Community Music is an emergent discipline in music studies. Musicing practices are as diverse as the peoples of the Earth. Therefore, it is difficult to create one coherent definition of community music. In general, community music refers to musical practices which are fluid, adaptable, include informal or non-formal learning, and has a specific social aim. Community musicians try to create an open and welcoming atmosphere, where there are fewer boundaries to participation than in many formalized music practices. Community music as a field encompasses lifelong musical participation and places great emphasis on intergenerational interaction in and through music. As an academic discipline, Community Music straddles the spaces between folk music practices, music education, and musicology.
At the NWU School of Music, students in the Diploma in Music and BA Music & Society programmes participate in Community Music modules throughout their studies. BMus students have the opportunity to participate in Community Music in their third and fourth year. During Community Music lectures and service learning experiences students critically engage with the emergent scholarship on community music and interact with various community partners through the Musikhane Community Music Engagement Programme. This allows students to reflect on, and receive feedback on, their own developing facilitation and administration skills. Our community partners include Potchefstroom Primary School, Vyfhoek Primary School, Huis Anna Viljoen, and Mosaic.
For further information about Community Music at the School of Music, please contact Prof Janelize Morelli.