Agrigento is an emergent organisation dedicated to advancing the field of music as social action.
What do we mean by “emergent”?
Emergent means we have opinions about what good music as social action looks like but we don’t have a singular vision and we don’t think we have all the answers. The first thing we did when we created Agrigento was to ask a dozen trusted colleagues in several countries what they thought good music as social action looked like, and we used their contributions as the foundation stone for the first phase of our work. We intend to be a listening and learning organisation and to build our vision in collaboration with others. We must also be responsive to major events like Covid-19 and Black Lives Matter. Emergent means Agrigento may look different in a year or five years’ time than it does now.
There will be consistent threads to how we approach our work.
- We seek to work with individuals and organisations that are: committed to developing innovative practices and ideas around music as social action; striving to realise the field’s goals and ideals more effectively; and willing to think critically.
- We are interested in work that fills gaps in the field or challenges us and others to think and act differently.
- We believe that music as social action will be strengthened by better connections between practice and research.
- We aspire to build relationships of mutual trust and transparency, and to provide more spaces for open, honest discussion about successes, challenges, and failures.
- We aim to make our processes as simple and “light-touch” as possible, so that those we fund can focus their energies on the work.
- We are guided by equity principles that act as expectations of both ourselves and those with whom we collaborate.
All around the world, music is being used as a means to pursue social goals. Music making is happening within, and in response to, contexts of socio-economic deprivation or conflict, or where social bonds have been ruptured through displacement, migration, asylum seeking, or refugee settlement. While activities vary enormously, they are commonly driven by concern with social cohesion, equity, or justice.
Mission
To support and promote work within the field of music as social action.
To strengthen connections between practice and research.
To create more space for critical conversations and sharing of knowledge.
Why Agrigento?
Agrigento takes its name from the family birthplace of our founder, Maria Falsone. The centuries-old city has been an historic meeting place for different cultures to gather under the Sicilian flag. Taking this as inspiration, Agrigento seeks to bring people together around three interwoven interests:
Listening
Supporting
Sharing
Who we are
Director of Research
Professor Geoff Baker
Trustees
Maria Falsone, Founder & Chair
Joanne Davies
Help us build the community
We’re actively building our network, so if you’re involved in music as social action as a practitioner or researcher and you’re interested in reflecting, learning, and sharing, please contact us – we’d love to hear from you.