Music for good: Reflections on a community music project through the lens of historical nostalgia

Abstract

This study investigates a large-scale community project that called for a long preparation period and involved over a hundred participants. The researchers were interested in the contributory factors that led participants and leaders to commit and persevere with the project, for which there were almost two years of planning and five months of rehearsals. The project related a suppressed wartime history and had re-enactment aspects. Interpretative phenomenological analysis methodology was used to engage participants in sharing their lived experiences. Through focus group sessions, a theme of restoration emerged, among other themes that are frequently expressed in community music groups, such as social and emotional well-being. A deep emotional engagement with the project centred on historical restoration, which aligned with personal restoration experiences. Restoration was closely linked to storytelling and three other themes of personal growth, connections and self-discovery/journey. In light of this theme and the historical basis for the community project, the researchers chose to examine the findings through the lens of historical nostalgia.