Local Music Organization Chosen for Global Music Project
Local Music Organization Chosen for Global Music Project
Center for Music Ecosystems is delighted to announce the launch of the 2024 Music Policy Resilience Network. Due to the massive impact live music has had socially, culturally, and economically on Henry County, Illinois and the surrounding area, local non-profit organization Crossroads Cultural Connections was selected to participate as part of a cohort of 20 cities around the world which will benefit from bespoke research, masterclasses, international best practice examples, and knowledge exchange, focusing on the most important issues facing their areas and music ecosystems.
Center for Music Ecosystems’ mission is to demonstrate that music bolsters economies and improves livelihoods. The organization collaborates with leaders and policymakers to foster policies that lead to social and economic development at local, national, and global levels.
“Despite being a rural area, Henry County has become a destination for live music, and I think that is something we all should be proud of, but I also think we are just beginning to scratch the surface of what is possible. Everyday world-class musicians from across the globe are asking to come here to perform. Guests from surrounding areas and beyond are traveling here to attend shows. My hope is that by participating in this project, we can not only solidify the work we have been doing, but also build something that will ensure live music is part of life in this area for well beyond our lifetimes,” says John Taylor, president of Crossroads Cultural Connections.
The Music Policy Resilience Network is a landmark transnational collaboration that aims to implement pro-music and culture policies that foster resilience in cities facing unique geographical, economic, or sociological challenges. It is generously supported by the Nordic Culture Fund and the Levitt Foundation.
The Music Policy Resilience Network is a result of 2022’s Defining Resilience in Remote Music Ecosystems and 2023‑2024’s Music Policy Resilience Lab. It aims to further resilience in places that are, in some way, geographical outliers, facing various sociological, geographical, economic—or simply logistical—challenges to incorporating music and culture into strategic objectives, but united in their desire to advance their music ecosystems to their fullest potential.
2024 CITIES
Arundel (Norway)
Bishkek (Kyrgyzstan)
Cuenca (Ecuador)
Cumberland (Maryland, USA)
Darwin (NT, Australia)
Dera Ismail Khan (Pakistan)
Ede (Nigeria)
Folkestone (UK)
Gallup (New Mexico, USA)
Galva (Illinois, USA)
Gander (Newfoundland & Labrador, Canada)
Homer (Alaska, USA)
Lerwick, Shetland (UK)
Mariehamn (Ă…land Islands, Finland)
Nuuk (Greenland)
South Tarawa (Republic of Kiribati)
St. Johnsbury (Vermont, USA)
Torshavn (Faroe Islands)
UmeĂĄ (Sweden)
Whitehorse (Yukon Territory, Canada)
Whitesburg (Kentucky, USA)
About The Center for Music Ecosystems
The Center for Music Ecosystems is a mission driven nonprofit that conducts globally relevant research that demonstrates how music can be a catalyst for social change and supports communities to use music to foster sustainable development at a local, national and global level.