City Research Online

Abstract

This doctoral project examines the case of Canto por la Vida, a music school and cultural foundation located in Ginebra, Valle del Cauca, Colombia. Nationally recognised for its musical training programme centred on Colombian Andean music, this community initiative has provided educational and artistic opportunities to hundreds of children and young people for over 25 years.

Using an ethnographic approach, this study explores the nature of the school’s community, organisational, musical and artistic practices and relationships. The research seeks to understand how and to what extent a music school in Colombia can serve as a catalyst for human and social development at the local level.

Drawing on an experience from the Global South, the research illustrates how diverse philosophies, practices, and expectations surrounding music-making converge within a single educational and cultural project, shaping the elusive concept of social impact. The study highlights the intricate interplay of tensions, conflicts, and inquiries that emerge when four interconnected yet distinct pursuits coexist: 1) the preservation and deepening of musical heritage (tradition); 2) the pursuit of social action through creative, pedagogical, and aesthetic experimentation and disruption (alternativity); 3) the recognition of individuals and their life projects (subjectivity); and 4) the endeavour to ensure the project’s long-term viability and impact (sustainability). The findings suggest that a nuanced, interrelated, and contextually situated understanding of these four phenomena provides critical insights into the factors influencing consensus-building, political action, human relationships, and the potential to construct shared projects. Such projects, rooted in difference, alterity, and diversity, are posited as vital assets and pivotal points in navigating conflict and fostering cohesion within polarised and rapidly changing societies.

Publication Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GT Manners and customs H Social Sciences > HT Communities. Classes. Races M Music and Books on Music > M Music M Music and Books on Music > MT Musical instruction and study N Fine Arts > NX Arts in general
Departments:	Doctoral Theses

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