K.A. (Kristin McGee) McGee, Dr

Music4Change - Erasmus+ KA220-HED Grant 2022-2025

Music4Change (M4C), Initiated by the University of Bergen, with the University of Groningen, The University of Edinburgh, The European Music Council, The Norwegian University of Science and Technology, The Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, and Creative Mentorship, aims to improve the quality of PhD education in music through innovative interdisciplinary teaching and learning, and to contribute to sustainable development by focusing on the role of music and the arts.

The project offers a range of open access digital and blended learning resources for PhD students, including a cross-sector mentorship scheme between Higher Education and music/arts sector. These learning resources will be part of a new Curriculum for Change for PhD education (C4C) which will serve as an innovative model for PhD education in the arts nationally and across Europe. The project is based on a transnational partnership of five universities and two NGOs who are well qualified and motivated to fulfil the project objectives. M4C addresses one HE field-specific priority, stimulating innovation in Teaching & Learning practices, and two horizontal priorities i) digital transformation and readiness, and ii) inclusion and diversity in education. The project is designed so its objectives, activities and results coalesce under these priorities.

Listen Here Now! A Participatory Soundscape Approach to Biodiversity and Well-being in the City (2022/23)

This project, financed by the Agricola School for Sustainable Society and the Strategy, Education and Research Interfaculty Grants program, studied soundscapes in Groningen in an interdisciplinary context to assess how transformations of the urban environment impact both humans and non-humans through attention to the sonic. Given the challenges presented by urbanization, our study developed the first interdisciplinary framework to measure soundscapes in relation to three inter-related criteria: biodiversity, place attachment, and environmental well-being. To make these connections, this project focused on measuring and comparing soundscapes from different local areas types (e.g. residential/industrial…) to assess how contrasting sound environments differently impact biodiversity and well-being in these areas. These comparisons served as the basis for discussions with urban and spatial planners aiming to enhance the city’s soundscape for optimal health and liveability. The project culminated in a number of soundscapae performances and improvisations presented at the Noorderzon Festival in Groningen in 2023.

VOW: Voices of Women Erasmus+ Grant 2021-2024

VOW was initiated by the University of Stavanger, with the University of Groningen and Onsnabrück University seeks to contribute to the familiarization of higher education students, music and art audiences, and the general public, with musical works created by women. The higher education contextualization of this objective was achieved as an approach for the whole institution: by focusing on the VOW repertory, its performance, its analysis and related research and  dissemination initiatives in the involved institutions. VOW sought to stimulate a wide-spread “ripple-effect” aimed at a deeper level of inclusivity of all voices as equal contributors to the artistic canon. The second aim was to establish a European, international VOW network and corresponding “Roadmap for the promotion of Voices of Women”. 

During the three year period, a series of training workshops, concerts, symposiums and digital materials were organized, created and disseminated to create greater exposure for women's compositions and artistic voices, including a three day conference at the University of Groningen with scholars from the international field. We focused upon MA educational programs to offer new methods for researching women's biographies and cultural contributions such as rescaping and practice based research.

Gender Dynamics in the Dutch Music Industry - KIEM NWO Internataionalization Grant 2018/2019

This research supported the CLICKNL domain of Media & Entertainment in the roadmap Value Creation, as this research investigates the value of creative professionals in the ecosystem of the music industry’s labor market. By unravelling the cultural and societal practices, dominant discourses, exclusion mechanisms, specific employment requirements, and psychological barriers leading to the perpetuation of the gender gap in various stages and within different forms, this research re-conceptualized the value of the creative professional by acknowledging the talents of women in this industry and optimizing the talents of workers of all genders.

This consortium represents partners exhibiting extensive academic expertise on gender research in music with over a decade work experience in different fields of the music business within various musical genres. The private partners offer an insider’s perspective in an academic context and a unique access to the professionals of the music industry.

During the year, we organized four events: three workshops and one two-day symposium:

1. Gender Quotas in Music Festival Programmes. Sept. 21, 2018, University of Groningen.

2. Crafting Creative Jobs in the Music Industry: Successful Women Speak on Occupying Male-Dominated Creative Roles. March 8th, 2019, University of Groningen.

3. Eurosonic Panel on Talent Development Programs: Hoe Krijgen We Meer Vrouwen op het Podium? (“How to Promote More Women on Music Stages”). Jan 17th 2019, Eurosonic.

4. Symposium on Gender Dynamics in the Music Industry. May 17-18, 2019, University of Groningen.

Beyoncé in the World - Beyoncé Studies project (2017-2021)

This project was initiated by Christina Baade (Department of Communications at MacMaster University) and myself in 2017 after a panel on Beyoncé at the Feminist Theory in Music confernece in Madison, Wisconsin. From this inspriring group of talks, we initiated a special issure for the Journal of Popular Music and Society and eventually a full-lenth manuscript for Wesleyan Univeristy Press. This book brought together new work from sixteen international scholars to explore Beyoncé's impact as an artist and public figure from the perspectives of critical race studies, gender and women's studies, queer and cultural studies, music, and fan studies. The authors explore Beyoncé's musical persona as one that builds upon the lineages of Black female cool, Black southern culture, and Black feminist cultural production. The authors show how Beyoncé's music is a source of healing and kinship for many fans, particularly Black women and queer communities of color.

Groningen Student Big Band 2013-2017

The Groningen Student big band was a performance project co-organized by students and myself to feature students of the university as well as the Prins Claus University. We organized theme-based concerts and collaborations such as with the local lindy hop dance associations or to highlight the compositions of cool jazz and television composer Henri Mancini for our Crime Jazz concert. We also hosted events for the University of Groningen providing music during lunch-time concerts in the Harmonie building.