Research group
Music-related learning processes
The research group is a part of the division for arts and culture.
The research group is also a part of Music pedagogy in development (MiU), a music education research network of the institutions in Middle-Norway that offer music teacher education (for kindergarten, primary school, cultural school, high school and researchers): Nord University, Queen Maud University College (DMMH) and NTNU.
In terms of content, the projects cover a broad spectrum from student-oriented studies (e.g., musical competence development) to the music teachers' profession. The studies have in common that they focus on music-related learning processes, their structures, contexts, influencing factors, and related didactical aspects. Most projects include students either as a participant (eg interview partner) or co-researcher (eg master's theses).
The projects share the empirical approach as well; but here too, a large spectrum is covered from arts-based research and qualitative studies to quasi-experimental methodological designs.
Jens Knigge, head of research group
Runa Hestad Jenssen
Solveig Salthammer Kolaas
Rolf Martin Snustad
Roy Aksel Waade
Ola Buan Øien
Bjørg Solveig Fretheim
Grete Daling
Laila Grendahl
Kirsti Nørstebø
Ørjan Breivik Kines
Ola Marius Ryan
Inga Rennemo Johansen
Sveinung Næss
Camila Caldeira Langfeldt
Kristie Lee Mortimer
Trine Telnes
Camilla Kvaal
Valerie Krupp
Nicholas Rowe
Hamish William McIntoshExternal member:
Julia Ehninger, Universität Wuppertal
Completed projects
The project is led by Jens Knigge.
The research project addresses the educational potential arising from the changes of musical practices in the context of the development of mobile digital media.
AppKOM addresses the following research question: What are the particular forms of music learning and competence development that occur in informal and non-formal settings? Thus, the project investigates competency development and competency structures as a function of musical learning in informal and non-formal settings. AppKOM is located at the University of Music Lübeck and conducted in cooperation with Nord University, University of applied science Potsdam, and UDK Berlin.
Publications:
Knigge, J. & Fiedler, D. (2023). Musikalische Bildung mit mobilen Digitaltechnologien. Kompetenzentwicklung und Kompetenzstrukturen. In B. Jörissen, S. Kröner, L. Birnbaum, F. Krämer & F. Schmiedl (Eds.), Digitalisierung in der kulturellen Bildung. Interdisziplinäre Perspektiven für ein Feld im Aufbruch (pp. 43–46). kopaed. https://doi.org/10.25656/01:26963
Hasselhorn, J. & Knigge, J. (2021). Technology-Based Competency Assessment in Music Education: the KOPRA-M and KoMus Tests. In A. Lehmann-Wermser & A. Breiter (Eds.), Computer Based Assessment and Feedback in Music Education (pp. 49–74). ifmpf. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/353346184_Technology-Based_Competency_Assessment_in_Music_Education_the_KOPRA-M_and_KoMus_Tests
Jörissen, B., Schmiedl, F., Möller, E., Unterberg, L., Godau, M., Eusterbrock, L., Fiedler, D., Haenisch, M., Hasselhorn, J., Knigge, J., Krebs, M., Nagel, M., Rolle, C., Stenzel, M. & Weidner, V. (2019). Digitalization and arts education – New empirical approaches. In B. Münzberg, S. Konietzko & J. Goudis (Eds.), Contemporary research topics in arts education: German-dutch perspectives (pp. 22–29). Rat für Kulturelle Bildung. https://ris.utwente.nl/ws/files/154772354/Contemporary_Research_Topics_in_Arts_Education_Web_DS.pdf
Project partners:
Marc Godau, Fachbereich Musikpädagogik und Musikdidaktik, Fachhochschule Clara Hoffbauer Potsdam.
Matthias Krebs, Forschungsstelle Appmusik, Universität der Künste Berlin.
Johannes Hasselhorn, Musikhochschule Lübeck
Daniel Fiedler, Musikhochschule Lübeck
Advisory board:
Christian Rolle, Universität zu Köln
Linus Eusterbrock, Universität zu Köln
Verena Weidner, Universität Erfurt
Matthias Haenisch, Universität Erfurt
Maurice Stencel, Universität ErfurtThe project is led by Jens Knigge.
