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

Jazz Improvisation (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Jazz Improvisation (Coursera)

Learn the basic concepts of improvisation from Gary Burton, one of the most renowned improvisers in the jazz world, including the mental, melodic, and harmonic processes that contribute to the instinctive skills that an improviser puts to use when taking a solo. While many people are fans of jazz and understand that musicians are often “making up” the notes they are playing during a performance, most people—often including musicians, themselves, who are beginning to learn improvising—aren’t clear about what exact processes take place to enable this to happen. The purpose of this course is to introduce the basic concepts of modern improvisation and how to go about mastering the different musical and mental skills involved.

Jun 15th 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
The Art of Music Production (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

The Art of Music Production (Coursera)

Explore the art of record production and how to make recordings that other people will love listening to. This course will teach you how to make emotionally moving recordings on almost any recording equipment, including your phone or laptop. The emphasis is on mastering tangible artistic concepts; the gear you use is up to you. You will learn to develop the most important tool in the recording studio: your ears. You will learn to enhance every aspect of your own productions, both sonically and musically, by employing deeper listening skills.

Jun 15th 2026
4 Weeks
Fundamentos de la guitarra eléctrica y acústica (edX) EdX
Berklee College of Music,BerkleeX

Fundamentos de la guitarra eléctrica y acústica (edX)

Desarrolla las habilidades musicales necesarias para tocar la guitarra acústica o eléctrica. Este curso de guitarra te lleva de la teórica musical a la práctica. Este curso de música enfocado en cómo tocar guitarra te permitirá conocer e implementar los conocimientos necesarios para aprender a tocar guitarra eléctrica o acústica. Este curso de guitarra tendrá un enfoque amigable, permitiéndote desarrollar rápidamente las habilidades necesarias para dominar la guitarra, elMOOC comenzará con la teoría básica de la música, luego pasará por la técnica de la interpretación y terminará con la exploración del instrumento.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Developing Your Musicianship (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Developing Your Musicianship (Coursera)

Learn the basic concepts and approaches needed to understand, create, and perform contemporary music. If you have a passion for music and are curious about how it works, or if you are a musician who learned to play by ear without formal study, this course will provide you with an engaging introduction to key concepts and approaches needed to understand, create, and perform contemporary music. Taught by Berklee College of Music professor George W. Russell, Jr., the course includes six lessons that delve into harmony and ear training—two areas of intensive focus for every entering Berklee student.

Jun 15th 2026
5-12 Weeks
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
Creativity & Entrepreneurship (edX) EdX
Berklee College of Music,BerkleeX

Creativity & Entrepreneurship (edX)

Learn skills and listen to examples from world-renown entrepreneurs and innovators as they discuss the parallels between the creative and entrepreneurial journeys -- and why entrepreneurship, much like music or creativity, is something we all possess. Creativity & Entrepreneurship will help you tap into your inner creativity and learn how to leverage it for career development or business innovation.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
First Nights: Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and the Birth of Opera (edX) EdX
HarvardX,Harvard University

First Nights: Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo and the Birth of Opera (edX)

Learn about Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo, one of the first operas ever written. Claudio Monteverdi’s L’Orfeo premiered in Mantua in 1607, and continues to be regarded as one of the most important examples of early opera. With L’Orfeo, Monteverdi helped to establish the techniques and traditions that continue to inform the genre of opera to this day.

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
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