Dr Christina Ballico, Lecturer, Department of Music, University of Aberdeen, UK (Australia)
Dr Christina Ballico is the editor of Geographically Isolated and Peripheral Music Scenes: Global insights and perspectives (Palgrave, 2021) and the co-editor of Music Cities: Evaluating a Global Policy Concept (Palgrave, 2020). Between 2016-2019, she was the Research Fellow on the Australian Research Council Linkage Project Making Music Work: Sustainable portfolio careers for Australian musicians.
Music ecosystems. Why do they matter?
Music is a vital part of our lives. It’s a vital part of our communities, our cultures, and forms a central part of both our collective and individual identities. Engaging with music – be it as a musician or a fan – provides us with a range of health and wellbeing benefits, while also supporting a range of economic benefits such as job creation and music-related tourism. As we’ve increasingly seen in the past decade, it can also be a useful way through which we can imagine and leverage a sense of place and associated identity within our cities. In order for this to work however, we need to understand the intricacies of these ecosystems, and importantly, not only the ways in which their various components intersect with one another, but also how they engage with non-music sectors and activities.
What does the music-ecosystem future look like to you, post-pandemic?
The pandemic has undoubtedly reconfigured the ways in which we go about our days – most notably requiring us to stay closer to home than perhaps we otherwise would. This provides a wonderful opportunity to reconsider the ways in which we leverage music within our neighbourhoods and our local communities. It offers the opportunity to consider how we can support musicians through a diversity of performance opportunities – including their scope and scale and the traditional and non-traditional spaces in which they take place. I’d also really love to see accessibility aspects adapted during the pandemic – online/streamed performances and the like – to continue. They’ve provided a vital service and opportunity to those who otherwise would not be able to easily attend shows.
Name one other music-ecosystem builder that inspires you
It’s really hard to pick just one! Within our Collaborator Network, I’m really inspired by the work Michael Seman is doing around the social and economic impact of venues within communities. It cannot be understated how venues can be places for entrepreneurship, career advancement and community development and his work makes an incredibly strong case for this. Beyond our Network, I’m really inspired by the work of my colleague Dr Eve Klein – who I teach with at the University of Queensland – is doing around immersive music experiences within the context of heritage, memory, and place activation strategies.
What personal commitment can you make towards a world with better music ecosystems?
To use my voice for good by continuing to use evidence-based research to advocate for their support and protection.