The project is part of the research-network SangBarSk (Singing in kindergartens and schools) which includes representatives from all higher teacher education institutions in Norway and constitutes an “umbrella” for research on singing in kindergarten and school. In this context – and with support from the Norwegian Arts Council – researchers from OsloMet and Nord University are conducting a national survey study.
The aim of this study is to investigate the status quo of singing in Norwegian kindergartens and schools, in other words: what is sung where and when, by whom, in what ways, and for what purposes? Hence, the study has two main objectives: (a) At a descriptive level, the survey aims to map out the situation with regard to the use of singing in Norwegian kindergartens and schools; b) Simultaneously, the survey will shed light on whether there is a systematic connection between context (for example city/country, size of kindergarten/school etc.), the teacher’s person (age, education, musical expertise, attitude to singing etc.) and the actual use of singing.
Publications:
Knigge, J., Danbolt, I., Hagen, L. A., & Haukenes, S. (2021). The current status of singing in kindergartens in Norway: An exploratory study. Nordic Research in Music Education, 2(2), 74–99. https://doi.org/10.23865/nrme.v2.2905Knigge, J., Danbolt, I., Hagen, L. A., & Haukenes, S. (2023). Hvordan står det til med sang i barnehagen?. Nasjonalt senter for kunst og kultur i opplæringen (KKS). https://kunstkultursenteret.no/ressursbase/hvordan-star-det-til-med-sang-i-barnehagen/
Balsnes, A. H., Danbolt, I., Hagen, L. A., Knigge, J. & Schei, T. B. (2022). „Det finnes en sang for alt!“ – Ansattes begrunnelser for sang i barnehage og skole – en empirisk studie. In R. V. Strøm, A. H. Balsnes & Ø. J. Eiksund (Eds.), Samsang gjennom livsløpet (pp. 29–65). Cappelen Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.162.ch2
Project website:
sangbarsk.weebly.comProject partners:
Anne Haugland Balsnes (Universitetet i Agder)
Liv Anna Hagen (OsloMet)
Ingrid Danbolt (OsloMet)
Siri Haukenes (OsloMet)
Tiri Bergesen Schei (Høgskulen på Vestlandet)Advisory board:
SangBarSk
Project leader: Jens Knigge.
Work package leaders: Laila Grendahl, Ola Buan Øien, Tony Mathisen (Stokkan ungdomsskole)
Project participants (Nord University): Solveig Salthammer Kolaas, Ola Marius Ryan, Rolf Martin Snustad, Mattis Kleppen
Project participants (external): Maria Stattin (Inderøy vgs.), Rasmus Seloter (Levanger kulturskole), Klara Vik Aarmo (Mosvik grunnskole)
Project website: https://site.nord.no/movem/
The main objective of the MoVeM project is to implement and evaluate a digital mentoring technology to develop and stimulate quality improvement of mentoring practices at music teacher training institutions in Norway.
Heterogeneity in practice phases for our music students is high. This includes practice in different schools (primary, lower/upper secondary), schools of music and performing arts (“kulturskole”) and project practice within music projects in society. A special need music students have, is the supervision of practical (i.e. artistic) preparation, observation and reflection. Traditional practice supervision (verbal/written) appears in this context as insufficient, and MoVeM therefore focuses on multimodal approaches, which can provide a richer approach to the non-verbal that occurs in music education. In the light of the MoVeM project, we see a need to introduce a similar multimodal mentoring technology and thus to raise the digital competence of university staff and partners from the practice field.
Implementation of MoVeM is planned for students and teachers affiliated to three cohorts at the music teacher training at North University (campus Levanger), who follow the project for four semesters. The project follows the structure of the study programs related to different practice arenas (primary/secondary school, school of music and performing art, and project practice). MoVeM therefore consists of practitioners in the respective schools/institutions, students and university teachers.
The research team is conducting a comprehensive formative and summative evaluation study to examine the use and implications of MoVeM_tek (mentoring technology and didactics). The evaluation is integrated in a “design based research” study and forms the basis for evidence-based formulations of the final mentoring model/technology.
