Practice-based research and collaborative development
Since 2013, Dr. Siljamäki has initiated and led collaborative research and development projects at the intersection of art, creativity, and society. Her work brings together educators, artists, and professionals from diverse fields to explore how artistic and pedagogical practices can respond to contemporary social challenges — including questions of participation, equity, and wellbeing.
Her approach is grounded in research-based development that values practice-based knowledge, creative processes, and relational engagement. Across music education and beyond — including healthcare and cross-sector contexts — she examines how artistic work can support safe interaction, address experiences such as social anxiety, and foster shared responsibility and socially sustainable transformation.
2023–2026 — Improvisation for Equity and Safety in the School Community
This ongoing research and development project examines music education as a relational learning environment shaped by questions of equity, safety, and holistic growth. Funded by the Kone Foundation, the project investigates how improvisation pedagogy can function as a transformative resource in school communities facing increasing social complexity and uncertainty.
The project combines empirical research with long-term collaborative development work alongside music teachers in upper-secondary and primary education. Through reflective dialogue and artistic exploration, the research explores how pedagogical traditions, teacher beliefs, and institutional conditions shape possibilities for participation, belonging, and wellbeing. Improvisation is approached not merely as a musical skill, but as a relational and ethical practice that influences classroom culture and musical agency.
The outcomes of the project will be reported in 5–6 peer-reviewed academic articles. In 2026, a week-long professional development course for music teachers will disseminate the findings into practice, followed by a public final seminar in October 2026.
The study contributes to broader discussions on arts education, teacher agency, and socially sustainable futures in education.
Read more on the project webpage (in Finnish) or contact the principal investigator, Eeva Siljamäki.
Publications:
Siljamäki, E. (2023). Sosiaalista kestävyyttä improvisaatiopedagogiikkaa soveltaen [Improvisation pedagogy for social sustainability]. In H. Partti & M-L. Juntunen (eds.) Musiikkikasvattaja muutoksessa [The changing music educator]. DocMus publications, 423-428.
2023 — Socially engaged art
The Socially Engaged Art (SEA) project focused on strengthening artists’ capacities to work in socially engaged contexts, where artistic processes aim to foster dialogue, participation, and social change. The Erasmus+-funded collaboration (2021–2023) brought together partners from five European countries to develop research-informed frameworks and practical tools for SEA practice.
Siljamäki, in collaboration with Kai Lehikoinen, was responsible for developing a research-based curriculum for professional development in socially engaged arts, as well as designing the online course Introduction to Socially Engaged Arts (SEA) Practice. The course was taught over three consecutive years at the University of the Arts Helsinki.
The project resulted in an open-access learning platform offering resources, curriculum guidelines, and tools for implementing socially engaged art practices in diverse contexts.
Publications:
Lehikoinen, K. & Siljamäki, E. (2023). Socially Engaged Arts (SEA) Practices: Key Skills and Capabilities. Research in Arts Education, 3, 8-26. https://journal.fi/rae/article/view/130211/89855
Other outputs:
Curriculum guidelines -For a professional development (PD) program on Socially Engaged Arts (SEA) Practices (check out the learning platform below)
Learning platform for socially engaged arts practice https://moodle.uni-t.org/course/view.php?id=74
Online course "Introduction to Socially Engaged Arts (SEA) practice" (2 ECT) > Learning materials and design, co-taught from 2022 onwards / University of the Arts Helsinki.
2021 — Plural possibilities of improvisation in music education
This practice-based doctoral research brought together two distinct choral improvisation contexts, with Siljamäki working as an insider-researcher in both. Drawing on a socio-ecological framework, the dissertation reconceptualises improvisation not only as a musical practice but as a social and pedagogical approach that shapes learning, agency, and wellbeing in relation to the surrounding environment.
By synthesising empirical choir cases with a broader analysis of music education research, the study highlights the plural affordances of improvisation and demonstrates how safe, participatory, and reciprocal learning environments can foster more equitable musical agency. The work advocates for improvisation pedagogy as a means of strengthening social participation and wellbeing in music education and beyond.
The dissertation was conducted as part of the ArtsEqual initiative, funded by the Academy of Finland’s Strategic Research Council.
You can read and download the dissertation (PDF), Plural Possibilities of Improvisation in Music Education: An Ecological Perspective on Choral Improvisation and Wellbeing, via the links below.
Other outputs:
Free Vocal Play is a facilitated creative practice grounded in Siljamäki’s doctoral research on improvisation, wellbeing, and social interaction. It combines free musical improvisation with principles from improvisational theatre, playful learning, mindfulness, inclusive pedagogy, and pedagogical tact. Developed through long-term artistic and pedagogical practice, Free Vocal Play offers a space for collaborative exploration, relational awareness, and embodied creative agency.
Puplications:
Siljamäki, E. (2021). Plural possibilities of improvisation in music education: an ecological perspective on choral improvisation and wellbeing. Doctoral dissertation, University of the Arts Helsinki. Studia musica 86. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-329-241-3
Siljamäki, E. (2021). Improvisaatio moninaisuus musiikkikasvatuksessa - katsaus tutkimukseen ja tulevaisuuteen [Plurality of improvisation in music education - review of research and the future]. Musiikkikasvatus, 24(1), 90-99.
Siljamäki, E. & Kanellopoulos, P. A. (2020). Mapping visions of improvisation pedagogy in music education research. Research Studies in Music Education, 42(1), 113–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/1321103X19843003
Jansson, S.-M., Westerlund, H. & Siljamäki, E. (2016). Taide sosiaalisena oppimismuotona – opiskelijoiden kokemuksia jännittämisestä [Art as a form of social learning - students experiences of social anxiety]. Aikuiskasvatus 36(1), 37-49. https://journal.fi/aikuiskasvatus/article/view/88473/47650
Siljamäki, E. (2021). Plural possibilities of improvisation in music education: an ecological perspective on choral improvisation and wellbeing. Doctoral dissertation, University of the Arts Helsinki. Studia musica 86. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-329-241-3