Performing the Political: Public Pedagogy in Higher Music Education

Project introduction

The project will be conducted with international collaborators in the Nordic higher music education contexts and with students, teachers, and leaders at the Sibelius Academy of the University of the Arts Helsinki. Through participatory processes, the project will construct new practices for music professionalism and visions for responsible higher music education politics significant to society. 

The University of the Arts Helsinki Ethical Review Committee reviewed the ethical acceptability of this study on 23.10.2023.

Data pro­tec­tion state­ment and pri­vacy no­tice for re­search par­tic­i­pants – Per­form­ing the Po­lit­i­cal pro­ject

Data pro­tec­tion state­ment and pri­vacy no­tice for re­search par­tic­i­pants – Per­form­ing the Po­lit­i­cal pro­jec­t’s video ma­te­r­ial

Performing the Political Festival 2026

15 April 2026 – Helsinki Music Centre (Black Box & Foyer)

The Performing the Political Festival gathers performances, discussions, and artistic interventions that explore how musicians engage with society and how music-making relates to political, social, and environmental realities.

Opening speech by Tuulikki Laes, Uniarts Helsinki, and keynote lecture by professor Gert Biesta, University of Edinburgh, UK.

The festival presents artistic and pedagogical work developed within the Performing the Political research project and through the pre-festival dialogue series.

Date: Wednesday, 15 April 2026
Time: All-day programme
Venue: Helsinki Music Centre, Black Box and Foyer (Äälämpiö)
Admission: Free entry

The festival offers:

• Live performances by students, alumni, and guest artists
• Conversations and reflection spaces
• Artistic interventions developed during the research project
• Encounters between musicians, educators, researchers, and the public
  
  

A detailed programme will be published in early 2026.

Reflecting the Political: People · Space · Sound –Dialogue Series at Sibelius Academy (Feb–Mar 2026)

Reflecting the Political is a three-part dialogue series exploring how political, social, and ethical dimensions emerge through musical practice.

The sessions focus on People, Space, and Sound as key elements through which musicians encounter the political in artistic and pedagogical work.

The series invites Sibelius Academy students and teachers to participate in moderated discussions with guest speakers, alongside short live performances by students or alumni.

Dates & Themes

• 10 February – People: Audiences and Communities
   Guest Speakers: Sanna Salmenkallio, Merzi Rajala, & and Jaime Belmonte
• 3 March – Space: Sites and Locations
   Guest Speakers: Ava Grayson & Riikka Talvitie
• 17 March – Sound: Repertoire and Programming
   Guest Speakers: Keval Shah, Jussi Kannaste, Libero Mureddu & Alejandro Olarte
  

Time: 17:00–19:00

Venue: Feeniks Café, Sibelius Academy (Pohjoinen Rautatiekatu 9)

Accessibility: Fully wheelchair accessible

• Each session includes:
• Live music performed by current or former SibA students
• Guest talks and moderated conversation
• Open audience discussion
• Light refreshments and snacks
  

This series prepares the community for the Performing the Political Festival in April 2026.

Collaborative workshop 15.5.2025

Activating public pedagogy in music performance studies: Transition designs for socio-ecological responsibility and institutional change at the Music, Research, and Activism II: Solidarities and Urgencies conference 15.5.2025, University of Helsinki

Participants:

• Omotola Adeshina, bachelor student, Global Music, Sibelius Academy
• Mia Reba, bachelor student, Global Music, Sibelius Academy
• Sami Karkar, bachelor student, Global Music, Sibelius Academy
• Merzi Rajala, lecturer, Global Music, Sibelius Academy
• Taru Koivisto
• Tuulikki Laes

Placard of Art 25.4.2025 Helsinki central library Oodi

This production is based on selected composed poetry performed as spoken word and live music. These works advocates for the international students in Finland. The event also includes an interview with Helsinki based social justice activist Eugenie Touma van der Meulen.

Omotola Adeshina, bachelor student, Global Music, Sibelius Academy

The work is part of the Sibelius Academy’s Global Music deparment’s course Community engagement Project: Artistic Activism, Political Decision-Making, which acts as a partner in the research project.

Watch the video in Google Drive about Placard of Art in Oodi.

For the English subtitles, please open Youtube to watch the video.

Updates and articles relating to the project

Call for participants: Societal engagement as part of studying in Sibelius Academy

22.5.2025 Performing the political research project invites students and teachers at the Sibelius Academy to take part in a research project in the academic year 2025–2026. Read more about how to participate in the blog post.

Publication: The Transformative Politics of Music Education

22.5.2025 Editors: Tuulikki Laes, Gert Biesta, Heidi Westerlund. 2025. Routledge. Electronic version available as open access via Routledge.com.

Is university a political actor?

29.11.2023 Read the blogpost by Tuulikki Laes and Taru Koivisto