EdX

Artistic Research in Music – an Introduction (edX)

Artistic Research in Music – an Introduction (edX)

Learn about the topics, issues, and approaches of artistic research in music – research in and through musical practice - vital to today’s musicians and music culture. Artistic research (AR) is one of the most vibrant areas of creative thought in music – in the academic and professional worlds, but also among artists of all kinds who want to develop their practice by working and thinking coherently through its implications, questions, context and potential.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see EdX's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

AR (along with its various cognate versions) puts musicians themselves – their practices, their knowledge, experience and imagination – at the centre of the production of new understanding, knowledge, vision and discourses for music. In the current moment of great musical richness and diversity, this is more important than ever. Future or historical, acoustic or technological, performer, composer or producer – if you want to participate in this exciting and expanding field (or just want to know what’s going on) this course is for you.

The course is curated by the Orpheus Institute, Ghent – a world-leading centre for artistic research in music. Their artist-researchers are joined by experts from international institutions across the globe, who share their experience and understanding. The course is intended to be accessible to musicians with an expert artistic practice and some engagement with its theory, history, and context – as well as an inquiring mind. Masters or advanced Bachelors students will find this relevant, as well as researchers beginning their PhD, teachers at conservatories or universities, and independent artists who wish to engage with this exciting field.

What you'll learn

  • The key concepts of artistic research in music
  • How to refine potential research questions and lines of development in your own practice
  • Some of the most relevant research tools, techniques, and methodologies, and how these might relate to your work
  • How not to be afraid of theory! Instead, you will understand how it can be a vital tool in developing a coherent understanding of the context and potential of your artistic practice
  • Ways to develop a coherent reflective approach to expanding your practice
  • The range and potential of different modes of presenting your work and thought
  • How to produce a complete research proposal

Prerequisites:

  • An advanced practice (e.g. performance, composition) at Bachelor’s or Master’s level
  • Acquaintance with historical, theoretical and critical topics relevant to your practice
  • Skills in written communication
  • A critical, inquiring mind
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Creación musical con Soundcool: Introducción (edX) EdX
Universitat Politècnica de València,UPValenciaX

Creación musical con Soundcool: Introducción (edX)

Aprende los conceptos básicos para poder usar el sistema Soundcool para educación musical y creación colaborativa mediante móviles, tablets y Kinect. En este curso en línea de música aprenderás los conceptos básicos para poder usar el sistema Soundcool para educación musical y creación colaborativa mediante móviles, tablets y Kinect.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Introduction to Music Theory (edX) EdX
Berklee College of Music,BerkleeX

Introduction to Music Theory (edX)

Learn key concepts and approaches needed to understand, create, and perform contemporary music. Do you have a passion for music and want to learn more about how it works? Are you a musician who learned by ear and has no formal training? Would you like to study music but are unsure of where to begin? Then this music theory course is for you.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas (Coursera) Coursera
Curtis Institute of Music

Exploring Beethoven's Piano Sonatas (Coursera)

Our relationship to Beethoven is a deep and paradoxical one. For many musicians, he represents a kind of holy grail: His music has an intensity, rigor, and profundity which keep us in its thrall, and it is perhaps unequalled in the interpretive, technical, and even spiritual challenges it poses to performers. At the same time, Beethoven’s music is casually familiar to millions of people who do not attend concerts or consider themselves musically inclined. Two hundred years after his death, he is everywhere in the culture, yet still represents its summit. This course takes an inside-out look at the 32 piano sonatas from the point of view of a performer.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
History of Rock, Part One (Coursera) Coursera
University of Rochester

History of Rock, Part One (Coursera)

This course, part 1 of a 2-course sequence, examines the history of rock, primarily as it unfolded in the United States, from the days before rock (pre-1955) to the end of the 1960s. This course covers the music of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and many more artists, with an emphasis both on cultural context and on the music itself. We will also explore how developments in the music business and in technology helped shape the ways in which styles developed.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Jazz: The Music, The Stories, The Players (edX) EdX
Hamilton College

Jazz: The Music, The Stories, The Players (edX)

Learn what’s unique about jazz (swing, improvisation, structure and expression) and get an insider’s view from celebrated jazz musicians. Innovations in music rank among America’s most significant contributions to global culture, none more so than jazz. From its humble beginnings as dance hall entertainment, jazz is now embraced as an art form, respected and imitated the world over.

No sessions available
5-12 Weeks
19th-Century Opera: Meyerbeer, Wagner, & Verdi (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

19th-Century Opera: Meyerbeer, Wagner, & Verdi (edX)

Learn the music and cultural impact of three canonical operas from the 1800s: Les Huguenots, Das Rheingold, and Otello. Travel through central Europe in the 1800s to experience the premieres of Meyerbeer’s Les Huguenots, Wagner’s Das Rheingold, and Verdi’s Otello. A complement to our course on 18th-century opera, you’ll be introduced to opera through an in-depth study of these canonical works.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
First Nights: Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and Program Music in the 19th Century (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

First Nights: Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique and Program Music in the 19th Century (edX)

Learn about Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique, an iconic Romantic symphony that ushered in an era of narrative “program music.” Six years after the premiere of Beethoven’s monumental Ninth Symphony, composer Hector Berlioz sought to make use of the symphonic genre, but on his own terms. Indeed, he wrote not only a five-movement symphony, but also a narrative program to accompany and explain the symphony.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
World Music: Balinese Rhythms (edX) EdX
MIT,MITx

World Music: Balinese Rhythms (edX)

Learn and Play: An interactive course focusing on the rhythms of Bali. This course provides an introduction to Balinese music, and the role of music in Balinese culture. Students will have the opportunity to both learn about and watch Balinese performances, as well as start to learn and practice the rhythms and techniques of Balinese gamelan online, using the “Jamelan” game.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
World Music: Global Rhythms (edX) EdX
MIT,MITx

World Music: Global Rhythms (edX)

Learn to recognize, feel and play rhythms from around the world. In this course, you’ll be learning about musical rhythm from across the world. You don’t have to read music notation to take this course; you don’t have to play an instrument. You don’t need to know any special musical terminology or theory to begin; You will learn all the concepts you need as we go… and the terminology and how it varies across the world.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Grabar y mezclar música (edX) EdX
Berklee College of Music,BerkleeX

Grabar y mezclar música (edX)

Conoce y práctica las técnicas y herramientas que necesita un productor musical para escribir y producir su propia música. Este curso de producción musical se concentrará en escribir una canción en la que trabajarás en las próximas cuatro semanas.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Music, Art, Society, and Self (edX) EdX
University of Wisconsin–Madison,WisconsinX

Music, Art, Society, and Self (edX)

This course will provide a chance for you to explore yourself and your experiences with music and art. It is based on your own point of view and the environment around you. You'll learn about yourself and how music and art influence you while while observing and doing.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Crear música con tecnología (edX) EdX
Berklee College of Music,BerkleeX

Crear música con tecnología (edX)

Aprende sobre el proceso de producción de música y tecnología musical -incluyendo la grabación, la edición y la mezcla- y sobre las herramientas disponibles para crear música contemporánea en tu computadora. El curso de producción musical comenzará con algo de información sobre la naturaleza del sonido y la forma en la que lo percibimos.

Self Paced
Self-Paced