Tuning up! The Innovative Potential of Musikvermittlung

1. Why did you choose this topic?

Musikvermittlung is an artistic-educational field of practice that has become increasingly established and professionalised over the past 20 years, not only but also in German-speaking countries. It is also becoming more and more a professional field and is increasingly attracting academic interest. We are convinced that Musikvermittlung can function as a social bridge-builder and thus assume a productive role in modern societies. We therefore put the focus in this book on the innovative potential of Musikvermittlung for present-day concert life, for (higher) music education, especially since the social role of classical musicians is challenged by Musikvermittlung, and for research and social life in general. Our publication is based on a transdisciplinary event and lecture series, held in the winter semester of 2019/2020 at the mdw – University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, and comprises both research articles and descriptions of practice examples in the realm of Musikvermittlung.

2. What new perspectives does your book offer?

Our anthology offers a wide range of different scholarly perspectives and interdisciplinary viewpoints on Musikvermittlung and its innovative potential (e.g. from the fields of sociology, philosophy, musicology, music pedagogy and cultural management). Also included in this book are practical examples, in order to highlight and to analyse the innovative processes that are currently underway in the field of Musikvermittlung.

3. What makes your topic relevant for current research debates?

To date, there has been relatively little research conducted in the area of Musikvermittlung, although a growing interest in this field has been observed lately. Due to its multidisciplinarity and the interweaving of theory and practice, we are convinced that our book is relevant both for the scientific community and for practitioners in the field of Musikvermittlung. Furthermore, with this book, we hope to make a substantial and internationally relevant contribution to both research and the advancement of practice.

4. Choose one person you would like to discuss your book with!

Andreas Reckwitz, because we draw on his concept of ›doing universality‹ in our introductory chapter. We would also like to discuss it with Claudia Roth, Minister of State for Culture in Germany, Carsten Brosda, Senator for Culture in Hamburg, and with anyone who is interested in the transformative and innovative power of Musikvermittlung.

5. Your book summary in one sentence:

Our book focuses on the innovative potential of Musikvermittlung as a social bridge-builder for concert life, (higher) music education, research and social life.