Outcomes of Instrumental Tuition and Playing in an Ensemble - Teaching Music in Cooperation Between Primary and Music Schools.
PhD projects
Research fellow:
Rolf Martin SnustadThe project challenges music education practices in the Norwegian “kulturskole” with regard to diversity, and looks at how children and young people can be given experiences through music when the basic experiences of participation, citizenship and democracy are in focus. The main goal of the «kulturskole» is failing, because “kulturskole” is not for everyone! (Berge, Angelo, Heian, & Emstad, 2019). The “kulturskole” curriculum struggles with its attempt to deal with diversity and immersion (Berge et al., 2019). There is a great gap between administrative desires for diversity (in terms of access for the majority of the population) and how music education of “kulturskole” actually takes place (Ellefsen, 2017; Ellefsen & Karlsen, 2019).
Against this background, the project seeks to provide inclusive musical practice with content. The project is planned as an article-based dissertation with three to four articles.
Main supervisor: Jens Knigge
Supervisor: Rosemary Kate Martin
Advisory Board:
Music pedagogy in development (MiU)Doctoral Research Fellow: Ørjan Breivik Kines
The project studies music praxis in Norwegian Early Childhood Education and Care with an emphasis on access to and the use of musical instruments. The research is directed towards pracitioners in the research field and looks at how different understandings of music and musicality influences choices in facilitation of musical environments and activities in the ECEC. Earlier research has shown that there is few musical instruments accessible for children in Norwegian ECECs (Vist & Os, 2019). The aim of the project is to explore how the physical environment can be understood through the practitioners and how it may be possible to facilitate for children’s access to musical instruments for play and learning in the ECEC.
The project is article-based and uses different methodological approaches in different parts of the study.
Main Supervisor: Professor (II), Elisabeth Bjørnestad (OsloMet / Nord University) (OsloMet / Nord University)
Supervisor: Dosent, Morten Sæther (Queen Maud University College)
Advisory research group:
Quality in Early Childhood Education and Care, and Early Childhood Teacher Education (KiBB)Publications:
Kines, Ø. B. & Nilsen, T. R. (2023). Quality in Norwegian Early Childhood Music Education – An Ecological Perspective on Structural and Processual Aspects of Music Practice. In O. B. Øien, S. S. Kolaas, M. F. Duch & E. Angelo (Eds.), MusPed:Research: Vol. 6. Explorative Perspectives in Music and Education (pp. 13–39). Cappelen Damm Akademisk. https://doi.org/10.23865/noasp.200.ch1Research fellow: Laila Grendahl
Main supervisor: Runa Hestad Jenssen (Nord universitet)
Co-supervisor: Rosemary Kate Martin (Nord universitet)This PhD project “Body & soil – exploring difference in ensemble leadership at the intersection of community music and music education from a queer perspective” is an autoethnographic exploration of how queerness might be negotiated in artistic and educational practices – as professional knowledge. Queer lives and bodies carry diversity, visible or invisible. The topic of this project is relevant to help understandings of diversity through articulating and dialoguing queerness in the context of music education and community music (CM).
Why the title «Body and soil»? I’m a farmer and musician doing a PhD in Science of Professions, with focus on music education but I can’t stop thinking, writing, and talking about soil. How soil is both vulnerable and self-repairing, how soil is a living colony and not a ‘thing’, how soil breaths and transgress, how soil is inside us in our gut and how soil uses diversity and transgression to live and generate life. Working with soil has made me re-think how I work as a conductor with ensembles, how I see and communicate with my students. Soil has made me think differently about diversity and connections among human and non-humans. And lastly - soil has made me constant re-think my own diversity as queer. In my research I explore how this can be an entrance and an embodied source to draw knowledge from and to ground the frame for my study methodologically and theoretically. Soil is biological and mineral diversity in eternal interaction and transmutation. Through an autoetnographic approach I investigate how soil can be included, both as a metaphor for what I work in and with, and with soil as a co-actor in my creation of knowledge. The project is grounded within queer theories, with post human and new materialist thinking to support the philosophical foundations for my work. Post-humanism, as I interpret it in both Donna Haraway (1991, 2016) and Braidotti (2011, 2019, 2022) challenges the traditional hegemony of knowledge production, by shifting 'hu-man/man' from the center and allows other materiality’s and life forms in the formation of meaning. Inspired by Karen Barads (2007, 2014) concept of diffraction and agential realism explore how I can use my experience with soil as a metaphorical way of understanding, negotiating, and articulating diversity as a sustainable way of thinking in the context of music education and community music.
