Desert harmony: Stories of collaboration between Indigenous musicians and university students

Abstract

This article will discuss the ways in which community service learning
programs in music can foster meaningful collaborations between
universities and Indigenous communities. Drawing on recent pedagogical
literature on service learning and insights from a four-year partnership
between Australian Indigenous musicians at the Winanjjikari Music Centre
in Tennant Creek and music students from Queensland Conservatorium
Griffith University, it will describe how such programs can facilitate
significant cross-cultural exchanges between students and Indigenous
communities. By drawing on observations and interview data from those
involved in the project, this paper argues that these partnerships can
both assist communities with activities such as cultural maintenance, and
provide students with intercultural experiences that have the potential to
transform their understandings of Indigenous culture.