Music making as holistic praxis

Camlin, D. A. and Reis, H. (2024) Music making as holistic praxis. In: Ethno Music Gatherings: Pedagogy, Experience, Impact. Intellect, pp. 43-75. ISBN 9781835950364 (hardback) 9781835950357 (paperback) 9781835950388 (e-book)

Abstract

The Organizers of Ethno Gatherings are probably the most influential in terms of the kinds of experiences that other attendees - participants, other musicians and local stakeholders - have at the international musical events they organize. In this chapter, we set out the findings from a study to explore the motivations of Ethno Organizers, and how they address the various obligations and responsibilities they have towards their participants, fellow artists, local communities and JM International (JMI) as the host institution. We used a software research tool, Sensemaker, to capture Organizers' stories and the meaning that they attach to those stories through a process known as 'distributed ethnography' (Snowden 2016), where respondents are actively involved in the interpretation of meaning (sense-making). We found that the Organizers of Ethno Gatherings are motivated by often deeply held personal values and beliefs about the transformational potential of participatory music making (musicking), largely as a result of their own formative musical experiences, which may have included previous participation in Ethno events. As well as providing a secure base for transformational identity work in and through music, Organizers enact the leadership responsibilities in a holistic sense, in the facilitation of both musical and 'paramusical' (Stige et al. 2013: 298) outcomes for participants, and these paramusical outcomes are of particular significance in their estimation. Their stories highlight the importance of the experience of communitas - transformational moments of 'collective joy' (Turner 2012) achieved through music making which facilitate deep social bonds - as a way of bridging the social, cultural, linguistic and musical differences which may otherwise prevail at such intercultural events. We conclude that the motivations of Ethno Organizers, while authentically held at a personal level, also benefit from being part of a community of reflective peers facilitated by JMI, representing a discourse of 'ethical praxis' (Elliott, Silverman and Bowman 2016; Regelski 2021) which connects the host institution to its Organizers, and ultimately to its participants. ******* This chapter is available open access at the Official URL given below. *******

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