Periodic Reporting for period 1 - EA-DIGIFOLK (An European and Ibero-American approach for the digital collection, analysis and dissemination of folk music)
Okres sprawozdawczy: 2023-01-01 do 2024-12-31
Music is an element that is present in our daily lives. There are different styles of music, including classical, jazz, pop, rock, etc. There is a kind of music, folk music, which is of great interest due to its peculiar characteristics and the social context it represents or has represented. This music is a form of social and cultural identification that allows us to twin and recognize ourselves as folks, and also to promote cultural diversity through knowledge of other music. This project proposes creating a platform that contains and presents information about folk music from European and Iber-American culture. The main goal is to create a whole paradigm in which folk music can be understandable from a ethnomusicological, musical and educative point of view. Furthermore, we aim to bring folk music closer to the public creating an interactive and attractive platform that incorporate multimedia information (audio files, scores, visual information about patterns and similarities, etc.). As the platform will be open to the common public, all people that might be interested in folk music can get access, enjoy the resources or even submit their own materials. Our goal is aligned with three main pillars: i) Create a new paradigm to make the musical and ethnomusicological analysis easier for the community; ii) Show knowledge discovery through the application of new technologies in the platform; iii) Bring folk music to educative and public environments. Our project complies with the digitalization pillars proposed in the strategic plan of MSCA, through the inclusion of computer sciences technologies to get a new vision in music analysis. It also helps to create a more resilient, inclusive and democratic European society and includes actions that are also mentioned in the cluster “Culture, Creative and Inclusive Society”, through the inclusion of folk repertoires that reflect cultural issues from different European and Iber-American regions.
Our specific objectives are aligned with three main pillars:
1. Create a new paradigm to make the musical and ethnomusicological analysis easier for the community. In this pillar, our specific goals are:
1.1 Propose a standardized methodology to collect folk music: We have already achieved this objective. ITMA and PTNera, with the help of the partnership, constructed a methodology to collect and classify traditional music. This is evidenced in Deliverable D2.1.
1.2 Propose a standard model that allows a uniform analysis of the repertoire collected: we also achieved this objective. We constructed and excel file to reflect the format, the fields and the encoding of the musical and extra-musical features. This is also evidenced in the Deliverable D2.1 and in our dataset, which is referenced in Deliverable D2.2.
1.3 Create a corpus as a case study to show the possibilities that the platform offers, and that reflect the idiosyncrasies of the cultures involved: This goal is also achieved. We constructed a dataset published in a GDrive folder, classified by country and format, and attached with an excel file where the musical and extra-musical features are encoded. The information and the link can be found in Deliverables D2.2 and D3.1.
2 Show knowledge discovery through the application of new technologies in the platform. Our specific goals in this pillar are:
2.1 To review in detail and design new algorithms related to Musical Information Retrieval (MIR) techniques adapted to the specific properties of folk music: This objective is partially achieved. The partnership has started to work with algorithms for classification and melodic features detection in scores, audio and video. The evidences are the publications showed in Part A, and public code that is published in GitHub and similar platforms and can be found in the Section XXXX.
2.2 To review in detail and design new algorithms related to Natural Language Processing (NLP) adapted to the languages involved, namely Spanish, Portuguese and English. This objective is partially achieved. The partnership has started to work with algorithms for classification and melodic features detection in scores, audio and video. The evidences are the publications showed in Part A, and public code that is published in GitHub and similar platforms and can be found in the Section XXXX.
2.3 To develop a visual grammar to show the dataset (scores, audio files) and analysis outcomes (patterns, lyrics information, etc): The partnership does not have started to work in this objective yet, as we need to have more results in Objectives 2.1 and 2.2 before planning the visualization process.
2.4 To technically design and create a collaborative section for any user that aims to discuss about the materials uploaded: USAL have started to prepare a form attached to our public webpage to submit materials and plan to create a section to add comments to the materials and send messages, as we showed in Deliverable 3.1.
3 Bring folk music to educative and public environments. This pillar is aligned with WP7, and USAL did not start to work on educative plans yet.
1. Create a new paradigm to make the musical and ethnomusicological analysis easier for the community. In this pillar, our specific goals are:
1.1 Propose a standardized methodology to collect folk music: We have already achieved this objective. ITMA and PTNera, with the help of the partnership, constructed a methodology to collect and classify traditional music. This is evidenced in Deliverable D2.1.
