Methodology 

The method through which I will approach my research question contains several steps. There will be three Chapter which each among other things try to answer a question.

1)What is music curating?
2)How does connectedness work?
3)What can I do? 

In the first chapter I will circumscribe the topic and clarify on the terms that I will be using throughout this research. I will present an overview of the  source material and explain my selection of literature and examples and thus localise my thesis the field of research regarding the topic. The insight that I gain through this literature-based research, I will use as inspiration and guidelines for my artistic implementation.

The second chapter will contain three casestudies. I will investigate randomly chosen communities regarding the way how they connect and what role music plays in their connecting processes. Through combining the insight form the literature based investigation and information gained through surveys within the communities (that will be run in Facebook groups), with last but not least, my personal artistic experience and creativity I hope to create three shows, that will be inspired by the research itself (each case-study one piece).

The conceptualisation, realisation and documentation of the three pieces will be the heart of the thesis: Chapter three. The result of the investigations thus resolve into an artistic outcome.

This artistic implementation will be shown in form of stage performances as part of my studies( PIA) and in form of documentation in word and video in this exposition.

To finish up the research, I will evaluate the process of this master project, the relationship of the research and the artistic implementation. Furthermore, I will give a prospect by proposing possible ways to follow up on this topic in the future. 

Introduction 

Empty concert halls are a waste of recourses and opportunity.
Yet, empty concert halls, especially regarding concerts of less known classical or jazz musicians, are not just a reoccurring phenomena, but a development over the last 50 years.
A combination of reasons for this development has been found and discussed, for example in the book "Musicking": The meanings of performing and listeng" by Christopher Small.¹
The classical music industry and music conservatories see this as a problem and respond to it with different strategies. Mainly with pedagogical programs, crossover programs, and increased advertisement. Over the last ten years more and more creative ways to make classical music more approachable to a new potential audience have been searched and found. However, the trend of a decreasing audience doesn’t seem to change yet². 

Terms such as „new audience“, „audience development“ and „concert-pedagogics“ lead me to the conclusion that in many cases the idea of educating or recruiting a new audience appears to be a more natural solution for classical music institutions rather than looking at source of disconnection between audiences and classical music scene.

By excluding music genres other than classical music, or strictly separating genres in their programs, concert houses distance themselves or at least classical music from what is today's culture, and therefore make classical music less relatable. This exclusion also communicates an elitist attitude towards other genres and their audiences. The way I see it, these factors contribute to the reasons for the decrease of audiences for classical music.

Another aspect is the intellectualisation of music. In the western classical music tradition, appreciation is often perceived as an intellectual understanding whereas primary everyday emotions seem disregarded. The only feelings allowed to show are from a transcendent  or seemingly religious nature. Approaching music emotionally rather than intellectually and merging today's culture and emotionally charged topics, into classical music performances, could this create possibilities to convey human sentiments within the music, which are universal?
Could this be an example of how (classical) music could become more relatable and relevant for the people of today? 

And, last but not least, couldn’t this be a more sustainable way of „Musikvermittlung³“?

With this research I aim to contribute to the field of „music curating“ or „Musikvermittlung“. This artistic approach might be relevant as well for the field of concert pedagogic. I would like to distance my approach from monological or missionary pedagogical or educational intention. Moreover this research is the attempt to focus on the impact of music on connecting people and building communities.  And the question how this could be implemented in an artistic practice of a musician or music curator.

^{3 german term for the field between concert pedagogic, educational programs of orchestras, audiencedeveloppement and music curating.}