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Volume 16, Issue 1
  • ISSN: 1752-6299
  • E-ISSN: 1752-6302
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Abstract

This article outlines a conceptual framework for sharpening how we understand and articulate the social impact of community music. Frequently community music programmes speak about bold social impact intentions, especially in areas relating to social justice, with little explanation about the processes that could lead to such changes and patchy details about the extent to which those changes have actually occurred. This is not to say these programmes are not having a positive social impact in communities. Rather, there is an opportunity for our field to sharpen how we conceptualize, identify, evaluate and communicate these outcomes. This article builds on a mounting evidence base of research in our field that documents the multifarious benefits that come from participating in community music. However, it takes this research a step further by providing a conceptual framework for critically thinking through how these positive outcomes can lead to the kinds of macro, systemic changes needed for social impact to occur. As the field continues to grow and diversify internationally, against a backdrop of social, cultural and climate challenges, having ways to understand and articulate community music’s impact could enhance our practice and research, but also lead to greater influence in advocacy, policy and cross-sector domains.

Funding
This study was supported by the:
  • Australian Research Council Future Fellowship (Award FT200100495)
© 2023 The Author. Published by Intellect Ltd
This article is Open Access under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International licence (CC BY-NC-ND), which allows users to copy, distribute and transmit the article as long as the author is attributed, the article is not used for commercial purposes, and the work is not modified or adapted in any way. To view a copy of the licence, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
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2023-06-13
2024-09-11
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A conceptual framework for understanding and articulating the social impact of community music
International Journal of Community Music 16, 31 (2023); https://doi.org/10.1386/ijcm_00074_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ijcm_00074_1
/content/journals/10.1386/ijcm_00074_1
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  • Article Type: Article
Keyword(s): community music; programme design; programme evaluation; social action; social change; social impact; social justice

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