Arts education for disadvantaged children improves test scores and behaviour

This research was conducted by Adam Winsler and four others at George Mason University and the University of California Irvine, USA.

Summary

This paper charts the early school years of more than 30,000 children from low income backgrounds at 190 schools in Florida, USA. It concentrates on children aged 11 to …

The challenges of guest conductor-musicians relationship in symphony orchestras

This research was conduced by Dmitry Khodyakov at the RAND Graduate School, USA.

Summary

This paper focuses on orchestral musicians’ perspective of the role of guest conductors and how they manage the power relations between them and the musicians in a short period of time. The methodology consisted of 18 one-to-one …

By | 26 February 2018 |

Live jazz: the importance of the audience-performer relationship

This research was carried out by Gail Brand, John Sloboda, Ben Saul and Martin Hathaway at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, UK

Summary

The researchers conducted a pilot study to investigate how the audience-performer relationship contributes to the success of a jazz performance. They arrived at three major findings. …

By | 12 January 2017 |

Choral singing can help people living with aphasia

This research was conducted by Jeanette Tamplin and four others at the University of Melbourne, Royal Melbourne Hospital and Monash University, Australia

Summary

Group singing has been shown to have a beneficial impact on mood and sociability in a diverse range of therapeutic contexts, with positive outcomes for stress reduction, confidence …

By | 18 January 2016 |

Subsidised performances are more innovative and imaginative

This research was conducted by Joshua Edelman and Maja Šorli at the University of London, UK and the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia

Summary

Findings from a study conducted in 2014 indicate that subsidised performances were considered more challenging than commercial performances. Amateur performances were rated of lower quality but participants praised …

By | 14 December 2015 |

How an art project empowered a Sardinian village

This research was conducted by Claudia Sardu and three other people at the University of Cagliari, Italy.

Summary

This paper tells the story of how a community arts project in 1979 galvanised the inhabitants of a village in Sardinia, leaving them empowered to develop together as a coherent unit, rather than …

By | 5 May 2015 |

The effects of performance management culture on museums

This research was conducted by Anwar Tlili at King's College London, UK

Summary

This paper looked at the way in which museums have adopted new forms of performance management, partially in response to the changing beliefs of policymakers and funders. The core of the research is based on a series of …

By | 26 April 2014 |

Theatre and performance can improve the social skills of 'at-risk' youth

This research was conducted by Robin Wright, Lindsay John, Ramona Alaggia, and Julia Sheel at McGill University and the University of Toronto, Canada [Now at the University of Windsor, Canada]

Summary

The paper reports the results of a substantial evaluation of a national arts education programme in Canada. The results suggest …

By | 10 April 2014 |

Theatre programmes can increase children's maths ability

This research was conducted by Mike Fleming, Christine Merrell and Peter Tymms at the University of Durham, UK

Summary

The paper looks at a study conducted on schoolchildren who participated in the National Theatre’s ‘Transformation’ project: it took place in a deprived neighbourhood in east London and was designed to improve …

By | 16 March 2014 |

Dance classes allow people to test themselves and explore new identities

This research was conducted by Helene M. Lawson at the University of Pittsburgh, USA

Summary

The paper reports the results of in-depth interviews with participants in a tap dance group in Pennsylvania, USA. The interviews suggested that people dance for the following general reasons: keeping fit (both physically and mentally), seeking …

By | 11 March 2014 |