Browsing by Author "Vraka, Valia"

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    Contextualism and Music Annotation: Exploring the Role of Digital Storytelling about a Composer's Life on Music Perception
    (The Eurographics Association, 2025) Petousi, Dimitra; Kougioumtzian, Lori; Katifori, Akrivi; Boile, Maria; Servi, Katerina; Ioannidis, Yannis; Kriezi, Vera; Vraka, Valia; Merakos, Stefania; Charkiolakis, Alexandros; Campana, Stefano; Ferdani, Daniele; Graf, Holger; Guidi, Gabriele; Hegarty, Zackary; Pescarin, Sofia; Remondino, Fabio
    Intangible cultural heritage, especially music, is challenging to interpret due to its elusive nature and reliance on context. This study investigates how knowledge of a composer's life and historical background shapes listeners' interpretations of classical music. Based on contextualism theory, which emphasizes the importance of cultural and personal context in meaning-making, the study involved 25 participants with varying levels of familiarity with music theory and the composer Nikos Skalkotas In a two-stage process, participants first annotated four musical pieces based on initial impressions. They then revisited the pieces after having engaged with a collaborative digital narrative and virtual reality (VR) experience based on archival material about the composer, presenting his life and work. The results show that annotations became more reflective and contextually informed after the storytelling experiences, indicating enhanced empathy and historical understanding. These findings suggest that immersive, narrative-driven context can enrich music appreciation and offer valuable tools for cultural heritage education.