In this ResearchWorks event An and Jo will share insights from Music for Social Impact, an AHRC funded three-year international research project which examined musician experiences of working in socially engaged participatory contexts in Belgium, Colombia, Finland, and the UK.

Drawing on the voices of Belgium and UK practitioners, An and Jo consider ways in which musicians conceive of their practice and what they say is needed for effective preparation to work in the field. From this they consider how music higher education institutions can play a role in preparing musicians for socially engaged and participatory music-making practices.

Questions that will be considered through this presentation include:

• What are the skills, expertise, experience and qualities needed for musicians working in the field of participatory and socially engaged practice?
• How well-equipped do musicians that have undertaken music higher education programmes feel for their work in this field? What worked well? What could be better?
• If higher music education institutions incorporate the preparation of musicians for participatory and socially engaged music practices within their remit, what are the possible implications in terms of their aims and profile, programme structure and content, learning environments and methods, and the values and cultures underpinning the curriculum?