att fokusera på andningen har jag hittat ett mer hållbart sätt att spela både kroppsligt, mentalt och musikaliskt. 

Through a historical perspective, the overall aim with this study is to deepen the understanding of arts and aesthetics, in relation to health, for the benefi- cial use in higher education programs. Since prehistoric time, mankind has been using different art forms for health reasons. Artwork created by a society is a product of the culture that prevails within that society. Aesthetics is con- nected to art, and it spans over a wider field than just art. This literature re- view study brings different historical views on arts, aesthetics, and creativity. The human need for art, music and health is essentially the same through the ages. By bringing in a historical perspective on the healing powers of art and aesthetics we can be better equipped to reintroduce arts in higher education also as a healthy factor. We need to understand our history to be able to create an understanding of the healthy meaning of art for future higher edu- cation students. Lessons that have been used for millennia must not be lost.

Through a historical perspective, the overall aim with this study is to deepen the understanding of arts and aesthetics, in relation to health, for the benefi- cial use in higher education programs. Since prehistoric time, mankind has been using different art forms for health reasons. Artwork created by a society is a product of the culture that prevails within that society. Aesthetics is con- nected to art, and it spans over a wider field than just art. This literature re- view study brings different historical views on arts, aesthetics, and creativity. The human need for art, music and health is essentially the same through the ages. By bringing in a historical perspective on the healing powers of art and aesthetics we can be better equipped to reintroduce arts in higher education also as a healthy factor. We need to understand our history to be able to create an understanding of the healthy meaning of art for future higher edu- cation students. Lessons that have been used for millennia must not be lost.

Stress påverkar prestation, patientsäkerhet och arbetsmiljö inom hälso- ochsjukvården. Under kriser såsom tex Covid-19 pandemin, kan hög arbetsbelastning och arbete under tidspress, med begränsade resurser, då svåra beslut och prioriteringar behöver göras, leda till moralisk stress, vilket om det återkommande sker leda till moralisk ”skada” och stressrelaterad ohälsa. Därför är det viktigt att sjukvårdspersonal redan under sin utbildning får lära sig om hur de påverkas av stress och att identifiera olika moraliskt utmanande situationer, att de får träna olika stresshanteringsmetoder, samt tillämpa dem i olika simulerade akutmedicinska situationer. Utöver kunskap om stress utifrån ett individperspektiv behövs insikter kring hur stress kan genereras utifrån strukturella/organisatoriska förhållande som kan behöva åtgärdas i stället för eller parallellt med insatser på individ eller gruppnivå.

Intresset för forskning, utbildning och utveckling inom social hållbarhet, inte minst under kriser, fortsätter att öka. Covid-19 pandemin, kriget i Ukraina, klimatförändringarna, den minskade biologiska mångfalden och potentiella hot såsom politisk polarisering och AI påverkar området social hållbarhet. För tio år sedan etablerades ”Centrum för social hållbarhet” (CSS) på Karolinska Institutet och olika forskare med sina perspektiv på ”Socialt hållbar utveckling – fokus på empati, compassion och altruism” bidrog till ett temanummer av Socialmedicinsk tidskrift 2013. För fem år sedan gav vi också ut temanumret ”Social hållbarhet” i Socialmedicinsk tidskrift 2018, och konstaterar att området är minst lika aktuellt idag. Vi har bjudit in forskargrupper som är intresserade av social hållbarhet, och tillsammans har vi skapat ett nytt temanummer där flera bidrag handlar om yttre och inre hållbarhet i relation till kriser.

Our review shows many parallels between on one hand music making or dancing in a group and on the other hand physical training in a group. Epidemio-logical prospective studies have shown that both types of group activities are associated with a prolonged life. But the cultural activities have qualities that the purely physical activities do not have, for instance strong aesthetic expe-riences that may promote change in life direction, which is of importance in the building of a sustainable society. To sing in a group has in a few studies been shown to have stronger effects on togetherness than merely talking in a group. We also highlight the importance of a good life environment ́s diversity to be able to maintain a good and sustainable society.