fot. Małgorzata Sternal
Musicians are the biggest group of professional artists, when compared to actors, visual / interdisciplinary / multimedia artists, and probably the most visible in everyday life. The term “professional musician”, however, has multiple meanings, often quite distant, and it seems that the artistic, educational, psychological, health, social and economic aspects of
the profession have not been sufficiently researched. There is a clear need for research in this field - both for building academic knowledge of the subject and for cultural, educational and labour policies making.
The significance of the lifelong learning in the context of changing and increasingly difficult labour market conditions, as well as the need for re-definition of competencies of professional musician should not be merely discussed but thoroughly researched and analysed. While in some European countries - most notably the Netherlands, Great Britain, Austria or the Scandinavian countries - a significant amount of research has been done,
in other regions there is a serious gap in the knowledge concerning
the artists’ professional development needs.
This conference, organised by the Department of Music Education Research of the Academy of Music in Krakow is aiming at facilitating information exchange and sharing research results, as well as defining new areas
of investigations.
Our keynote speaker will be Prof. Rineke Smilde, the distinguished expert on professional development of musicians, author of „Musicians as lifelong learners. Discovery through biography” (Eburon 2009). In her speech titled Musicians in the 21st Century: Changing Perspectives, Prof. Smilde will address the changing landscape of the music profession, and the new professional possibilities which arise for musicians.
Along with panel sessions and papers presentations, the conference will provide an opportunity to present views of artists, career counsellors and educators from Estonia, Romania, Serbia and Germany.