Cynthia Kinnunen on Transcontextual Thinking through Creativity in CM Research

May 2026

Cynthia Kinnunen has been teaching and leading an intergenerational community ukulele ensemble for over twelve years and has been intrigued by the relationships, adaptations, and interdependencies the group has journeyed with and through. This curiosity is at the heart of her current PhD research, particularly investigating the experiences and relationships of women in midlife and beyond who have found themselves in this community together. She did not expect, however, that the use of art, craft, and creativity would become a powerful aspect of exploring the complexities of these relationships and experiences.

“In addition to more established approaches in qualitative research, I have been engaging with multiple creative modalities as artist-researcher-practitioner throughout the research process. This has really expanded the ways in which I’ve been able to view our experiences together and consider the transcontextual or interwoven nature of our dynamic relationships over time.”

Cynthia’s use of creativity across the research process includes multiple modalities, such as representational crochet, ecological crochet sculpture, musical composition, and poetry as reflexive components of the research. This multi-dimensional approach has allowed her to gain complex, holistic, and nuanced understanding of participants' experiences and perspectives, as well as her own positionality in relation to the research project.

Originally from a more traditional music education background with a degree in music and conservatory studies, Cynthia notes that bringing more community music principles into her regular practice over the years—she also completed the MA Community Music at Laurier back in 2021—has not only shifted and expanded her approach to music making, teaching and leading, but also the research process itself. "The engagement with creative methods alongside systems thinking has allowed a deeper personal exploration and rooting of values, expectations, and relationships with music and the ways I am considering, serving, and supporting community. Plus, as a creative person, being able to include artistic elements was important to me”.

Based in Guelph, Ontario, Cynthia is a music educator, community musician, and doctoral candidate in Wilfrid Laurier University’s Community Music PhD program. Working across diverse contexts, she has facilitated and taught a wide range of ages and abilities, learners, and practitioners, from local to international spaces. In addition to her independent practice, Cynthia is also contract teaching faculty at Wilfrid Laurier University's Faculty of Music.

Cynthia is also a Junior Research Fellow at LCMC and believes that collaboration and shared knowledge are essential for broadening and advancing the field of community music. "I would love to see more students, researchers, and practitioners get involved with the LCMC community. Creating opportunities for collaboration and learning from one another will certainly benefit the broader field of CM research but even more importantly, it can strengthen the communities we support and are all part of.” As she heads into the final leg of her PhD studies, she looks forward to sharing her findings and engaging in discourse with other researcher-practitioners in the field. Visit Cynthia K Music to find out more about her work and research.