From Minor to Major: Accessing Marginal Voices Through Music. New Ways for Translation?

Abstract

This chapter discusses what it means to make music accessible today. It aims to puncture three prevailing myths that hinder its creative development and enjoyment: (1) the myth that music does not have to be made accessible; (2) the myth that audiences with special needs make and perceive music in less valuable ways; (3) the myth that mainstream audiences and musicians do not benefit from different ways of listening to and making music. It will do so in relation to three main ideas: The first idea is that cultural perceptions of the world are shaped by dominant views and countries. They are established for economic, cultural and politic reasons, primarily through translation. The second idea is that music undermines this translation flow from dominant to dominated cultures, as there is an appetite for marginal voices in music which disrupts this cultural global imbalance. The third idea is that 21st century music translation is pushing the boundaries of transcultural communication in and beyond music, thanks to audience engagement. I shall conclude that models of translation which are primarily relevant to music would not only benefit music enjoyment but broaden concepts of translation into more creative, inclusive and diverse practices.