From May 11th to 20th 2022, six teachers from New Bulgarian University (P5) came to their first live teaching visit to music academies in Belgrade, Novi Sad and Kragujevac. During their stay in Serbia, Simo Lazarov, Emil Traichev, Tsanimir Baychev, Natalia Afeyan, Pavlina Velichkova I Margarita Marionova Krusteva-Stoichevska offered lectures, workshops and Q&A session in the field of digital and entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to over 100 music students of the BA and MA study programs reformed during the DEMUSIS project, as well as to 13 students of two master programs introduced at the Faculty of Music, University of Arts in Belgrade (P1) in the framework of the project.
In their lectures and Q&A sessions, Simo Lazarov, Tsanimir Baychev and Emil Traichev focused on the topics of sound design, soundscape and sound engineering. Students of new MA study programs Music Direction and Applied Research in Music (PRIMA) from the Faculty of Music University of Arts in Belgrade (P1) and BA students of Music Production from the Academy of Arts University of Novi Sad (P2) widened their knowledge on various software for sound design and work with samples, granular synthesis, work with electronic instruments, as well as the challenges of sound engineering from point of view of a professional musician. Additionally, many examples and details from the practice with the lively discussion further enriched the knowledge of music direction, multimedia integration of music, video and/or other arts and related topics.
The field of music entrepreneurship and social engagement of academic musicians in diverse fields of music research and music performance was addressed in the visiting lectures and workshops given by Pavlina Velichkova, Natalia Afeyan and Margarita Marinova Krusteva-Stoichevska. In her teaching sessions with students of the master study program Applied Research in Music from the Faculty of Music in Belgrade, Pavlina Velichkova particularly brought attention to the issues of communication with audience, engaging new audiences and keeping their attention, as well as influence of Covid-19 health crisis on musicians’ contact with the public, together with answering the challenges of the post-Covid times. Moreover, an overview of new tendencies in music marketing with examples of good practices was offered and discussed. The ensuing Q&A session was dedicated to looking into final master thesis and projects of PRIMA students and consultations. At the Faculty of Philology and Arts University of Kragujevac (P3), meeting the needs of the students and teachers of the modernized BA studies Music and Media and Music theory and Music Pedagogy, in addition to the topics of music entrepreneurship and new marketing approaches in music, dr Velichkova also included the talk on digital tools for teaching music theory.
Work with audience, its engagement and communication in ethnomusicology (field) research and vocal studies and performance was explored in lectures and workshops given by Margarita Marinova Krusteva-Stoichevska. Furthermore, with students of BA modernized studies in ethnomusicology and Ethnochoreology from P1 and P2, she looked into diversity in style and character of the Bulgarian folklore areas – music, instruments, singing and dancing.
Natalia Afeyan, on the other hand, was a guest teacher in vocal studies programs at P1 and P3, sharing her huge experience in teaching singing, both online and in person, covering elements such as singing technique, phrasing, expression, language and other.
In addition, all topics and lectures were enriched by exchange of examples of good practice in direct contact with teaching staff as a live follow-up to teacher training in project fields, previously held online, due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
NBU (P5) teaching visit to P1- P3 – Agenda, 11-20. 05. 2022
Simo Lazarov, Tsanimir Baychev and Emil Traichev
Pavlina Velichkova
Margarita Krusteva-Stoichevska
Natalia Afeyan