In my PhD project, CM concerns ensembles in the Norwegian tradition of instrumental bands and symphonic orchestras where the musicians have different backgrounds and musical skills, ranging from amateur to professional. I lean on others who engage with CM and recognize this activity as a plural musical practice characterized by lifelong learning and access for all (Barthleet & Higgins, 2018; Veblen et al., 2013). Community requires dialogue, belonging, and solidarity to and for a group. The need for increased knowledge and attention to queer perspectives in higher education and society in general is essential to help give voice to marginalized groups and create social sustainable communities (UNESCO, 2022). As a queer person, I speak from the ‘inside’ and can use my academic and artistic voice to shed light on and explore how gender norms might have an impact on musical teaching, performance, and leadership. Against this backdrop I ask the following main research question: How might queerness matter and create space for negotiating voice and diversity within community music and music educational practices?
The PhD project is planned to be an article-based thesis, with three articles and a ‘kappe’.
Research fellow: Camila Caldeira Langfeldt
This PhD work grows out of a community-based arts initiative developed in collaboration with a primary school and the local community in Trondheim, Norway. In 2025 and 2026, seven- and eight-year-olds and their families were invited to participate in a series of artistic workshops led by local artists, involving theatre, music-making, rap, and hip-hop.
This PhD project explores what emerged from these encounters, focusing on the potential of arts education to foster community and belonging among children and families living in a neighborhood marked by diverse socioeconomic inequalities.
The project is part of the Horizon Europe project dialoguing@rts – Advancing Cultural Literacy for Social Inclusion through Dialogical Arts Education (d@rts), led by the Faculty of Education and Arts at Nord University. The dissertation is written as a series of articles and will be submitted to the PhD programe in Science of Professions at Nord University.
Main supervisor: Runa Hestad Jenssen, Faculty of Education and Arts, Nord University
Co-supervisor: Marit Ursin, Department of Education and Lifelong Learning, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU).
Finished PhD-projects
Research fellow: Runa Hestad Jenssen
I am obsessed with voices. This obsession meant I sang before I could talk, it led me through higher music education as a classically trained singer, it shaped my experience in a western sociocultural context of singing as a soprano, teacher and now – as a researcher. So, ‘naturally’, voice is the topic of this thesis, you might think. But voice is such a huge topic. What kind of voices am I interested in? There are SO many voices. Starting my PhD study, I was particularly interested in female changing voices – the adolescent voice. Wonderful, you might think. A clear and narrow topic to research (just as a PhD study should be). But, instead of investigating voice as an object, something to study from the outside, I ended up studying voice from the inside, asking - What possibilities might lie within a performative autoethnographic study of a soprano-teacher- researcher’s embodied voice experienced in a western sociocultural context of singing? – as the main research question for my thesis.
Through exploring notions of voice by engaging in a methodology of performative autoethnography, and leaning into theories of performativity, gender, embodiment, and feminist new materialism, I also engage with voice at a sociopolitical level. Who is given a voice? Who is not? What does this tell me about what voices we listen to, who we include in vocal pedagogy and in music education? And broadly, what does this negotiation or understanding of voice mean for the way we learn, teach, and research voice?
Basically, I deal with the idea of voice in an experienced way. Through this inside-out process of exploring voice, I discovered the voices of Others and I started to critically question the cultures and contexts I experienced. This lead me on a journey where I saw possibilities to expand on methodologies, breathe with theory and push boundaries of how knowledge might be created.
