What Does Music Have To Do With It? - A Conceptual Framework For Designing Music Performance Centered Projects Embedding Regenerative Sustainability Practices

2025

Addressing environmental challenges is a shared responsibility across all industries, with each sector holding a duty to innovate, adapt, and reduce its ecological impact. There is potential for musicians and the music industry to play a proactive role in advancing regenerative sustainability through community-serving performances. This study investigated how music performances can be integrated with regenerative principles to foster pro-environmental values, regenerative thinking, and climate action at the community level. Data was generated through semi-structured interviews with expert informants, analysis of relevant literature on regenerative sustainability, and case studies of past arts-based initiatives that exhibit regenerative practices. The interview findings revealed the following themes: 1. The shared live music experience, when incorporated with elements such as active engagement and follow-up activities, is a cultural process that serves a community both individually and collectively; 2. Relationships are at the centre of this work and must be honored and cultivated in any project; 3. Collaboration and having a supportive network of resources is foundational to success; 4. Musicians hold a unique position of messenger facilitating value-building and transformative processes. These themes were incorporated into the regenerative project step guiding framework I synthesized from regenerative sustainability literature. After consulting best practices and tactics observed from past and current regenerative music programming, I propose a foundational framework, acting as a planning tool for future program development in British Columbia – specifically initiatives that engage the public in music, culture, and dialogue in service of the well-being of all living systems.