I met Georgina Born at the Music Knowledge Conference this spring, and she was one of the most inspiring speakers at the planetary session. I am not surprised she is the one behind an interdisciplinary research project that will look at the way digital technology is changing musical practices all around the world (By ‘the world’I mean two researchers situated in UK and India respectively. Still, it’s the spirit that counts). It’s exciting to find such projects, as there are many initiatives with the objective of understanding how ICTs are changing musical practice/knowledge/communities/you-name-it, but they are rather scattered and isolated. This project is indicative of the kinds of exciting and emerging endeavour in the area that intersects music and information technologies, with implications that cuts across the boundaries of academia, government, performing arts organization, and business.

There is a real tension, however, between learning, researching and doing in the context of such ambitious agendas. That is, there is the subject-specialty that you have, and need to maintain; there is the inquisitive spirit that wants to expand your knowledge into related topics, and maybe even make unique contributions of your own; last but not least, there is grounding it in reality, and using it to better navigate and understanding the world of music in the constantly transforming landscape of information communication technologies. Each of the trajectories outlined above could be the work of a single life time, but they are simply different ways of creating knowledge and experiences that helps us understand the bigger picture. I fully recognize that my current interest in traversing all three means that I cannot do it alone, although I am engaged just enough to position myself as a legitimate actor in order to build a diverse community that works as a whole, not independent and isolated silos.

I see how many things connect, and the endless ways such connections might play out in the future of musical practices all around the world. I have this feeling — and it grows every time I meet someone like Georgina Born, or Gregory Adams, to name just two — that there are others that do as well. I suspect that the road won’t be easy, and there are no guaranteed outcomes, but the possibilities are endless. I am excited to see the kinds of research and innovations that will emerge in the next decade, just as I am excited to make my own contribution to such a cause, and meet the people and places that I will encounter along the way.

For I must say: So far, so amazing.