Artistic reciprocity as course-based practice of crossing ‘mono-artistic’ boundaries in higher visual arts and music education

Abstract

While music education research has examined facets of inter-arts collaborations at professional level, there is little on inter-arts collaborations among students of different arts departments in the framework of common university courses. This article explores aspects of the learning of university visual art students and music students undertaking the course ‘Inter-Artistic Creative Thinking’, which concentrates on the stirrings and transformations of the role of the individual artist-student that are inexorably set in motion when learning occurs within an inter-arts collaborative environment. Topics addressed include artistic reciprocity through practical socialization and practice to ‘make the familiar strange’, inter-artistic creativity through sonic engagement, and ways to facilitate novel musical, visual and educational experiences and outcomes for both visual art and music university students beyond superimposed institutionalized specialisms.

Notes on contributor

Eleni Lapidaki is Associate Professor of Music Education, Department of Music Studies, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, Greece. She received her PhD from the School of Music, Northwestern University. Her dissertation was awarded with the ‘Outstanding Dissertation Award’ by the Council for Research in Music Education (USA). Recently Eleni was given the award for ‘Academic and Scientific Excellence in Greek Universities.’ She is a member of the editorial boards of Music Education Research and the International Journal of Music Education and the founder of the interdisciplinary program C.A.L.M. (Community Action in Learning Music). Eleni serves as academic coordinator for music educational interventions of the EU-funded program ‘Active Inclusion of Roma Children in the Educational System’.