International Journal of Community Music - Volume 10, Issue 2, 2017

The Bingodisiac Orchestra, a nomadic improvised community music project without fixed membership, is explored in this article as a case study examining the ‘open participatory’ aspects of Do-it-Yourself (DiY) sound culture. Established by the researcher in 2002, the ‘orchestra’ is an audio-visual event that attempts to break down barriers between diverse musical forms while also engaging in various strategies to maximize the interaction between audience and performer. In doing so, Stephen Duncombe’s idea of the ‘community of difference’ is employed, whereby the orchestra becomes a practice that embodies a de-centralized approach to both social organization and the organization of sound. Other concepts discussed in this article include the ‘fairground effect’, a strategy of the Bingodisiac Orchestra to de-centralize the production of sound through the use of liminal spaces traditionally ignored in music performance: creating a more participatory space for the performance, which allows different styles of music to be simultaneously and spontaneously incorporated into the performance. In this way, liminal space and the ‘community of difference’ are identified as being a part of the process of creating musical communities that encourage improvised music that is ‘free’ of any particular style: altering the focus of musicians from the need to find a common ground as a basis for their sound improvisations, while also enabling the temporary construction of a community sound experience.

This instrumental case study explores the ways in which music is ‘put to work’ in the Field Band Foundation (FBF). I interviewed ten adult participants and observed rehearsals, parades and competitions, to understand these interviews in context, from March 2013 to July 2014. During this time, I engaged in an iterative cycle of data analysis and collection, using both inductive and deductive coding methods. This analysis focuses on the lived experiences of the adult participants, the musical processes engaged in by the participants, and does not aim to evaluate or critique the FBF as an organization. After inductively coding the interviews, I realized that the hospitality framework may be used to interpret these findings.

This article is a contribution to reconciliation between Indigenous and Settler peoples in Canada through the creation of space for Indigenous voices within the practice of community music. Colonization and policies to assimilate Indigenous peoples have had devastating impacts and have served to undermine their communal way of life and cultural identities. Many urban Indigenous peoples are searching for ways to ‘re-member,’ ‘re-connect,’ and ‘re-claim’ a sense of community and connection to their traditions. This article takes anchor in the stories of urban Indigenous youth and women and what their drum circle means to them.

Large (80+ participants) artist-led programmes with young people frequently take place in school settings, and the artist has limited background knowledge of those attending. This study examined the components of an artist-led programme to identify the nuanced behaviours of artists and volunteer helpers that support musical engagement, personal and social development, and promote social capital. From an analysis of videos and interviews, we examine the activities and outcomes of artistled programmes as viewed through the lens of Community Music Therapy (CoMT). We found that the programmes were ecological, ethics-driven and participatory, and espoused activism, which are core features of CoMT thinking. We found that within this model, there was importance placed on the youth taking the music outside formal spaces and sharing it with the community in public places such as local cafes, residential care facilities and police stations. The role of the artist-facilitator goes beyond preparing the youth for this experience and extends to preparing the local community – an ecological approach.

This ethnographic-phenomenological study explores the holistic nature of araquio tradition. Araquio, a verse play on the search of the holy cross, is an indigenous folk theatre in the town of Peñaranda, province of Nueva Ecija, Philippines, that has survived for over 100 years. The orihinal (script) utilized the local poetic stylized delivery of verses, conventionalized movements, choreographed sword fights, songs and dances with distinct live musical accompaniment played by the community band. Araquio’s musical tradition suggests a culturally specific metaphor that has overshadowed its diminishing tradition. Constructed in the framework of music as social behaviour, I investigated araquio’s musical tradition as the product of the social behaviour of a specific group of practitioners and how music-making builds a community. Eleven adult practitioners participated in this enquiry. An ethnographic method was employed using participant-observation and an informal semistructured interview script. This oral tradition created a process of social structures and situations stemmed initially from a self-imposed initiative that had become a template to a group or community-building setting. The metaphorical iconicity of the musical tradition, through unspoken meanings such as gender roles and religious beliefs, offered certain unarticulated significance.

Gay choruses first emerged in the United States 40 years ago, at the time of gay liberation, but much has changed politically and socially since. Despite this, LGBTQI choirs continue to form in the twenty-first century. This article explores the purpose of, and the community and individual benefits derived from, singing in a recently formed LGBTQI mixed-voice community choir in Wellington, New Zealand. The data collection techniques employed in this qualitative case study consist of artefact analysis, audience intercept surveys, concert observations, and semi-structured interviews. Drawing on a feminist post-structural analysis, themes that emerged included strengthening individual LGBTQI identities, and being a political and educative voice for LGBTQI-identified people. Findings suggest that members use the choir for different purposes: to sing together; establish intergenerational, cross-gender friendships and community; affirm their identities in an LGBTQI space; and educate by representing diversity during a period of greater political equity and social assimilation.

This article examines findings from ethnographic research with the ReVoice choir project in North-West England. ReVoice was a community choir that consisted of members from two charitable organizations and the author of this article. A number of ReVoice’s members were adults with learning disabilities and part of the choir’s remit was to produce music that would feature in a film about hate crime perpetuated against people with disabilities. In the light of debates regarding the politics of identity for people with disabilities, this article illustrates how the formation of the choir, the rehearsal process and the choir performances constituted a distinctive cultural context that afforded people significant opportunities to develop an alternative, empowered sense of self in concert with others.

This article is a report on a symposium held in 2016 that looked at the various roles of musical participation in creating or solidifying communities, whether they be communities of faith, common purpose or cultural practice or nationhood/ethnicity. The report looks at a variety of responses to the call; responses that included read papers, poster presentations, video provocations and a performance. The report concludes by identifying areas for further investigation.