This paper is based on a series of immersive listening events, in particular KIKU, an iteration that took place in the Yorkshire town of Hebden Bridge in April 2025. The event was created and hosted by photographer and researcher Philip Arneill (in collaboration with HebTroCo and Coin and Club 15 Sound Selectors) and was the latest in a series of music mediation events inspired by his acclaimed Tokyo Jazz Joints project, through which he has been documenting photographically the unique world of Japanese jazz kissa (coffee shops) and jazz bars since 2015. This paper weaves autoethnographic reflections through an explanation of the origins of the project and how it has informed these subsequent immersive listening events, a Japan-influenced manifestation of music mediation with transformative power.

The article provides a theoretical introduction to the topic of jazz concerts for children and offers practical guidelines for jazz musicians interested in performing for children. Drawing on the authors’ personal experiences as well as on relevant literature, it proposes six ‘thought clouds’ – aspects to consider when designing (jazz) concerts for children: interaction & active audience engagement, overarching themes, repertoire & mediation content, people involved, narrative arcs, and venues & atmosphere. The text explores, how these elements can be implemented in a jazz context, highlighting the improvisational and interactive potential of jazz. To illustrate, the authors provide insights into their thought processes during the development of two concert programs. The article concludes by advocating for the integration of music mediation practices into jazz study programs and for closer collaboration between Music Education and Jazz Departments, aiming to unlock new creative opportunities for both musicians and young audiences.

This article reflects on the project Jazz macht Schule – Schule macht Jazz uniting students and professionals from the artistic backgrounds of creative writing, bodymusic, the visual arts, instrumental tuition, media and dance, in order to foster engagement with the world of jazz. The project aimed to introduce the musical and historical dimensions of jazz, but also to encourage creative expression, collaboration and critical engagement with the art form, in alignment with the Austrian lower secondary school music education curriculum. It highlighted female jazz musicians and was conceptually anchored in the vision of International Jazz Day, which it celebrated with a collaborative performance, live music and exhibitions.

This practice-based contribution explores two approaches to jazz mediation linked to the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg: the Elbphilharmonie Jazz Academy and the Elbphilharmonie Education Seminar as part of the Dr. Langner Jazz Master programme at the Hamburg University of Music and Drama. Both initiatives connect artistic excellence with social and educational engagement, positioning jazz not merely as a musical genre but as a social practice grounded in improvisation and dialogue. The Jazz Academy creates a temporary collective space where emerging professional jazz musicians work intensively with renowned mentors to develop the participants’ original compositions and perform them in a public concert. In the Education Seminar, jazz students design and implement mediation workshops for diverse target groups, exploring jazz as a communicative and participatory art form. In summary, the text demonstrates how institutional engagement with formats that integrate artistic production and music mediation can support emerging jazz musicians in building sustainable careers.

Im September 2023 wurde die IG Musikvermittlung als Interessensgemeinschaft und Ansprechstelle für Musikvermittler_innen in Österreich gegründet. In diesem Beitrag werde ich vor allem darauf eingehen, warum das informelle Netzwerk Plattform Musikvermittlung Österreich(PMÖ) in die formale Struktur einer Interessensgemeinschaft überführt wurde, welche Ziele die IG verfolgt und welche Verbindungen zu anderen Netzwerken bestehen.

This study aimed to characterize the biomechanics of vibrato and non-vibrato phonation in professional singers, focusing on vocal fold oscillation patterns and cuneiform cartilage movements. Ten vocally healthy, professionally-trained, western classical singers were instructed to sustain the vowel [i:] without vibrato, with vibrato, and again without vibrato, for approximately two seconds for each quality. Data were collected via acoustic recordings, electroglottography (EGG), and transnasal high-speed videoendoscopy. After segmentation, glottal area waveforms (GAW) were analyzed, and temporal trajectories of fundamental frequency ( fo) and glottal parameters were compared. Cuneiform cartilage movement was tracked in three spatial dimensions using the videoendoscopic image sequences. The participants maintained a relatively stable mean fo across conditions, with no significant differences in open quotient (OQEGG and OQGAW) and closing quotient (ClQ) regarding vibrato and non-vibrato. During vibrato, most participants showed a higher OQ in vibrato fo minima than in maxima. Vibrato was associated with lower cepstral peak prominence and higher sound pressure level (SPL), and SPL courses inverse to fo modulation. The cuneiform tubercle tracking correlated to fo showed vertical and horizontal movements which followed, in one subject, an epiglottis forward positioning, presumably due to a tilting by cricothyroid muscle activity linked to the vibrato phenomenon.