I detta konstnärliga examensarbete studerar masterstudenten Andreas Nyström hur han kan utvecklas på slagverksinstrumentet xylofon med avstamp ur Toshiro Mayuzumis Conertino for xylophone. Som bakgrund presenteras tonsättaren Toshiro Mayuzumi (1929-1997) genom en kortare biografi över hans liv och komponerande. Därefter följer en kortfattad historik om slagverksinstrumentet xylofon. Syftet med studien var att utvecklas som musiker på instrumentet xylofon. Efter att syftet presenteras ställs två frågeställningar;

1. ”Hur kan jag utifrån andra slagverkares erfarenheter utveckla mitt eget spel på instrumentet xylofon?”

2. ”Vilka specifika tekniska och musikaliska utmaningar möter slagverkare när de spelar

xylofon, särskilt Mayuzumi concertino för xylofon?”

Frågeställningarna besvaras genom intervjumetod. Efter att olika slagverkare delgivit sina synpunkter och perspektiv på xylofonen som instrument och framförallt med vilka tekniska och musikaliska utmaningar de upplevde ledde arbetet fram till en egen komponerad etyd. Etyden består av utmaningar såsom, svagt spel med hårda klubbor och snabba skalor. Val av instrument och klubbor presenteras. Studiens resultat påvisar att genom tillämpning av att komponera egna etyder och övningar samt att intervjua kollegor kan en musiker förbättra sitt xylofonspel. Uppsatsen belyser betydelsen av att den enskilda musikern skapar sina egna övningar.

Det här skulle kunna vara en framkomlig väg för att också studera in annan musik skriven för andra instrument och inte bara för xylofon.

English translation of the title: Practice xylophone, your own way

This artistic research explores the connection between Maurice Ravel’s piano composition Miroirs and nature, examining how Ravel’s music reflects natural phenomena through figurative and impressionistic imagery. Drawing inspiration from his involvement in the Parisian artistic group Les Apaches around 1900, Ravel pushed the boundaries of harmonic and rhythmic innovation. Each movement of Miroirs was dedicated to a different group member, highlighting the personal and artistic connections within the group. This study also incorporates interdisciplinary collaboration, connecting Ravel’s music to contemporary scientific discourse, particularly in how artists communicate complex ideas, such as climate crisis, in ways that resonate on a deeper level than purely factual data. Through a close reading of scholarly texts on Ravel and Miroirs, this research deepens the performer’s understanding of the music’s historical and thematic context, enriching the interpretative process and presenting Miroirs as a work that bridges the gap between music, nature, and modern thought.

Back to the future! is a project where four musicians and composers try to figure out how to play old music as if it were new, or maybe to play music so that no one cares if it’s old or new. If you play it now, it’s new, right? We spent three years thinking and playing and listening and talking, and this zine contains some of the things we found and some of the things we played. BTTF are George Kentros, Ida Lundén, Rei Nakamura, and Mattias Petersson.

Abstract: Music reading is a central skill for choral singers and conductors. The objective of this dissertation was to address the question of what strategies experienced musicians with a choral background use when reading and memorizing vocal music. This investigation consisted of four studies, each shedding light on musicians’ reading and processing strategies. The research was conducted using a variety of methodologies, including questionnaires, individual and group interviews, verbal protocols, and eye-tracking technology to measure eye movements during the reading of notated scores. The mixed-methods research design allowed the combination and integration of quantitative and qualitative analysis and results. Across the four studies, several key findings emerged: (a) skilled singers’ music reading processes were focused on melodic lines instead of lyrics, and influenced by the structural features of the music; (b) the individual cognitive orientation of choral conductors affected how they read during silent practice; (c) in group performances, choral singers combined typical music reading on their own voice line with information-gathering processes concerning other lines, relying on both auditory and visual cues; and (d) music students employed both holistic and segmented memorization approaches to facilitate recall. Overall, the complexity and density of the musical material had a considerable impact on the gaze patterns of musicians. The findings may have potential implications for higher music education and choral rehearsals, as they may contribute to the development of advanced training methods and stimulate future research in the domain of choral music.