My thesis is a ‘storied thesis’. I believe in stories as a way of knowing and see stories in ‘simple’ terms - as a series of events arranged in time. Through stories I can explore questions. To help answer the main research question in my thesis, I dived into four sub-research questions, each explored in four articles. The first article, Facing the Soprano (Jenssen, 2021), examines how a singer’s feminist performative “I” is created through autoethnography. Article two, A tale of grappling (Jenssen & Martin, 2021), explores how performative duoethnography can be understood as an expanded way of methodological thinking. In A different high soprano laughter (Jenssen, 2022a) I ponder how Nomadic theory might lend new entrances to think about voice, and how this re-thinking offers diversity in vocal pedagogy. The final article, The voice lessons (Jenssen, 2022b), acknowledges the value of (auto)ethnographies as a way of producing, analyzing, and representing voice.
In the meta-text, the ‘kappe’ – which translates from Norwegian to ‘cape’ in English, I thread the stories and questions from the articles together, as a kaleidoscopic exploration of notions of voice, constantly changing and becoming. Sewing my ‘cape’, I take you through the process of sharing and listening to the stories told in my four articles. Reading and analysing my discoveries offered in my articles I see new entrances for engaging with voices. Embracing embodied knowledge as the foundation, for creating dialogues, seeing possibilities, and seeing Otherwise, I aim to find a space where a multiplicity of voices can voice, in vocal pedagogy, music education, and academia. I therefore offer my thesis as a contribution for those engaging in arts and pedagogical practices where voice (in its plethora of possibilities) is at the core. However, this study is also for those interested in epistemological and ontological ways of exploring notions of voice. If you are ready to dive in, I will dive with you – voicing dialogues, together.
Research fellow:
Solveig Salthammer KolaasThrough the artsbased school subject “Sal & scene” (“Hall & scene”), which was introduced as an elective subject in the secondary school in 2012, pupils are given the opportunity to participate in various performing arts productions in school. The purpose of Solveig Salthammer Kolaas' PhD study is to contribute to develop insights and understandings into how the school subject “Sal & scene” in secondary school can contribute to meaning making.
The main research question for the study is: "What understandings about meaning making can be developed through a mixed-method study of subject “Sal & scene” in secondary school?" The PhD is article-based and consists of the following three articles:
- "The big picture: a survey of the school subject “Sal og scene” in Norway 2019". The article is written in a quantitative, exploratory design. The data material is generated through a nationwide questionnaire survey of teachers teaching the subject, and the analysis is done as descriptive, statistical analysis.
- "For Life itself: Teachers' stories of the school subject “Sal & scene”. The article is written in a hermeneutic, narrative design. The data material is generated through qualitative questions in a nationwide questionnaire survey of teachers teaching the subject, and the analysis is done as narrative narrative analysis.
- "We don't play theater! Meaning-making in the subject “Sal & scene” - a professional knowledge landscape ». The article is based on a case study and is written in a hermeneutic, narrative design. The data material is generated through interviews and observation of teachers and pupils in teaching and meeting activities.
Publications:
Kolaas, S. S. (under revision): Lærerfellesskapet i faget Sal og scene som profesjonelt kunnskapslandskap.Project partners:
Main supervisor: Elin Angelo (NTNU)
Supervisor: Jens Knigge (Nord University)
NAFOLAdvisory board:
Music pedagogy in development (MiU)Research fellow:
Ola Buan ØienThis article-based thesis consists of an extended abstract and three articles. The thesis is divided into two parts with a total of four texts and focuses on developing knowledge of musical leadership. In Part I, a synthesis is presented in the form of an extended abstract, and in Part II, the three articles constituting the substance of the synthesis are presented. The author recommends reading the articles first as they constitute the background of the synthesis. The following is an overview of the two parts of the thesis.
