VIENNA INSIGHT
by Karin Sawetz, mid-October 2012

Musical style research

...is the title of one of the institutes of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna. I found the sign of the Institute of Musical Style Research (Institut für musikalische Stilforschung - image below) on 13 October 2012 in an old convent in Vienna's 3rd district. Vienna is one of the oldest university cities of the world and offers traditionally a wide range of academic educations.

fig.: View from the main building of the convent (Salesianerinnenkloster in Vienna) to its garden in the front and entry.

I studied (and finished) at two universities in Vienna (one of them was founded in 1365) and on several institutes which was necessary to receive the education not only in (primarily) media, communication sciences but also to gain knowledge in the additional fields fashion, art, and culture. The program of the university of music and performing arts offers alongside to conducting, acting and film directing even empirical (that's the field where I come from) studies. Empirical studies handle with statistics and other 'facts' like historical such as it is practiced at the Institute of Musical Style Research. Such studies provide not as much room for creativity like artistic education programs.

One of the teachers of a 'freer' field says in an image video (link below) of the University of Music and Performing Arts: "...it's important that the students will learn to trust their own creativity..." 'Creativity' as value of a training makes the difference to the institutes and universities where I finished my social science studies - I have learned to trust the objective, reliable and replicable interpretation of facts. (By the way, this is a central part of Fashionoffice; read more about Fashionoffice research activities.)

The University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna includes the Max Reinhardt Seminar (acting, theater directing) and the Film Academy. No wonder that their image video is probably one of the best of all universities in Vienna. You can view it on mdw.ac.at/mdwMediathek/imagevideo.

fig.: Sign of the Institute of Musical Style Research (Institut für musikalische Stilforschung) inside the former convent Salesianerinnenkloster in Vienna.




more culture>