The 'little r' in Artistic Research Training

Abstract

The idea of 'artistic research' is increasingly gaining acceptance in the academy, one of its characteristics being that it accepts subjectivity (aka 'little r' research) as opposed to traditional scientific or statistical methods ('big R' research). Artists investigate, test and question their work, where the personal insights gained are placed in a context aiming to enhance knowledge both for themselves and within their own disciplines. This chapter details a number of interwoven components which present both familiar and unfamiliar thinking about musical practices in order to explore the following questions: How may musical thinking and its artistic outcomes be considered 'research'? And, in what ways may its artefacts best serve to exemplify this?