Den 5/1-2026 kommer GUPEA att vara otillgängligt för alla under hela dagen.
Auktorskap och musikaliska resurser – experimentellt musikskapande i samverkan
Abstract
This dissertation aims to contribute knowledge about how collective music creation can be
designed with a focus on artistic dimensions. The study is situated at the intersection of artistic
and educational research and is based on an autoethnographic method, in which I, as a composer,
examine my own practice in the role of both creative participant and analytical researcher. Over
the course of one school year, I conducted ten workshops in a primary school, where students
actively participated in music creation based on themes and conditions that I designed and
coordinated with the students’ music teacher.
The research method used is analytical autoethnography, which includes five central
characteristics: the researcher is a full member of the social environment; the work is
characterised by analytical reflexivity; the researcher is made visible as a social subject; a
dialogue is conducted with participants other than the researcher alone; and the study has a clear
analytical focus.
The theoretical framework of the dissertation is based on two main orientations: creativity
theory (Burnard, 2012; Sawyer, 2003) and social semiotic multimodal theory (Kress, 2009; Kress
& van Leeuwen, 2001; van Leeuwen, 2006). The empirical material consists of my written plans,
accounts, reflections, and evaluations of the workshops carried out, auditory and visual musical
documentation, as well as my own compositions. In the analysis, this material is related to the
theoretical framework of the dissertation and my artistic experiences as a composer and musician.
The results of the study show that auditory and visual resources, such as emoji symbols, can
function as powerful stimuli in collective music creation by offering ideas, creating expectations,
and enabling interaction between different forms of authorship. According to the study, the
interplay between different authorships promotes innovation and artistic dimensions in music
creation develop when there is a balance between freedom and structure—where bodily
engagement, contrast, variation, and surprise contribute to a sense of musical unity and
completeness. The study shows how artistic expression and musical authorship can be developed
in collective music creation, where co-creators are given space to contribute their own ideas, and
where autoethnography enables a deeper understanding of the interplay between artistic
intentions, semiotic resources, and the creative contributions of music creators.
Degree
Doctor of Philosophy
University
Göteborgs universitet. Konstnärliga fakulteten
University of Gothenburg. Faculty of Fine, Applied and Performing Arts
Institution
Academy of Music and Drama ; Högskolan för scen och musik
Disputation
Fredagen den 5 december kl 13.00, 2025, i Torgny Segerstedsalen, Vasaparken, Göteborgs universitet.
Date of defence
2025-12-05
dan.alkenas@lnu.se
Date
2025-11-14Author
Alkenäs, Dan
Keywords
Collective Music-Making, Creative Music-Making, Authorship, Collaborative Creativity, Multimodality, Music Education, Autoethnography
Publication type
Doctoral thesis
ISBN
978-91-8115-467-2 (PRINT)
978-91-8115-468-9 (PDF)
Series/Report no.
ArtMonitor Nr 111
Language
swe