SIMM-seminars

Since 2018, groups of about 20 early-career researchers from different disciplines and backgrounds can attend the yearly SIMM-seminars during which an intensive seminar programme is offered:

1. Internationally renowned experts (researchers and practitioners) from the field of social-artistic work provide tuition and elucidate case studies.
2. During these seminar periods, a significant amount of time is nevertheless set aside for the researchers themselves, thus providing them with the opportunity to present their research to one another, and also to engage in discussion amongst each other. 
3. Public presentations and lectures are organized to which also people from the field of socio-artistic music projects will be invited.
4. Private meetings are organized between the invited experts and researchers associated to SIMM.
5. Each seminar will focus on particular questions or topics in this field of research, such as for example: setting up comparative research, the organisation of long-term research projects, research on relation between the need for musical, social as well as cultural expertise in developing socio-artistic programmes, research on music projects in prisons…

Artists, social workers, educationalists, psychologists, political scientists and sociologists will all be welcome to submit research projects to be accompanied by SIMM.

In 2018 the first SIMM-seminar was held in Helsinki in a close collaboration with the Sibelius Academy.

In 2019 the 2nd SIMM-seminar was organised at the University of Antwerp, in collaboration with the Antwerp Research Institute for the Arts (ARIA).

The Fondation Royaumont near Paris in 2021 organised a special format of SIMM-seminar: it brought together 10 musicians engaged in social and community music projects and 10 researchers doing research in this field (29.10-01.11.21).

In 2021 the Porto-based CIPEM (Centro de Investigação em Psicologia da Música e Educação Musical) welcomed the 4th SIMM-seminar on research on music in detention (6 to 9.12.21). 

In 2022 the 5th SIMM-seminar was organised in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for scholars interested in exchanging experiences, ideas and research findings on which music is being proposed and created within social and community music programmes (5 to 8.09.22).

In 2023 the 6th SIMM-seminar was organised in Barcelona at the Gran Teatre del Liceu for scholars developing research on participatory opera and music theatre (12 to 14.06.23).

In 2024 the 7th SIMM-seminar was again be organised in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for scholars interested in exchanging experiences, ideas and research findings on the role of music composition in social and community music projects and programmes (15-17.04.24).    

In 2024 the 8th SIMM-seminar was also organised in London at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama for scholars developing research on the practise of participatory opera and music theatre (9 to 11.09.24).    

In 2025 the 9th SIMM-seminar will be organised in Cologne at the contemporary music Ensemble MusikFabrik and will welcome scholars interested in exchanging experiences, ideas and research findings on the role of music composition in social and community music projects and programmes (9-11 May 2025), in collaboration with the Hochschule für Musik und Danz Köln.  

In 2025 the 10th SIMM-seminar will be organised in Darmstadt at the Darmstadt Hochschule Darmstadt for scholars developing research on the practise of participatory opera and music theatre (27-30 July 2025), in collaboration with the Darmstadt Summer Course.