PhD Studentship: Methods and Influence of the Folk organisation Folkworks (Newcastle University)

PHD STUDENTSHIP: METHODS AND INFLUENCE OF THE FOLK MUSIC ORGANISATION FOLKWORKS

NEWCASTLE UNIVERSITY / THE SAGE GATESHEAD

DEADLINE: 26 JUNE 2009

The International Centre for Music Studies at Newcastle University, in partnership with The Sage Gateshead, is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a PhD studentship as part of the Arts and Humanities Research Council of Great Britain's Collaborative Doctoral Awards scheme. We are seeking to award a fully-funded three-year studentship, commencing 21 September 2009, to research the methods and influence of the folk music organisation Folkworks. Further details are given below.

Supervisors: Dr Vic Gammon, Dr Felicity Laurence, Mr Alistair Anderson School: International Centre for Music Studies (School of Arts and Cultures) in collaboration with The Sage Gateshead Funded by: AHRC

Since 2000 Folkworks has been integrated into The Sage Gateshead. It has established a national reputation for the promotion of folk and traditional music through its educational work and through presenting some of the world's best traditional musicians in concerts, tours and festival events. The aim of this project is to investigate the innovative character of Folkworks and evaluate its practices and success factors.

The main areas of research will be:

*The development of Folkworks and other folk music development agencies in other countries, for example Ireland and Scotland.

*The characteristic forms of learning and participation in Folkworks' activities including the relationships of aurality and literacy in learning and transmission and compare these, in a historically-informed way, with learning and transmission in older traditional forms of music-making.

*The adaptation of Folkworks' learning and participation methods to meet the needs of different client groups, for example children, undergraduates and adult amateurs.

*The characteristics of Folkworks' tutors' interactional styles, their approach to accommodating different forms and degrees of musical competence within the same workshop and the social situations created in group sessions.

*The organisational culture of Folkworks both before and after its integration into The Sage Gateshead. This will include looking at future developments and considering the future of the philosophy and practices created through Folkworks in view of generational changes of personnel and organisational structure.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Candidates should have, or expect to achieve, a good Honours degree (minimum upper-second-class Honours) in music. You must have either an exceptional proven knowledge and ability in the field of folk and traditional music and a demonstrable aptitude for work in the area of pedagogical studies or an MA or MMus in music. This project may well suit someone who is an educator in the field and wants to develop research in this area.

An essential part of this project is being a participant-observer alongside The Sage Gateshead's staff on Folkworks projects so candidates must be practitioners in folk and traditional music.

VALUE OF THE AWARD AND ELIBILITY

Depending on how you meet the AHRC's eligibility criteria, you may receive a full or partial award. A full award covers tuition fees and an annual stipend of £14,440 (includes the AHRC stipend and an additional payment from The SAgE Gateshead). A partial award covers tuition fees only.

HOW TO APPLY

You must complete the University's postgraduate application form (www.ncl.ac.uk/postgraduate/apply/applicationforms),selecting 'PhD School of Arts and Cultures (full time) - Music' as the programme of study and inserting the reference number SAC01. Your application should include a CV, covering letter and the contact

details of two academic referees. The covering letter (no more than one side of A4), must state the title of the studentship, quote the reference number SAC01 and state how your interests and experience relate to the project.

You should also send your CV, covering letter, and the names and addresses of two referees as email attachments to Jane Hagger, jane.hagger@ncl.ac.uk

Closing date for applications: Friday 26 June 2009

We intend to hold interviews on Tuesday 14 July. If you are unable to attend on this date please indicate this on your application.

Further Information: Informal enquires can be made via email to Dr Vic Gammon, vic.gammon@ncl.ac.uk