This version of the course guide is provisional until the period for editing the new course guides ends.

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Research Methodology in Musical Science and Interpretative Research Application

Code: 42203 ECTS Credits: 15
2025/2026
Degree Type Year
Musicology, Musical Education and Interpretation of Early Music OB 0

Contact

Name:
Lidia López Gómez
Email:
lidia.lopez@uab.cat

Teachers

Cecilia Gassull Bustamante
Jordi Roquer Gonzalez
Laia Viladot Vallverdu
Jessica Perez Moreno
(External) Rolf Baecker

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

Students must have a bachelor’s degree in music or other higher education degrees with a proficient level of music. They must have deep knowledge in music theory and performance practice.

Language level requirements:

  • Come from a Spanish or Catalan-speaking country
  • Have a C1 level of Spanish or Catalan, or the equivalent.

Students must understand a wide range of demanding, longer texts and recognise implicit meaning; they must express themselves fluently; they must produce clear, well-structured text on complex subjects, showing controlled use of organisational patterns, connectors and cohesive devices.


Objectives and Contextualisation

This module aims to introduce students to research in music. The objectives are:

1- To show a solid knowledge of methods and techniques of research.

2- To know the main problems related to research in music.

3- To communicate the knowledge acquired and the contributions of one’s research correctly, accurately and clearly both orally and in writing.

4- To develop autonomous learning skills applicable to the research process.

5- To critically argue, issue judgements and present ideas on the basis of the analysis of information originating from scientific production in this area.

6- To write up one's own research project.


Competences

  • Analyze and interpret historical sources and documents relating to music.
  • Applying critical projects musicological research and interpretive projects.
  • Conduct research archive, periodicals and literature related to the field of music.
  • Demonstrate self-learning skills in the field of study of musicology, music education and interpretation.
  • Develop the capacity to assess sex and gender inequalities in order to design solutions to them.
  • Developing research in the disciplines of musicology and music education, and to collaborate in group projects.
  • Distinguish and apply different methodologies musicological research and research in music education-oriented projects.
  • Use different user-level music software available in the market to apply them to musicological research and development projects interpretation.
  • Working in interdisciplinary contexts related to musicology, music education and interpretation.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Actively collaborate in the development of collective projects assuming the rigor of work and the relevant responsibilities.
  2. Apply a simple way these basic resources for obtaining various kinds of data.
  3. Apply critical capacity in musicological research projects and interpretive projects.
  4. Apply sonológicos analysis and treatment programs in developing scores of a particular research project.
  5. Critically interpret the data offered by the various historical sources in each project on early music
  6. Demonstrate self-learning skills in the field of study of musicology, music education and interpretation.
  7. Describe and explain the procedures of positivism, pragmatic analysis, hermeneutics and postmodern perspectives of different research perspectives on music.
  8. Develop the capacity to assess sex and gender inequalities in order to design solutions to them.
  9. Distinguish the suitability of each analytical and interpretive methodology in relation to issues dealt with every kind of historical and documentary source.
  10. Identify and distinguish the different methodologies and resources to obtain basic data file
  11. Plan a project adapting the scientific rigor of the disciplines to study the issue raised by the student.
  12. Recognise the contributions of gender studies to the topics being researched.
  13. To discern the suitability and apply methodologies appropriate to each type of project research musicological research.
  14. Working in interdisciplinary contexts related to musicology, music education and interpretation.

Content

- Methodologies in music research.

- Qualitative and quantitative research methods.

- Innovation and research in music education.

- Research models in musicology.

- Planning a research project.


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Classroom discussions 20 0.8 2, 3, 4, 1, 6, 7, 13, 9, 10, 14
Lectures 42.5 1.7 2, 1, 7, 13, 9, 10, 11, 14
Type: Supervised      
Book reviews and text analysis 22.5 0.9 2, 3, 4, 6, 13, 9, 10, 14
Dicussions and case studies 15 0.6 2, 3, 6, 13, 9, 10, 11, 14
Type: Autonomous      
Critical use of research tools 25 1 2, 3, 6, 13, 9, 10, 11, 14
Planning of a research project 62.5 2.5 2, 3, 4, 1, 13, 9, 10, 11, 14

Several teaching-learning strategies will be combined in order to achieve the objectives of the course:

- Lectures: teachers will explain the basic concepts of the subject.

- Practical activities and tasks: students will work individually or in small groups to solve practical activities (including the design of a research project).

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Article revision and correction 35 55 2.2 2, 3, 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14
Bibliographic, sources an documents citation 15 32.5 1.3 2, 7, 13, 9, 10, 5, 11
Class participation 10 25 1 3, 1, 6, 7, 8
Exam or Research project planning 40 75 3 3, 4, 1, 6, 7, 8, 13, 9, 10, 5, 11, 12, 14

Assessment activities:

a. Written exam or the design of a research project proposal (based on four lines of preliminary proposal submitted beforehand), carried out in class over two hours. The second option will include online access and bibliographic materials. The coordinator will decide the format one month in advance, depending on the number of enrolled students. Overall weight in the final grade: 40%.

b. Correction, assessment, and review of an article submitted as if to a scientific editorial board. This task will be completed during two hours of class time (individually or in pairs), with network access. Overall weight in the final grade: 40%.

c. Exercise on bibliographic citation, documents, and sources: two hours of class, individual work. Overall weight in the final grade: 20%.

