Welcome to the Faculty of Human Sciences, Prof. Dr. Oliver Kautny!

 

Prof. Dr. Oliver Kautny conducts research and teaches in the field of music education at the Faculty of Human Sciences at the University of Cologne. 

 

A few questions for Prof. Dr. Kautny ...

1. Since when have you been a member of the Faculty of Human Sciences?

April 1, 2020, was not only my first day on the job, but also the start of a memorable summer semester marked by COVID-19, working from home, and Zoom conferences.

2. What are the main areas of focus in your professorship?

In both research and teaching, I am particularly fascinated by two topics that I intend to continue exploring in the future.
On the one hand, I engage intensively with popular music. My focus is on the multifaceted culture of hip-hop, which I explore from the perspectives of musicology, cultural studies, and music education.
On the other hand, I address questions of interculturality. Here, I am interested, for example, in how musical and ethical educational processes intersect in music education.

3. What do you particularly appreciate about the University of Cologne?

Here in Cologne, I’m looking forward to a lively, friendly faculty and a stimulating, transdisciplinary university work environment both within and outside the Faculty of Human Sciences.

4. What is your motto for university teaching?

In my seminars, I try to incorporate aesthetic practices as often as possible: listening to and creating music together is essential for acquiring musical pedagogical competence and is what makes reflecting on aesthetic theories and musical educational processes meaningful in the first place. Translating this into the virtual world of e-learning is an enormous challenge, because Zoom, Skype, and the like were invented for verbal interaction, not musical interaction.

5. What would you like to impart to your students?

I hope that my teaching and research will inspire and encourage them. May they find their own questions, methods, and subjects that are relevant to them, so they can engage with them thoughtfully and critically.

6. Where are you originally from?

I was born and raised in the Lower Rhine region. After nearly fifteen happy years of academic work at the University of Wuppertal, I am now delighted to return to the Rhineland for my career. Being able to work at the University of Cologne fills me with great joy.

7. What is your attitude toward Carnival?

The Cologne Carnival is a topic of interest in music ethnology that remains under-researched. I have indeed been able to gather my own sporadic research experiences in the “field.” From the perspective of a participant-observer, I have retained memories of impressive, and at times downright unusual, aesthetic moments. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the opportunity to thoroughly reconstruct and analyze the data sets.

 

Curriculum Vitae:

• Since April 2020, W2 professorship in music education, University of Cologne
• 2015–2020, Senior Academic Advisor, University of Wuppertal (BUW)
• 2014, Visiting Professor of Music Education, BUW
• 2010–2013, Senior Lecturer in Music Education/Musicology, BUW
• 2009–2010, Adjunct Professor of Music Education, University of Cologne
• 2005–2009, Senior Lecturer in Music Education/Musicology, BUW
• 2004–2005, Teaching position at KGS Düren-Birkesdorf
• 2002–2004, Teacher training at the Teacher Training College for Elementary Education, Solingen
• 2001, Ph.D. at BUW, Arvo Pärt – History of Reception
• 1994–1999, Teacher training in music, German language and literature, and
• Protestant Theology at BUW & Musicology at the University of Cologne