MIA PALENCIA
Research
Mia's research is centred in songwriting, with a particular focus on songwriting creative process, as well as traditional music from her home state of Sabah, Malaysia. Her PhD research project began with the desire to understand her own songwriting creative process. Through a combination of auto-ethnographic and qualitative case studies, Mia identified and observed eight phases of the songwriting creative process in action. Her suggested framework of the songwriting creative process provides new insight for practitioners and approaches to songwriting pedagogy and curriculum design.
Publication and Performance
Mia has also conducted a practice-based research project which focused on traditional folk songs of Sabah and their possible applications to contemporary composition. Inspired by her family heritage, she analysed the titikas of the Orang Sungai and experimented with Western contemporary genres to produce new pieces for performance.
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​This research culminated in The Pengertian Suite, a collection of songs by Mia Palencia that explores stories from her family and heritage. The Malay word ‘pengertian’ (pung-er-tee-yahn) translates to ‘meaning’ or ‘understanding’. As a Tasmanian resident for many years, Palencia found herself looking to her Sabahan heritage and family stories to find a sense of belonging in her music. The Pengertian Suite comprises five songs (or movements) and was arranged for the Derwent Valley Concert Band (DVCB) by Mark Buys. In 2018, Mia and DVCB travelled on a five-city tour of Malaysia for the world premiere of the Pengertian Suite.
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The outcomes of this project were published as a book chapter in Performing History: Approaches to History Across Musicology, edited by Nancy November. Boston, USA: Academic Studies Press, 2020.