Abstract
This paper considers the role of the arts in engaging children and young people and connecting with their imaginations. It reports on children and young people’s responses to an event that introduced them to a range of arts activities. It then discusses the recent establishment of Sistema Scotland, a program of social change through classical musical training which has its origins in the Venezuelen El Sistema. The paper reports on a knowledge exchange project undertaken within the program which highlighted a number of competing obligations or, in Derrida’s (1993) terms, aporias. The paper ends with a consideration of the challenge of producing evidence of the impact of socially engaged arts practices on individuals and communities.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 111-122 |
| Number of pages | 12 |
| Journal | Journal of Social Inclusion |
| Volume | 1 |
| Issue number | 2 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2010 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:A group of researchers have involved in a knowledge exchange project connected to the Sistema Scotland Program, funded by the Scottish Funding Council. Knowledge exchange, increasingly replacing knowledge transfer and supported by research councils, has the aim of improving the flow of knowledge between researchers and public policy partners in order to “enhance the operation and productivity of these industry sectors and … create a legacy of further demand-driven activity” (Scottish Funding Council, 2008). The researchers brought to the program rather different narratives and imaginings (collectively and individually). These can be summarised as focussing on the social, educational, personal, psychological and musical aspects of Sistema Scotland. The researchers also came with a great deal of musical talent and biography as orchestral players (of piano, viola and violin), although it must be stressed that this author possesses none of this, but shares all the excitement about the performance genre and knows some excellent jokes about viola players.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2010, Griffith University. All rights reserved.
Keywords
- Aporias
- Knowledge Exchange
- Sistema
- Socially engaged arts practices
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Health(social science)
- Health Professions (miscellaneous)