The midway assessment is organized in two parts, and starts with a two-hour public seminar, followed by a closed meeting.
The purpose of the midway assessment is to evaluate the progress of the PhD project at a point when it is still possible to make small or more substantial changes.
Programme:
10:15 - 10:45 Welcome, and Presentation by Candidate Dana Swarbrick
10:45 - 11:45 Comments by, and discussion with, Professor Tuomas Eerola
11:45 - 12:00 Plenary discussion with the public
Following the public event, there will be a closed meeting between the candidate, invited opponent, and supervisors (12:00 - 12:30).
Summary:
What makes concerts the most common peak musical experiences? Concerts are multi-sensory social experiences featuring rhythmic sounds that often evoke movement. Entraining movement to music is both pleasurable and may facilitate bonding. For my doctoral research, I aim to understand the social and emotional benefits of concerts. Specifically, I aim to investigate what aspects of concerts produce social bonding, movement, and feeling moved. During the coronavirus crisis, musicians and concert organizers responded rapidly to the social distancing restrictions and offered virtual concerts. During my mid-way assessment, I will discuss my research projects that investigated bonding, motion, and emotion in virtual concerts. I will also present my plans for upcoming research on real live concerts. Ultimately, I hope my research findings can help concert organizers and performers optimize their audience experiences.