PODCAST [43] Music education research, social justice and public engagement – with Erin Johnson-Williams and Caz Creagh

In this episode, I talk with Erin Johnson-Williams and Caz Creagh from the Arts & Humanities Research Council – Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research. The hub is part of the Centre for Music Education and Social Justice at Southampton University. It aims to connect music education research to real world settings, and to fund research that then informs government policy to have a lasting impact on people and music across the UK.

The Hub is a two year project from the government, via the Arts and Humanities Research Council to fund and share learning from four large projects (called ‘spoke projects’) on public engagement, social justice and music research. The funding round launches in January 2025, decisions will be made by late spring 2025 the projects will run from July 2025 to July 2026. Each project will be a collaboration between an academic and a non-academic partner, and will receive about £75,000-£100,000 over the 12-month period.

 ** The Hub team is currently touring the UK with networking and information-sharing events so if you’re interested and are reading or listening to this in 2024, do check out their website to find out about the live events ** 

 You can listen now below, or on Spotify (search for the name) and iTunes or your favourite podcast app.

What’s in this episode?

We talk about:

• the funding available for four partnerships between higher education institutions and grassroots music organisations. Expressions of interest by 15 Jan, applications by 2 May 2025
• the mentoring, training and ‘higher education matchmaking’ available to music organisations who want to apply – to address barriers in knowledge, time and resources among non-HE partners
• the inequities in research that Hub hopes to address
• going beyond ‘dissemination’ to embedding the public/participants more centrally in the development of research
• connecting research, practice and government policy
• the changes that the Hub hopes to bring about
• a simple question to ask to help you think about outcomes

Links for this episode

AHRC Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research

Arts & Humanities Research Council (UK)

Other useful initiatives:

National Centre for Academic & Cultural Exchange  (UK)
Knowledge exchange and music conservatories article

Centre for Cultural Value (UK)

Transcript [43] : Erin Johnson-Williams and Caz Creagh from the AHRC Hub for Public Engagement with Music Research

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Listen in each month to get ideas, inspiration and practical advice from people involved in music education, community music, music therapy and more. Learn how you might break down barriers to music, through communications, advocacy and inclusive practice.

The music for the podcast was created by Otis Hynds, a young person working with Noise Solution.

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