Abstract
The general purpose of this book is to introduce the concept of Community Music, as scientific discipline rooted in its practical origins, to the Italian Musical Scene. There are many examples of CM to be found in the tapestry of Italian Music Scene, but not formally described, classified or defined as such.
This book aims to provide information on the current situation of CM in Italy and to be descriptive as to the characteristics and different contexts of CM. CM serves to help place music-making in the hands and voices of everyone by creating equal opportunities for people to enjoy active and creative participation in music. CM aims to address, or include a variety of musical disciplines. It involves different groups of children, adults, young people, refugees and ethnic communities as well as other minority groups.
Music-making occurs outside “formal” arenas such as concert halls, classrooms and recording studios may be classified as Community Music. Recent research delivered strong and consistent evidence to suggest that group music making is a powerful personal and social health promotion activity. This book aims to emphasise such findings by putting it in the Italian context.
The first chapter discusses the term community, or ‘communita’ in the Italian context, and the differences in interpretation between the Italian use of the term and the English use of the term. The rest of part 1 focusses on the pedagogical approach of CM, and the role of the Community in its pedagogical context. Part Two is an attempt to put the practice of CM in the context of Continuing Education. Lifelong Learning is the ability to respond with confidence and self-knowledge to change. Lifelong Learning is all the learning that people do during their entire lifespan, in all kinds of shapes and forms, implicitly and explicitly, in and outside the school, through experiences in their lives, through others and with others, and through critical reflection. In Community Music practice for musicians, and in general for artists, it is incredibly important to be able to respond to change, even more, to understand change and come to know the opportunities and possibilities that can lie ahead of them.
In this part of the book I try to highlight the need for research that can lead to deeper knowledge about and understanding of the world of professional community musicians and their relation to the society they live in.
This enables us to develop insights and ideas for improvement and renewal of community music (in practice), using methods which can be helpful for this, like for instance biographical research and ethnographic research, and grounded theory.