Practice

Producing high-quality academic research can involve more than just writing scholarly papers; it can also include gaining industry experience across multiple fields and crossing discipline boundaries. By applying, questioning, and actively reflecting on both my existing and newly gained knowledge, I continuously learn and mature as a researcher through these rigorous practices.

Where Gaming Meets Music

Project: Yousician

Yousician – a Helsinki-based gaming company – merges two forms of play: the interactive dynamics of gaming with the artistic expression of playing musical instruments, creating a uniquely engaging learning experience. My role as the head of curriculum consisted of developing an immersive game-based learning curriculum for millions of users to discover the joy of play through interactive gameplay and skill-based challenges.

Elevating play through technology

Project: Steinway & Sons

Steinway & Sons' Spirio is a groundbreaking high-resolution player piano that offers a virtual musical experience, capturing the full range of motion and emotion of both the pianist and the piano. As a popular music recording artist for Steinway & Sons, I played a crucial role in this innovative technology by providing authentic rendition performances of some of today's latest chart-topping hit songs through Steinway's Spirio app.

By specializing in contemporary popular music, I contributed to expanding the repertoire. Out of over 10,000 songs available in the Steinway Spirio app, my music is the listed as some of the most searched and played.

Freedom of play: co-exploring the meaning of music education with young children

Project: Family Day at Carnegie Hall, Weill Music Institute

What is music education for young children anyway?

In collaboration with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute, I led an innovative music education workshop for children aged 3-10. The workshop's primary focus was to explore counterpoint, a sophisticated musical concept typically reserved for advanced music students.

Workshop Highlights

• Target Audience: Children aged 3-10
• Core Concept: the relationship between melody and harmony
• Approach: Interactive and exploratory, rather than demonstration-based
  • Encouraged active listening
  • Promoted cooperative exploration

Composing the Code of Tomorrow: Musical Inspiration for Young Scientists

Project: Conor Atom, The Child Scientist

Programming and computational thinking are becoming increasingly relevant in children's education worldwide. Recognizing this trend, I was commissioned to create a set of nine original compositions for a children's book titled 'Conor Atom: The Child Scientist'. This innovative project aimed to expand the programming and scientific skills of children around the globe. To support this mission, I composed nine original tracks, each designed to complement the book's content and inspire young minds. Six tracks were specifically titled after programming languages: Genome, Linux, R, Ruby, Python, and Julia.

Listen to the compositions below:

Artistic Piano Interpretations

The 'Artistic Piano Interpretation' endeavor was an innovative exploration of musical transformation which pushed the boundaries of my classical piano training by:

• Selecting popular music hits from diverse genres
• Reimagining these songs as solo piano pieces
• Creating authentic, unique renditions that showcased the piano's versatility as a tool

The project's core aim was to bridge the gap between classical piano techniques and contemporary popular music. By adapting well-known songs to the piano, I demonstrated how classical instruments could breathe new life into modern hits. These interpretations were then shared on my YouTube channel, allowing a wider audience to experience familiar tunes in a fresh, piano-centric context. This project not only challenged my musical abilities but also served to engage listeners in a unique fusion of classical and popular music styles.