Interweaving Practice and Research: YST PhD in Music Practices

The Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music’s inaugural cohort of PhD in Music Practices brings together four practice-led research projects that explore how music can shape relationships between people, communities, cultures, and technologies.

Their research spans diverse contexts: from using musical curation to strengthen ASEAN’s regional identity and cultural diplomacy, to exploring how community music can build intergenerational connections in an ageing Singapore. One project investigates how AI might extend the pedagogical relationship between teacher and student into independent practice, while another reimagines Chinese orchestra composition through Singapore’s Chinese musical heritage, asking how tradition can inform new forms of cultural identity and contemporary expression.

Together, the four researchers examine how musical practices can move beyond established boundaries—to connect generations, sustain cultural memory, support artistic development, and create new forms of dialogue and representation. Their work reflects the breadth of practice-led research at YST, where artistic practice is not only a subject of study, but also a means of investigating and responding to the social, cultural, technological, and institutional contexts in which music exists.

The cohort will present excerpts from their proposed research and practice, offering a glimpse into the questions, motivations, and creative processes shaping their doctoral journeys.