Music Making and Civic Imagination

An argument for the ethical applications and uses of music. Music Making and Civic Imagination makes a powerful case for the potential of music to aid in human flourishing. Dave Camlin, a musician and educator, lays out a holistic philosophy of music, acknowledging the complex web of meaning which spreads across its many complementary dimensions. As a performance of ethical human values of love, reciprocity, and justice, the making of music, Camlin shows, can help facilitate ethical human connection and be a resource for both imagining and inhabiting the kind of world we might wish to live in.

An argument for the ethical applications and uses of music. Music Making and Civic Imagination makes a powerful case for the potential of music to aid in human flourishing. Dave Camlin, a musician and educator, lays out a holistic philosophy of music, acknowledging the complex web of meaning which spreads across its many complementary dimensions. As a performance of ethical human values of love, reciprocity, and justice, the making of music, Camlin shows, can help facilitate ethical human connection and be a resource for both imagining and inhabiting the kind of world we might wish to live in.

In a world facing multiple existential crises, music might be seen as little more than a distraction. However, in this synthesis of ideas developed over a decade, a timely re-appraisal of the potential of musicing for human flourishing is presented, emphasising its role in the history of human evolution alongside its potential as a resource for sustainable development. A holistic philosophy of music is outlined which recognises the complex web of meaning which spreads across complementary musical dimensions of performance and participation, whilst emphasising the ‘paramusical’ benefits which arise from both. Highlighting the notion that the social bonds which arise from musicing share much of the neurobiological underpinnings of attachment and love, musicing is presented as a resource with the potential for facilitating ethical human connection. The humanistic values which are thereby materialised during musicing – love, reciprocity and justice – form the experiential grounds for inhabiting alternative social realities. The book addresses how such a holistic philosophy of music might be implemented in practice, drawing on the author’s professional praxis as a performer, educator, community musician, composer and researcher, in particular their experience of musician education at Sage Gateshead, Royal College of Music and Trinity-Laban Conservatoire in the UK.

In a world facing multiple existentialcrises, music might be seen as little morethan a distraction. However, in thissynthesis of ideas developed over adecade, a timely re-appraisal of thepotential of musicing for humanflourishing is presented, emphasising itsrole in the history of human evolutionalongside its potential as a resource forsustainable development. A holistic philosophy of music is outlinedwhich recognises the complex web ofmeaning which spreads acrosscomplementary musical dimensions ofperformance and participation, whilstemphasising the ‘paramusical’ benefitswhich arise from both. Highlighting thenotion that the social bonds which arisefrom musicing share much of theneurobiological underpinnings ofattachment and love, musicing ispresented as a resource with the potentialfor facilitating ethical human connection. The humanistic values which are therebymaterialised during musicing – love,reciprocity and justice – form theexperiential grounds for inhabitingalternative social realities.The book addresses how such a holisticphilosophy of music might beimplemented in practice, drawing on theauthor’s professional praxis as aperformer, educator, community musician,composer and researcher, in particulartheir experience of musician education atSage Gateshead, Royal College of Musicand Trinity-Laban Conservatoire in theUK.