Debate: Genre hierarchies and diversity

Do genre hierarchies still exist? How are these present in music education institutions, and what is the relationship between musicians and genre? These questions formed the basis for the discussion.

The conversation was introduced by Petter Dyndahl, professor of music education, musicology and general pedagogy. Dyndahl talked about the different ways we can understand the concept of genre. In the Store Norske Leksikon (SNL), genre, style and musical form are listed next to each other - almost as different variants of the same thing.

Dyndahl believed that this could serve as a starting point for the dialogue. At the same time, he emphasised that the explanation in the lexicon only deals with one dimension of the word. In order to draw in the hierarchical perspectives, he therefore thought it was relevant to look at how other cultural sciences and popular music studies have challenged the concept. He referred to an excerpt from David Brackett's book 'Categorising sound' (2016), which states that 'Genre matters because people identify with or distance themselves from meaning-making and meaning-bearing cultural constructions in the field of music. In other words, genre has something to say about our sense of identity - how we relate to or distance ourselves from others.

When Bourdieu did his sociological research in France, he found that musical taste was the most important marker of social status and position, and it was classical music that ranked first, with jazz a close second. Musical taste is still an important social marker, but several theorists now consider it status to be a musical omnivourness.

So, is it still the case that classical music is at the top of the hierarchy, or have we also become omnivores within the institutions?

The panel consisted of a group of students and teachers at the Norwegian Academy of Music who are interested in genre questions:

• Henrik Hellstenius, professor of composition
• Torben Snekkestad, professor of contemporary music
• Kristina Fransson, bachelorstudent individual study
• Unni Løvlid, associate professor of folk song
• Sidsel Karlsen, professor of music education and vice rector for R&D, moderated the discussion.

The first question to the panel was whether genre hierarchies even exist today, and how they are expressed.

Henrik Hellstenius, who teaches composition, was the first to respond. He argued that we need to talk about power if we are to talk about hierarchies.

- You have to define where the power lies. There is cultural-political power, media power and economic power. These sit in different places and represent different things. Just look at NRK. What musical hierarchies exist there?

Folk musician Unni Løvlid turned the conversation towards how genre hierarchies are experienced at the Norwegian Academy of Music. Her students talk about a growing mutual interest in different expressions, rather than genre hierarchies. Many of them work together across disciplines.

- Collaboration between sections is not just about playing together. It can be about mapping out who has the strengths you need. Sometimes there are small things you need from each other - cutting-edge expertise. I think the expertise we exchange between each other has been important in building mutual respect and understanding for each other, says Løvlid.

Her students find that the hierarchy is more detailed.

- As a folk musician, you are considered an acoustic performer at the Academy and therefore cannot book a room with an electrical system. The students signal that the institution is developing more slowly than the student body.

Løvlid also talked about how, from a folk music perspective, there are some truths we forget to question.

- We have a culture and a society where the written word carries more weight than the spoken word. Standing in this hierarchy every day can be tough for musicians who operate in the oral and interpersonal realm.

The student representative on the panel, Kristina Fransson, described an NMH that has come a long way in its diversity work. She highlighted several study programmes (jazz, folk music, FRIKA, composition) where students actively choose what they want to work with. At the same time, she had noticed an unfortunate tendency among some of the classical students.

- I've heard that some classical students end up following the conveyor belt their teacher places them on. Some teachers also ask their students not to do certain types of music.

Two study programmes whose purpose is for students to work freely in terms of genre are FRIKA (the independent Bachelor's programme) and FRIMA (the independent Master's programme), which new employee Torben Snekkestad is working on. According to Snekkestad, the way these programmes are structured is an important step towards a more diverse music education. Here, students are responsible for their own learning and must seek their own teachers - also outside NMH. At the same time, he expressed concern that there are probably many young musicians who do not see the Academy as a place where they can study. Snekkestad expressed a desire for broader representation.

- One of my visions is that we create a network where we try to recruit from other types of subcultures or communities that don't know that studying at FRIKA/FRIMA is an option.

Earlier in the conversation, Løvlid also touched on some of the same things that Snekkestad talks about, in terms of facilitating diversity of expression.

- Something we are concerned with in the folk music programme is that the students should become themselves, even more themselves. They should become different. It's equally important whether they work with music that is highly visible or whether it's for a different type of audience. I think that kind of basic attitude helps to adjust some of the hierarchies that my generation grew up in.

During the panel's allotted one and a half hours, many aspects of both genre and hierarchies were touched upon. The conversation covered everything from societal structures and public power hierarchies, to the hierarchies that can be present within a music group - for example, between different instruments and their functions. They also talked about how genre affiliation can be a way of positioning oneself, and the hierarchies that exist within the four walls of the Academy.

It became clear that this theme not only engages, but also branches off in many different directions, each of which can be discussed further.