Intercultural musicianship: a collective and participatory form of music exchange across the globe

Abstract

Cultural boundaries are no longer geographically dictated. This intercultural music making initiative made provision for the social cohesion of the North-West University, South Africa Tswana students as they prepared musical artefacts for 'export' that convey, confirm and explore their culture of birth. Advancement in emerging digital technologies assisted to facilitate the export through video, on-line chat room and web-cam communication. Such technology supports the conveyance of originality, authenticity and context. The exporters were not remotely detached from the musical artefact but were connected digitally. The 'importers', Charles Sturt University, Australia were able to access the musical artefacts through repeated, close and careful encounters. The students in Australia were then tasked with having to create a performance of the musical artefact using Orff melodic and non-melodic instruments. In so doing a hybrid musical exchange was achieved. This intercultural music exchange results in a collective and participatory music-making initiative