1.2 Propose a standard model that allows a uniform analysis of the repertoire collected: we also achieved this objective. We constructed and excel file to reflect the format, the fields and the encoding of the musical and extra-musical features. This is also evidenced in the Deliverable D2.1 and in our dataset, which is referenced in Deliverable D2.2.
1.3 Create a corpus as a case study to show the possibilities that the platform offers, and that reflect the idiosyncrasies of the cultures involved: This goal is also achieved. We constructed a dataset published in a GDrive folder, classified by country and format, and attached with an excel file where the musical and extra-musical features are encoded. The information and the link can be found in Deliverables D2.2 and D3.1.
2 Show knowledge discovery through the application of new technologies in the platform. Our specific goals in this pillar are:
2.1 To review in detail and design new algorithms related to Musical Information Retrieval (MIR) techniques adapted to the specific properties of folk music: This objective is partially achieved. The partnership has started to work with algorithms for classification and melodic features detection in scores, audio and video. The evidences are the publications showed in Part A, and public code that is published in GitHub and similar platforms and can be found in the Section XXXX.
2.2 To review in detail and design new algorithms related to Natural Language Processing (NLP) adapted to the languages involved, namely Spanish, Portuguese and English. This objective is partially achieved. The partnership has started to work with algorithms for classification and melodic features detection in scores, audio and video. The evidences are the publications showed in Part A, and public code that is published in GitHub and similar platforms and can be found in the Section XXXX.
2.3 To develop a visual grammar to show the dataset (scores, audio files) and analysis outcomes (patterns, lyrics information, etc): The partnership does not have started to work in this objective yet, as we need to have more results in Objectives 2.1 and 2.2 before planning the visualization process.
2.4 To technically design and create a collaborative section for any user that aims to discuss about the materials uploaded: USAL have started to prepare a form attached to our public webpage to submit materials and plan to create a section to add comments to the materials and send messages, as we showed in Deliverable 3.1.
3 Bring folk music to educative and public environments. This pillar is aligned with WP7, and USAL did not start to work on educative plans yet.
From the outset, the project planned a series of workshops to engage both the scientific community and the general public. This commitment materialized through the successful implementation of:
- A workshop on folk music and digital humanities by ITMA, where participants explored the methodologies and tools developed within the project.
- Participation in the EPIA Conference 2024, where the project was presented to a specialized audience in artificial intelligence, expanding its academic reach.
- A workshop in Madrid (July 2024), in collaboration with PTNERa and UNAM, focused on Ibero-American folk music. This event has strengthen transnational knowledge exchange and broaden the impact beyond European borders.
Boosting Dissemination through Strategic Programs
In addition to planned dissemination efforts, EA-DIGIFOLK has actively sought opportunities to refine its impact strategy:
- The project participated in a booster program on exploitation, aimed at maximizing the use and sustainability of research outputs.
- Currently, EA-DIGIFOLK is engaged in a new booster program to enhance dissemination activities, ensuring the project's visibility and outreach continue to grow effectively.
Academic and Public Dissemination
The project's commitment to reaching diverse audiences remains central to its strategy:
- Scientific publications continue to be pursued, targeting high-impact journals and conferences.
- Social media and online platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram) have been utilized to communicate project milestones and events, maintaining engagement with a broad audience.
- A workshop on folk music and digital humanities by ITMA, where participants explored the methodologies and tools developed within the project.
- Participation in the EPIA Conference 2024, where the project was presented to a specialized audience in artificial intelligence, expanding its academic reach.
- A workshop in Madrid (July 2024), in collaboration with PTNERa and UNAM, focused on Ibero-American folk music. This event has strengthen transnational knowledge exchange and broaden the impact beyond European borders.
Boosting Dissemination through Strategic Programs
In addition to planned dissemination efforts, EA-DIGIFOLK has actively sought opportunities to refine its impact strategy:
- The project participated in a booster program on exploitation, aimed at maximizing the use and sustainability of research outputs.
- Currently, EA-DIGIFOLK is engaged in a new booster program to enhance dissemination activities, ensuring the project's visibility and outreach continue to grow effectively.
Academic and Public Dissemination
The project's commitment to reaching diverse audiences remains central to its strategy:
- Scientific publications continue to be pursued, targeting high-impact journals and conferences.
- Social media and online platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram) have been utilized to communicate project milestones and events, maintaining engagement with a broad audience.