Don't miss out – the application deadline for Building Bridges is Wednesday!

The research project building bridges hosted at the Iceland Academy of the Arts, in collaboration with Bifröst University and York St. John University in the UK, and funded by the Icelandic Research Fund, is looking for a master's student to work with the research group on a master's project on community music in Iceland and/or the Korda Symphony. The project should be 30-60 ECTS and be completed in May 2026. The student will receive a grant of ISK 1.000.000. The student can come from any university in Iceland.

More about the Building Bridges project:

There are a variety of community-based music projects that work with diverse groups and communities, such as individuals in prisons, clients of health institutions, and individuals of different ages, with diverse skills and backgrounds. These projects reflect the ideology that music and music practice can have a positive impact on people and even change their lives for the better. The main objective of this project is to investigate MetamorPhonics (MP), an example of a community-based company that specializes in leading community orchestras.

The purpose is to understand various aspects of MP, including by examining:

background and motivation of participants

MP's ideology and guiding principles

comparison with other community-based music projects

The following factors are under investigation:

pedagogical approach MP

how artistic management and decision-making takes place

how the participants' backgrounds influence their musical approach

what impact does participation in MP projects have?

whether participation has a lasting impact on band members

whether participation has an impact on life outside the project

The project also emphasizes training music leaders to conduct research on their own work, developing research methods that address community-based music projects, and ensuring diverse channels for disseminating research findings, where researchers, business and professional stakeholders have access to the results.

Master's thesis component

The master's research component consists of investigating specific aspects in the above context with an emphasis on the Icelandic context. There is also an opportunity to develop and test the methodology used in the project, which consists of qualitative methods, artistic research, and how documentary filmmaking methods can be used in qualitative interviews and dissemination.

If successful, there may be an opportunity after this project to work for an additional two months on reporting on the project.

For further information, please contact Þorbjörg Daphne Hall, professor of musicology at the Iceland Academy of the Arts. thorbjorghall@lhi.is

The application must include the applicant's name, university, study program, and the planned number of credits for the master's project. A cover letter must also be included, describing what the applicant is interested in working on. The application must include a CV, confirmation of enrollment, and a summary of the applicant's courses and grades. Applications must be submitted in Icelandic or English.

Applications must be received by May 1, 2025 at thorbjorghall@lhi.is