Part I - The extended abstract is a synthesis of CS1-3 that consists of an introduction, previous research, theoretical framework, methodology and method, findings, discussion, and conclusions. In this synthesis, a hermeneutic practice ecological perspective serves as a theoretical lens for the comprehensive investigation of CS1–3. The conclusions suggest the Perpetual Practice Dialogue Complex as an approach to
combine performative, pedagogical and research practices in the means to reveal,
develop and articulate understandings in and on musical leadership.Part II - The articles for each component study (CS) are attached as they were published or available in manuscript form at the time of this thesis submission. Through CS1-3, understandings of musical leadership were developed at the intersection of qualitative research and arts-based research (ABR). Nine concepts that served as aspects of musical leadership relevant to conducting were revealed by investigating a record producer’s practice (CS1). Through ABR, six of the nine concepts were transformed into sonic extractions (CS2), and live looping through loop station conducting (LSC) as an ensemble conducting approach offered several perspectives relevant to ensemble conducting in a pedagogical context (CS3).
Keywords: musical leadership, record producer, hermeneutic practice ecological perspective, arts-based research, music teacher education
Project partners:
Main supervisor: Elin Angelo (NTNU)
Supervisor:
Jessica Aspfors (Nord universitet/Åbo Akademi)
NAFOLAdvisory board:
Music pedagogy in development (MiU)
Research fellow: Kirsti Nørstebø
The PhD dissertation “Students’ Learning Outcomes of Primary Music Education – A Longitudinal Study on 5th Graders’ Musical Competence Development and Potential Social Benefits” investigated learning outcomes of music education in Norwegian primary schools through a 10-month quasi-experimental intervention study conducted during the 2022/23 school year. One experimental group received violin instruction (EG1) and another received jSax instruction (EG2); both interventions were designed and delivered by qualified municipal culture school (kulturskole) teachers. The control group (CG) followed regular music education planned and taught by primary school teachers with subject-specific music competence.
Approximately 500 fifth-grade pupils participated, and intact classes were assigned to one of the three instructional approaches (EG1, EG2, or CG). The teaching was integrated into the pupils’ ordinary music subject that school year, and all groups received two music lessons per week.
Drawing on the supply–use model of teaching and learning (Seidel, 2014; Brühwiler & Blatchford, 2011; Helmke, 2010), the dissertation examined how different instructional approaches and other relevant factors were associated with pupils’ learning outcomes, and how these outcomes could be measured in valid and reliable ways. The dissertation comprises three articles that collectively address this research aim.
A key contribution is the development and validation of Norwegian measurement instruments for musical competence, school well-being (quality of school life), competence experiences, and other relevant variables. The instruments demonstrated strong psychometric quality and constitute a substantial methodological contribution to music education research in Norway.
The dissertation further examined the development of musical competence over one school year. Pupils showed strong progress across all competence domains except singing, with no clear differences between the three instructional approaches. Variables such as gender, cognitive abilities, family music interest, and intrinsic motivation showed smaller but measurable effects.
Overall, the findings indicated that background factors explained only a limited share of pupils’ development, while the quality of music instruction across all three approaches appeared to be the primary driver of competence growth. Teacher popularity and practice time also showed smaller effects in specific areas.
Finally, the dissertation explored social outcomes of music education. Pupils with high music interest at the start of the study reported greater school well-being, with no differences between the instructional groups.
Main supervisor: Professor Jens Knigge, Nord University
Co-supervisor: Professor Sonja Nonte, University of Osnabrück, Germany
Co-supervisor: Dr Michael Schurig, TU Dortmund University, Germany
Collaborating partners: The Norwegian Council for the School of Music and Performing Arts (Norsk kulturskoleråd), Trondheim Municipality, Agder County Municipality, Levanger Municipality, and the University of Agder.
Partnership
The research group is a partner in MishMash – Centre for AI and Creativity, one of six national AI research centres funded through the Norwegian government’s NOK 1.2 billion AI initiative.
MishMash brings together more than 200 researchers from 19 Norwegian higher education institutions to create, explore, and reflect on AI for, through, and in creative practices.
The centre works at the intersection of artistic and scientific research, investigating AI’s impact on creative processes, developing co-creative AI systems, and addressing the ethical, cultural, and societal implications of AI in creative domains. The research group contributes to Work Package 4 (Education) and hosts a doctoral fellow.
Project Leader: Alexander Refsum Jensenius (University of Oslo)
Local PI and Contact Person: Prof. Jens Knigge (Nord University)
Doctoral Researcher: TBA (Nord University)Project Webpage: https://mishmash.no
