When Research and Art Blend in Harmony

The Freiburg Research and Teaching Center – Music (FZM) is holding its first major conference from 10 April until 12 April 2019. It is entitled "Between the Ivory Tower and Employability – Knowledge Transfer as a Challenge of Music-related Research." Conceived jointly by the University of Music Freiburg and the University of Freiburg, the FZM state center is focused on music-related disciplines such as musicology, music theory, music physiology, and music education. At the same time, it partakes in exchanges from these subjects with fields such as philosophy, history, literary studies, or information technology. The center highly values close linkage between research and teaching and integrates research results into its instructional offerings immediately.

The FZM is one of the state centers initiated at music universities by the Ministry of Education, Research, and Art (MWK) of Baden-Württemberg.  Says Theresia Bauer, Baden-Württemberg's Minister for Education, Research and Art: "The interdisciplinary set up at the Freiburg Research and Teaching Center – Music corresponds to what we need in research and art today in order to be in an internationally outstanding position: networking and knowledge transfer. A more appropriate theme for this conference could not have been chosen."

Digitalization and greater linkage between all parts of the field have radically altered the job descriptions of musicians, music educators, and music scholars in recent decades. The employment market is therefore requiring that musicians have a broader education. With their state center, the University of Music and the University of Freiburg have created new opportunities in research and instruction in order to prepare students even better for a range of careers.