Speakers
Description
During the last decade, many music groups of Greece have adopted goals consistent with the principles of Community Music, like the promotion of members’ interaction and well-being. This study explores the case of instrumental community ensembles concentrating on traditional music, a trend which emerged mainly after COVID-19 pandemic. These ensembles consist of amateur musicians playing –or wishing to learn to play– traditional instruments. Along with these ensembles’ focus on traditional repertoire, noticeable is their preference for transmission methods that do not follow the well-established Eurocentric “canon” of learning through notation. Our research focuses on the perceptions of members and teachers of such a group based in the city of Thessaloniki. More specifically, we investigate their opinions on issues such as: the value they attribute to their participation in a musical group, the difficulties they face, their relationship with traditional music, personal ambitions regarding their musical progress, etc.
CV
Antonis Ververis
was born in Athens and brought up on the island of Lesvos, Greece. He studied Musicology and Music Education at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and Sociology at the University of the Aegean. In addition, he received graduate degrees from Roehampton University, UK, and Lynchburg College, USA in Choral Education and Choral Conducting, respectively. He holds a PhD from Aristotle University where he carried out research on gender stereotypes in Music Education. Since 2018, he has been teaching in the Department of Music Studies at the University of Ioannina, Greece.
Ioannis Litos
is a PhD Student at the Department of Music Science and Art, University of Macedonia. He studied musicology (Department of Music Studies), pedagogy (Department of Primary Education) and received a master’s degree in arts and education (Department of Early Childhood Education) from the University of Ioannina. He is the co-editor of two books (Sports: Artistic, educational and sociological approaches, Issues of music instrument teaching: Bridging theory and practice). His current research interests include community music and inclusive musical practices with disadvantaged children, sociological approaches of busking, the use of music, movement, and dance in educational and community settings.
