Research of Luc Nijs

MY RESEARCH PROJECTS

the Musical Instrument as a

Natural Extension of the Musician

This project started out as my MA thesis in Philosophy and is the basis of all my further work. Here I investigate why, how, and when musician experience their instrument as a part of themselves.

Keywords: ecological philosophy, activity theory, flow and presence

the Music Paint Machine

This was my PhD project, in which I developed (with a team) and evaluated (user & classroom study) an interactive educational technology that allows to make a digital painting by moving while playing music

Keywords: musical creativity, bodily freedom, multimodal learning

KiMuPe - A movement-based approach to instrumental music learning/teaching

This project is my postdoctoral research. Here I develop a [practice & research]-based pedagogical framework for the integration of creative movement in the instrumental music classroom

Keywords: musical creativity, bodily freedom, multimodal learning

KiMuPe - Kinemusical Performance

This is an artistic research project, in which I explore various movement/dance strategies to develop my improvisations skills

Keywords: musical improvisation, music-movement association

[discontinued due to professorship]

MY RESEARCH

My research domains are:

instrumental music teaching and learning
music educational technology
musical creativity

In particular, I investigate:

the role of the body in the instrumental music learning process
the relationship between musician and instrument
how technology can contribute to an embodied approach to instrumental music teaching and learning

The leitmotiv in my work is the interaction between research and practice.That is:

my research is practice-based
my teaching is research-based

As such, my work emerges at the intersection of content, pedagogical, technological and research knowledge.