School of Music - University of Queensland

The School of Music boasts world-class researchers specialising in diverse areas such as creativity, collaboration, composition, improvisation, music education, early learning, artistic practice, Western art music, popular music, technology, psychology of music and music health. Renowned for practice-based research, our experts excel in creative collaboration, genre mixing, embodied performance and cross-artform creativity.

Research Areas

Music Psychology

The psychology of music involves the scientific study of human thought, emotion and behaviour in relation to music. Our research applies psychological theory and methods and digital tools to build our understanding of music and human engagement with music in various contexts. Psychology of music research develops and applies new knowledge in a variety of contexts, including music performance, learning, through to health and wellbeing.

Music Performance

The purpose of research in music performance is simply the better performance of music. Performance scholars contextualise and theorise their own artistic practice through a reflexive engagement with practice-led research concepts and performative traditions. Performance-based and written research outputs draw from—and speak back to—embodied, oral and written texts informing the field, thereby illuminating new sites for the development of original and highly-nuanced artistic practice.

Music Education

Research in music education? Any research that pertains to music, music thought, learning, teaching or music engagement. In the School of Music, we conduct research into all aspects of music learning and engagement. Our research has been used to influence the design of teacher education programs, choir development strategies, career progression, music festival design and conceptualisation, audience engagement strategies and vision statements, and practical approaches to teaching children music.

Musicology

Musicology is the study of music in its wider historical and cultural contexts, so we can understand how it shapes and is shaped by the times and places it is a part of. Our researchers analyse music as something in context, reading it alongside other archival documents that tell us more about its meaning for that particular culture. Musicological research can inform a variety of other areas, including history, literature, art history, music performance, composition, etc.

Music Composition

Creating new music is a vital way of exploring the world and articulating knowledge. Artistic research in composition is as diverse as music composition itself. It's an area where the music itself is the answer to the research question, supported by language and rigorous investigation of the artistic practice.

At UQ, research in music composition is very diverse stylistically, often includes insight into the creative process, collaboration and meaning-making, and has resulted in a great number of excellent new compositions. Frequently it intersects with other areas of knowledge in sciences and humanities.

Artistic research in composition gives a different lens onto the world than language alone, and creates its own particular insights and perspectives that expand understanding.

Popular Music and Technology

Explore the dynamic intersection of Popular Music and Technology at the UQ School of Music. Our cutting-edge research delves into the evolving landscape of contemporary music, examining the symbiotic relationship between popular music trends and technological advancements. Uncover innovative insights into the fusion of sound, explore the impact of digital platforms, and understand the shaping forces behind the ever-changing realm of music in the modern age. Join us at the forefront of exploration where tradition meets innovation in the vibrant field of Popular Music and Technology research.