Exploring the Real-World Applicability of an Intercultural Music Engagement (ICME) Framework

Abstract

As our societies become increasingly multicultural, our collective ability to understand and tolerate differences is critical for social cohesion. Music has been used by many organisations to help foster connection across cultural divides, yet research suggests it is not always a simple exchange. This paper tests the feasibility of a framework formerly proposed by the current authors for helping people navigate the intercultural music experience, specifically when facilitating Intercultural Music Engagement (ICME). Interviews and observations with community artists working in ICME test the real-world applicability of the framework. Results support all elements of our existing framework and add both nuance and detail to our understanding. The findings also strongly indicated that efforts in this area should focus on supporting artists already embedded within communities, rather than solely supporting external organisations. Ultimately, we argue the need for further community-engaged research to identify how a framework in this area can best support existing practitioners.