Marina Karaseva

Marina Karaseva  (Марина Валериевна Карасёва, born August 8 1958, Moscow) is a Russian musicologist, Professor of Moscow Conservatory, Department of Music Theory, Grand Doctor in Art, Ph.D. in Musicology, Member of Russian Composers Union, Fulbright Scholar.

Pedagogical contribution
Karaseva is an author of a new approach to modern ear training system. In 80-s she creates a complex methodological system of ear training on material of 20th century music. She has disclosed basic intonational patterns of modern post major-minor music (its melodics, new modal scales, chord system, rhythm, etc.) and has developed the systematically ways for their study in ear training courses - from music school to conservatory level.

Karaseva's course combines the best features of traditional Russian ear training system with new investigation in the area of modern harmony (particularly, her scientific teacher, Dr. Yuri Kholopov researches) as well as with new psychological approach based on a synesthetic listening training. This combination makes Karaseva's course an original one, with no analogues in the world of contemporary music education.

The ear training system created by Karaseva gives a possibility for students dealing with intonationally and rhythmically complicated music patterns of contemporary music to able to clearly select by ear (not only by theoretical analysis) interrelationships between new modes, non-third chords, and new functional tonal system. This method improves the sight singing and listening of tne 20th century music.

Karaseva's course of "Modern solfeggio" in 3 Volumes (1st vol - music pattern selection and instructive exercises, 2nd - 20th century music examples, 3d Harmonical Solfeggio) has been published in 1996. Now it is considered as one of the most effective practical course for ear training, with no analogs in the world. This course of "Modern Solfeggio" has been approved for more than 20 years in Russian music educational system (colleges and conservatories) as well as abroad during her seminars, master classes and conference papers in the US. where she was as a Senior Fulbright Scholar with her Fulbright Program research project "Music Psychotechnology as a New Approach at the Cross-Roads of Sciences: Cognitive Musicology and Practical Psychology" (School of Music, University of Maryland, College Park, 1999-2000), Europe, and Japan.

In 1999 she wrote a monograph "Solfeggio - a Psychotechnique of Ear training" (371 pp.) where she explaines the core of her methodology. This book became the first complex scientific investigation in this field of practical music cognition. Karaseva has obtained a degree of Grand Doctor in Art (Russian the highest academic degree) for this book in October 2000. The second edition of this book was in 2002. Her books and learning courses on Modern Solfeggio are in many libraries of USA, Europe, and Japan.

In 2005 she created a new course of music timbre dictations (this manual has been published with special CD-application, containing various natural and synthetic instrumental and vocal timbres).

The second area of Karaseva's innovative activities was a creation of interdisciplinary academic courses new to Russian musical and academical system (it is known that in Russia music education is not a part of the general university system). She creates and delivers academic course of Social Psychology of Music for Moscow State University (Adjunct Professor of the MSU Department of Psychology, from 2001) then course "Music Sociology" in Higher School of Economics (HSE) (Adjunct Professor of the Department of Sociology from 2006).

The latest Karaseva's innovative methodological investigations are in the field of application of music notation for improvement of intonation in the foreign language study. She has elaborated a learning course of music decoding of intonation of Japanese and English speech. In 2006 her innovative interdisciplinary approach has been approved at the Congress for Japanese Language Study in The Institute for Asian and African Studies affiliated with Moscow State University and at the International Congress of Asia TEFL Society in Fukuoka, Japan (her paper contribution was awarded by special TEFL grant).

Professional biography
Karaseva has got her basic professional music education in the Moscow Conservatory College (1973-1977) then at Moscow Conservatory, the Department of Music Theory and Composition (1977-1982) and Postdoctoral Fellowship study in Moscow Conservatory (1982-1988).

The main subject of her student and Ph.D investigations was contemporary systems of ear training all over the world under the Yuri Kholopov conducting as advisor. The subject of M.A. thesis is: "Toward the Problem of Ear training and Sight Singing of the XX Century Music. The Systematization of Solfeggio Methods" (1982). The subject of Ph. D. dissertation is: "The Theoretical Problems of the Modern Ear training" (1989). In 1982 Karaseva became a teacher at the Central Music School of Moscow Conservatory (1982-1996, Music Theory, Harmony and Ear training) and a professor at the Moscow Conservatory (Department of Music Theory, from 1982 to present time, from 2002 - Full Professor position).

