Music, ageing, technology

Symposium on music research, Joensuu, Finland, 11–13 May 2016

The University of Eastern Finland, the Finnish Society for Ethnomusicology and the project Ageing, Communication, Technologies (ACT) bring together researchers from music studies and various other disciplines in order to discuss music in relation to ageing and technology. The symposium “Music, ageing, technology symposium” will be held in the Joensuu campus of the University of Eastern Finland, 11-13 May 2016.

The participants of the symposium will look at all genres of music and ageing, often in the context of modern communication technology. The symposium hopes to offer multilayered and critical perspectives on the crosscuttings of digital technologies and ageing in relation to music studies, and how these approaches relate to other research traditions. The theme is closely linked to one of the hosting university’s (UEF’s) current research orientations on human sciences and technology research.

Possible topics for proposals include, but are not limited to, the following themes:

• Music, musicians and the everyday of ageing
• Theoretical and methodological ear points on research into music, ageing, technology
• Music genres and ageing
• Perspectives on historical research on ageing and music
• Sounds of generations and musical heritage
• Music, soundscape, memory
• Age, technology and music education
• Well-being, age and music
• Other themes from all fields of music research

The organisers invite participants of the symposium to submit their own proposals for oral presentations (length maximum 20 minutes), panel sessions and poster presentations. Proposals can be strictly or indirectly related to the theme of the symposium. Alternatively, it is possible to propose presentations that are entirely outside the theme. Presentations can be given in Finnish, Swedish or English.
Abstracts for the symposium should be submitted by 29 February 2016 using the online submission system. All accepted abstracts will be announced by 21 March 2016.

The online submission system and the webpage of the symposium can be found at http://joensuusymposium2016.blogspot.fi/

The symposium is built around four internationally recognized keynote speakers. Ros Jennings is a professor in the Centre for Women, Ageing and Media in the ‘WAM’, University of Gloucestershire. Her presentation is on Popular Music, Inheritances and Ageing. Murray Forman is a professor of Media and Screen Studies in the Northeastern University, Boston. He will give his presentation on Aging Artists and Hip-Hop Legacies. Line Grenier is an associate Professor in the Department of Communication in the Université de Montréal, where she teaches predominantly in the areas of research methodology, media theory, memory and media, and popular culture. Sara Cohen is a professor in the Institute of Popular Music in the University of Liverpool. She is currently engaged in research on music and cultural memory.

Keywords: Music research, ageing, digital age, technology, musical heritage, musicians, memory, age