Skip to main content

SysMus24

 Hi everyone, it is Bruna here!

I am excited to share that last week we presented our first poster together at SysMus24! 

The 17th edition of the International Conference of Students of Systematic Musicology happened at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland. Our poster showed the current state of our literature review on the benefits of singing and also presented our collective and individual research aims. 

The great thing about SysMus is that it is led by students and for students, which makes everything a bit more relaxed than "big" conferences. However, this more relaxed approach does not mean that the level of quality of presentations is affected. I had the opportunity to meet so many brilliant PhD students from all over the world who are doing a great job in their areas. We also had the chance to hear from three keynote speakers, who introduced us to very interesting topics: 

Professor Minna Huotilainen, from the University of Helsinki, took us on a "mental travel" across the current state of research in neuroscience about our engagement with music from the early stages of life (fetus) until later stages (elderly). It was great to hear about the emerging efforts of neuroscientists towards ecological validity in their research around music. 

Professor Tuomas Eerola, from Durham University, talked about transparency, diversity and equality in the music and science field. His talk was mind-opening for me, as he showed the current state of the research in our field and the lack of transparency we are facing. Just 5% of the published papers analyzed in his study had their data openly available.

Professor Isabelle Peretz, from the University of Montreal, focused on Congenital Amusia and how the brain of people who carry this condition perceives music. One of her remarkable statements was about her research on improvisation, and how people with congenital amusia, even not being able to carry a tune, can improvise. 

Sysmus provides amazing opportunities to PhD students to engage with peers and professors, as well as present their own work. Next year it will be held at the University of Oslo, Norway and I am looking forward to that!

P.S: There are lots of socials organised by the hosts. This year we had the opportunity to have dinner on a boat! 


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Singing in VR Study - ISO Participants

We are looking for people interested in participating in a study on the psychosocial effects of Singing in Virtual Reality (VR)! If you are between 18-60 years old, not currently involved in a musical group, and interested in singing and/or VR, we would love to have you involved in this study. This study involves filling questionnaires on your wellbeing, self esteem, and social connectedness before, during, and after participating in a VR singing experience over the course of 2 weeks. You may or may not be asked to sing. Your data will be anonymised and there will be no recordings taken of your participation. What’s in it for you? By participating in this study, you will receive a £15 Love2Shop gift card and have an opportunity to use a PICO 4 Ultra VR headset. Interested in getting involved? Fill out the form below for more information! SingVR: Interest Form - Google Forms If you have any questions, please get in touch with the lead researcher, Dana Greaves, at dana.greaves@york.ac.u...
Post a Comment
Read more

Psychology of Music Masters at the University of Sheffield

Hello all! Emily here. I am a proud graduate of the Master’s programme in Psychology of Music at the  University of Sheffield . I have recently been invited to write a piece reflecting on my experience of the course and post-course life.  The fact that I remain based in Sheffield and continue to work within the Music Department five years later speaks volumes about the quality of teaching, the depth of expertise, and the genuine care shown by professors, lecturers, and support staff in enabling each student to gain the most from their studies. I can say with confidence that I would not be where I am today without having undertaken this Master’s programme. I completed the Masters Programme in Summer 2022. For my collaborative dissertation (supervised by Prof Renee Timmers), I was partnered with Mir Jansen, the Arts Coordinator at Arts in Health (Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust), an organisation who provide craft activities for hospital staff, patients and vis...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Singing in Balance Convention Update

Hello! Emily here! Exciting news! The Singing in Balance Network is currently in the process of organising a Convention about accessible and inclusive singing practice. It is shaping up to be a brilliant event, and we would love you to be a part of it. The Singing in Balance Convention (SiBCon) is happening on 9–10 September 2026 at The Priory Street Centre in York. It is a two-day gathering for group singing practitioners and researchers to come together, share their insights into inclusive and accessible group singing practice, and have some great conversations that can help us develop our knowledge and practice in the UK. We are currently inviting contributions from practitioners and researchers, so if any of the following sounds like you, we would love to hear from you: You work with a choir or singing group. You work in a social or healthcare setting. You're based at a university or conservatoire, or are an independent researcher. You have experience leading singing groups wit...
Post a Comment
Read more