In 2004 she began Japanese study and methodological investigations on the problem of Japanese intonation and its music notation (at The Japan Embassy Cultural Center in Moscow). In 2005 and 2006 she obtained the JLPT Certificate (4th and 3rd level) from the Japan Foundation.

Dr. Karaseva actively participates in international musicological and interdisciplinary conferences in Russia, Europe, America, and Japan. She is an author more than 50 books, manuals and metholological papers on music (music theory, ear training) and language education, music psychology and cultural policy.

Selected books and methodological programs

 * Music in Two Voices. Etudes for Singing, Playing, and Music Dictations. Sound Timbre Dictations. Moscow: "Kompozitor" Publishing House, 2005.ISBN 5-85285-704-1.
 * Methodological Programs in Ear training for majors in Musicology, Composition, and Choral conducting. Moscow: UMO, 2005.
 * Program in Ear training methodology for conservatory majors in Musicology and Music theory. Moscow: UMO, 2001.
 * Solfeggio — a Psychotechnique of Ear training. Moscow: Konservatoriya, 1999, ISBN 5-89598-065-1; 2nd edition: Moscow: "Kompozitor" Publishing House, 2002. ISBN 5-8528-502-2.
 * Course of Modern Solfeggio: In 3 Volumes. Moscow: "Sovetskii Kompozitor" Publishing House, 1996. ISBN 0045-86419-028-4.
 * Elementary Music Theory and Harmony: Express Course. Moscow: Konservatoriya, 1994. ISBN 5-86419-010-1.

Selected articles

 * Solfeggio-21: between dreams and pragmatics. How to teach solfeggio in 21st century. Moscow: Klassika-21, P. 3-10. ISBN 5-89817-166-5.
 * Power of music in music of power. Music and musician in the changing social-cultural area. Rostov on Don, 2005. P. 153-163. ISBN 5-7509-0275-7.
 * Contemporary good ear for music and the new millennium challenges. Music and musician in the changing social-cultural area. Rostov on Don, 2005. P. 72-86. ISBN 5-7509-0275-7.
 * Humanitarian and creative education in Russia and un the U.S. The Proceedings of the International Conference "Russian-American Interrelations in the Context of Globalization". Moscow, 2005. P. 73-80. ISBN 5-901745-07-8.
 * The mystery of the 20th century music aversion: synesthetical associations as a psychological key factor of listener’s aural barriers. Horror Novitatis. Prague, 2005. P. 88-91 (in English). ISBN 80-86791-19-X.
 * Learning Japanese melodically: language ear training methodology by means of music notation. Globalization and National Originality. Forum of Languages. Kazan, "Ekotsentr", 2004. P. 207-212.
 * Steps in the snow: Meta-programs of the new Russian culture and their application in the field of music marketing. Professionals for Cooperation, Issue 6. Moscow, 2004. P. 197-228. ISBN 5-89655-021-9.
 * Social psychocorrection by means of music. Musicology and Globalization: proceedings of the international congress in Shizuoka 2002: in celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Musicological Society of Japan / edited by the Musicological Society of Japan = Ongakugaku to gurobarizeshon: Nippon Ongaku Gakkai soritsu 50-shunen kinen kokusai taikai Shizuoka 2002 hokokusho / Nippon Ongaku Gakkai hen. 2004. P. 517-519 (in English).
 * Russian solfeggio in postmodernism: or postmodernism in the mirror of methodology. Yuri Kholopov and his Scientific School. Moscow, 2003. P. 333-339. ISBN 5-89598-136-4.
 * Diplomacy with the language of music: National anthem as a genre of multicultural communication. Professionals for Cooperation, Issue 5. Moscow, 2002. P. 196-206. ISBN 5-7913-0052-2.
 * Gregory Voronov — Marina Karaseva: Strategies of the music creation. Music Academy. N 1. 2002. P. 39-49. ISSN 0869-4516.
 * Musical ear in context of modern practical psychology. Music Academy. N 4. 1999. P. 172-185. ISSN 0869-4516.
 * NLP and music therapy through the musician's look. NLP Revue. Modern Practical Psychology. N 1. Moscow, 1999. P. 125-153. ISBN 5-89692-018-0.
 * Solfeggio — psychotechnique of modern professional ear training. Improvement of Musical Ear. N 4. Moscow, 1999. P. 67-85. ISBN 5-89598-043-0.
 * What should be Modern Solfeggio? Laudamus. Moscow, 1992. P. 273-280. ISBN 5-85285-424-7.