Engagement with music communities: a case study of practice in regional Australia

Tertiary music departments or schools within institutions of higher education are key exponents of community engagement, despite the fact that on many occasions these links are often informal and undocumented. While there is arguably a wealth of activity, published research that deals explicitly with this area is very limited, with few documented case studies of practice or research that underpin and/or define the nature of community engagement as a third stream activity. This paper provides an overview of the manner in which a small group of full-time staff from a regional institution have attempted to incorporate community engagement initiatives within academic workloads. It then documents a case study of practice, where one academic as researcher established a formal engagement with a key community resource in the form of an internationally renowned music festival, and which sought to establish mutual benefit for all participants. The data presented within this paper offer insights into the ways in which academics working in a regional area undertake and address community interaction, both broadly speaking and specifically through the case study analysis