Research Institut Klassik

Basel Academy of Music

Practice-led and application-oriented

The research conducted at the Basel Academy of Music, Klassik (kurz: HSM Basel, Klassik) originates in artistic practice and aims at artistic experience and its reflection. It often takes place through the medium of art itself. A central objective is to articulate, discuss, and apply knowledge grounded in artistic processes — so-called tacit knowledge — in practice. In collaboration with partners from a wide range of fields, we extend the process of knowledge creation beyond the boundaries of our own disciplinary understanding. This is based on a broad repertoire of methods (ranging from historical philology and empirical approaches to philosophical concept analysis and artistic research) and carried out in close cooperation with artistic and artistically-pedagogical practice.

Our research is guided by five research areas of focus, which are not strictly separated from one another but rather have overlaps and intersections. They form a dynamic model of complementary or intermediary competencies that reflects the diversity of artistic practices and hybrid knowledge at the HSM Basel, Klassik. Research projects are not assigned to a single specific area but are situated in relation to multiple core competencies.

In-depth

Research areas

Our practice-led research activities reflect five fields of specialist expertise:

Guidelines for planning research projects available for download.

As well as an in-depth academic exploration of myriad forms of action and thinking within the music field, our research work involve developing innovative teaching and research concepts (all forms of media, hardware and software). Research & Development opens up new horizons and enables the Basel School of Music to build a valuable network of regional, national and international partners from other institutions and disciplines, including the University of Applied Sciences Northwestern Switzerland and the University of Basel.

Artistic research informs all our projects. With artistic practice at their core, these projects investigate the artistic experience, its reflective contextualisation and continuation. In many instances, they are conducted through the medium of art. The main objectives of our research activities are a) to formulate, discuss and apply knowledge which is rooted in the artistic process ("tacit knowledge"); b) to create, together with our partners, knowledge that exceeds the boundaries of our specialist expertise.

In-depth exposure to and investigation of both historical and present-day concepts yields new artistic realities. We use and share our research findings in a variety of ways: academic articles and publications, conferences, teaching resources, as well as new intrepretations, improvisations, compositions, performances, exhibitions and media art, to name but a few. One aspect that all of our research work shares is their forward-looking character. Not only does research open up new artistic possibilities, it is also a tangible commitment to ensuring a bright and vibrant future for music.