Reassessment: Students who have an average grade below 5 at the end of the semester may request a reassessment at the end of the academic period.

Submitting any of the assignments or sitting any of the written exams will be considered a "presence" in the course. Therefore, only students who have not participated in any assessment activity throughout the course will be eligible to be marked as "not assessable."

If a student commits any irregularity that could significantly alter the grade of an assessment activity, that activity will receive a grade of 0, regardless of any disciplinary proceedings that may follow. In the event of multiple irregularities in the assessment activities of the same course, the final grade for the course will be 0.

If the assessments cannot be conducted in person, their format will be adapted (while maintaining their weighting) to the capabilities of the UAB's virtual tools. Assignments, activities, and class participation will take place via forums and/or exercise discussions through Teams, ensuring full access for all students.

For this course, the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies is allowed only as a support tool, such as for bibliographic or information searches or for text correction. Students must clearly identify which parts have been generated using such technology, specify the tools used, and include a critical reflection on how they influenced both the process and the final outcome of the task. Failure to transparently disclose the use of AI in assessable activities will be considered academic dishonesty and may result in partial or full penalties on the activity's grade, or more serious sanctions in severe cases.

Single assessment will consist, on a single day, of completing assessment activities a. (40%), b. (40%), and c. (20%).


Bibliography

Beard, David, & Kenneth Gloag, eds. 2005. Musicology: The Key Concepts. London: Routledge.

Bisquerra, Rafael, coord. 2004. Metodología de la investigación educativa. Madrid: La Muralla.

Bloechl, Olivia A., Melanie Lowe, & Jeffrey Kallberg, eds. 2015. Rethinking Difference in Music Scholarship. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Bowman, Wayne D. 1998. Philosophical Perspectives on Music. New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Clarke, Eric, & Nicholas Cook, eds. 2004. Empirical Musicology: Aims, Methods, Prospects. New York-Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Cook, Nicholas. 1987. Guide to Musical Analysis. London: J. M. Dent & Sons.

Cruces, Francisco, ed. 2001. Las culturas musicales. Madrid: Trotta.

Fritsch, Melanie, and Tim Summers, eds. 2021. The Cambridge Companion to Video Game Music. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press.

Fuentes, Juan Luis, & Roberto Cremades, coords. 2019. Cómo escribir un trabajo de fin de máster. Madrid: Editorial Síntesis. 

Greer, David, ed. 2000. Musicology and Sister Disciplines. Past, Present, Future. New York – Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Hernández Sampieri, Roberto, et alii. 2007. Fundamentos de metodología de la investigación. Madrid: McGraw-Hill.

Kamp, Michiel, Tim Summers, and Mark Sweeney, eds. 2016. Ludomusicology : Approaches to Video Game Music. Sheffield, UK: Equinox Publishing Ltd.

Kamp, Michiel. 2024. Four Ways of Hearing Video Game Music. New York: Oxford University Press

Keeves, John Philip, ed. 1988. Educational Research, Methodology, and Measurement: An International Handbook. Oxford: Pergamon Press.

Kerman, Joseph. 1985. Contemplating Music: Challenges to Musicology. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.

Kerman, Joseph. 1985. Musicology. London: Fontana Press.

Kivy, Peter. 2005. Nuevos ensayos sobre la comprensión musical. Barcelona: Paidós.

Latorre, Antonio. 2003. La investigación-acción: conocer y cambiar la práctica educativa. Barcelona: Graó.

Lawson, Colin, & Robin Stowell. 2005. La interpretación histórica de la música. Madrid: Alianza Editorial.

Leppert, Richard, & Susan McClary, eds. 1996. Music & Society. The Politics of Composition, Performing and Reception. Cambridge. New York – Melbourne: Cambridge University Press.

Martínez Olmo, Francesc. 2002. El cuestionario. Un instrumento para la investigación en las ciencias sociales. Barcelona: Laertes.

Nettl, Bruno. 2017. “Have You Changed YourMind? Reflections on Sixty Years in Ethnomusicology.” Acta Musicologica 89, no. 1: 55–57.

Phillips, Kenneth H. 2008. Exploring research in music education and music therapy. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Quivy, Raymond, Luc van Campenhoudt, & Patricia Corres Ayala. 2001. Manual de investigación enciencias sociales. Mexico, D.F.: Limusa Noriega ed.

Ramos López, Pilar. 2005. "Nuevas tendencias en la investigación musicológica." a Revista de Musicología XXVIII/ 2: 1381-1401.

Requena Santos, Félix, & Luis Ayuso Sánchez, eds. 2018. Estrategias de investigación en laciencias sociales: fundamentos para la elaboración de un Trabajo de Fin de Grado o un Trabajo de Fin de Master. València: Tirant lo blanc. https://biblioteca-tirant-com.are.uab.cat/cloudLibrary/ebook/show/9788491696957

RILM International Center. 200- -. RILM Abstracts of Music Literature [Recurs Electrónic]. http://web.b.ebscohost.com.are.uab.cat/ehost/search/advanced?vid=1&sid=cac263f9-2815-4394-acca-e77aa131322b%40pdc-v-sessmgr02

Schneider, Albrecht, ed. 2008. Systematic and Comparative Musicology: Concepts, Methods, Fields. Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang.

 


Software

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Groups and Languages

Please note that this information is provisional until 30 November 2025. You can check it through this link. To consult the language you will need to enter the CODE of the subject.

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TEm) Theory (master) 1 Catalan first semester morning-mixed