International Journal of Community Music - Volume 16, Issue 1, 2023

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.

The purpose of this study was to assess the ways health and well-being-related terms and concepts (health, well-being, quality of life, wellness) appear in International Journal of Community Music (IJCM) articles. The research questions were: (1) how are health and well-being concepts defined or expressed in IJCM articles? (2) What are the central themes or trends in the use of health and well-being terms in IJCM articles? And (3) what are the implications of the use of health and well-being terms for the practice and research of community music? Utilizing an integrative review methodology and supported by database software Airtable, this study examined the application, discussion, operationalization, and contextualization of music, health and wellness terms and concepts as they appear in IJCM to determine the degree of conceptual coherence on health and well-being related terms. Despite the historical and growing interest in connections between music, health and wellness among community music researchers, analysis revealed a lack of coherence in the use of health-related terms and concepts. Further, health and well-being are rarely operationalized in IJCM articles. As a result, findings from studies are not comparable and it is difficult for the knowledge base to advance.

In this autoethnographic reflective essay, I explore the challenges that the COVID-19 crisis presented to community music training and practice within a university setting, through the evocative ‘storying’ of key experiences from my own work. I acknowledge the sense of grief that came with losing opportunities for music-making face to face. Whilst online music-making matters, the visceral experience of sound within space was deeply missed by staff and students. In contrast, I also explore the possibilities that COVID-19 pushed us to explore. These include connecting with international partners in our regular teaching, establishing a digital collaborative project with a local school and creating online placement opportunities. I explore the unexpected developments in teaching, learning and scholarship that have occurred as a result. I also acknowledge the questions and critiques that the pandemic revealed. Whilst the longing for in-person music-making continued, it was reassuring to know that we retained our capacity to connect.

This article explores the motivations, approaches and results that occurred when six composers/musicians devised works of experimental music that involved community participants over six years at the annual classical Tyalgum Music Festival in regional Australia. The main aim of this study was to investigate how this music was shaped by community participation in its creation and performance. This qualitative research study drew on retrospective interviews with the musicians involved and the author’s observations and reflections on their music events. The musicians discussed how they responded to people and place in creating and performing their works; they maintained that their involvement with the community resulted in valuable and creative music-making. This study demonstrates that artists can inspire interesting and enjoyable music-making with a community that also expands the possibilities for mainstream arts, cultural practices and festival curation.

Janice Waldron (1957–2022), professor at the University of Windsor (Canada), was an accomplished musician, teacher and researcher. Her scholarly passions revolved around informal music learning practices, online and offline music communities, social media and music learning, and Irish and Scottish traditional musics. In this dedication to Waldron, five friends and colleagues – Kari Veblen, Jonathan Bayley, Kirsten Allstaff, Danielle Sirek and Roger Mantie – offer reflections on her life and work and the legacy she has left for scholars and practitioners of community music.