Motivation for Engaging in Community-Generated Music Events

Community-Designed Music Events
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Community-Designed Music Events
Motivation for Engaging in Community-Generated Music Events
Individuals desire to participate in community-designed music events motivated by various factors and seeking to derive various benefits. Motivations can be defined as the fundamental reasons for behavior. As used in leisure, tourism, and recreation literature, motivation comprises an internal factor that arouses, integrates, and directs an individual's behavior (Perkins, 2012). The decision for individuals to attend popular music events or engage in Creative Placemaking is driven by a motivation to fulfill a desired need. In this case, it can be argued that the desired needs comprise benefits or perceived benefits of Creative Placemaking. Scholars have established several motivations for and benefits of community-generated music events. According to Howard (n.d.), cultural events can validate community groups, create new hybrid identities, and introduce new ideas. Hybridization entails the interaction of national and global cultures to create new cultures. Creative Placemaking allows people to participate in creating and maintaining such identities and validate their current community status and identities.
The Need to Belong
The motivation for participating in music events depends on demographic characteristics. In other words, different ages, cultures, and genders pursue music events driven by different internal factors. The current literature has provided adequate illustrations of such motivations. For example, older people in Australia participate in music events because they want to socialize with other people, feel a sense of belonging and group membership, and feel supported (Lee et al., 2016). Current research indicates that all demographics engage in music events to be part of a community, build an identity, and improve their well-being. Many cultures use music and other community-generated activities to boost a sense of belonging and build unity among society members (Sa'id et al., 2021). For example, indigenous music is critical to the culture of indigenous people since it is a means of expression and transmitting culture to younger generations. In other words, indigenous music unites the indigenous people and defines their identity. Therefore, participation in such events becomes a means of self-expression. Music events may also be part of religion or other cultural activities that unite people. For instance, music, dance, and religion are central to the Bapedi society, where music manifests this society's cultural heritage and unity of its people (Lebaka, 2020). Since every society places varied significance on music, cultural reasons and the need to maintain identities motivate people to engage in Creative Placemaking involving music activities.
The need for a sense of belonging drives the motivation to be part of a community. Even without returning to the societies’ cultural roots, modern secular communities are motivated by the potential to build peer relationships where the sense of community or belonging rules supreme (Talissé, 2018). A music program can improve the relationship between the community members partaking in it. The program may comprise different communities, such as students, older people, or a cultural group comprising individuals with certain social characteristics. Some scholars argue that music events do not necessarily have to be designed for entire communities. For instance, music listening among peers and families can boost social cohesion (Boer & Abubakar, 2014). Therefore, the need to bond with peers or family may motivate people to attend music events. Psychologists believe music can synchronize bodies and brains (Suttie, 2016). According to Suttie (2015), music events boost social cohesion in various ways. Firstly, music events increase contact, cooperation, and coordination with others. Secondly, music events also strengthen empathy and the theory of mind. Lastly, music increases cultural cohesion. Therefore, all individuals seeking to bond with others will be motivated to attend community-generated music activities.
Mental Health Needs
Mental Health comprises emotional, psychological, and social well-being. Many people are motivated to engage in community-generated music events to improve their mental health. This is because people often experience lonely lives, meaning they would embrace an opportunity to interact with others. The motivation for people to engage in music activities also involves the desire to maintain good physical and mental health and overall well-being. Since some people often live in isolation, they may suffer from depression and other mental and psychological health issues (Hallam et al., 2014). They may be driven by their desires to address this situation, or the society or carers may institute such measures as deliberate health-oriented resolutions. Studies have expressed that people believe that music activities are intellectually stimulating, offer an opportunity for community involvement, reduce stress, provide an opportunity for regular mental activity, provide physical health benefits, and provide an opportunity to health others (Hallam et al., 2012). Therefore, people find different motivations for engaging in music events.
The Need to Transform Society
Another motivation for individuals to participate in community-generated music events is transforming society, neighborhoods, or space. According to Heard et al. (2023), arts have historically worked in place-based ways to facilitate positive social change in communities. Scholars like Foucault and Massey theorized that art festivals could transform community space (Brownett & Evans, 2020). For example, a neighborhood that engages in periodic art festivals, including music events, can change the outlook of the neighborhood by dedicating spaces to such events. Such spaces gain cultural and social significance with which all members associate. In this case, it is important to acknowledge that it is not just the space that is transformed. Rather, even individuals’ perceptions of the world can change by participating in the events. The idea of transformative Placemaking entails making communities better places to work, live, and play (Battle et al., 2023). While these may be deemed some of the benefits of individual engagement, community leaders may be motivated by transforming their community into a cultural ecosystem with global acclaim. Creating a world-class amphitheater in Huntsville, Alabama, is a perfect example of transformative Placemaking.
Benefits of Engaging in Community-Generated Music Events
While motivation assesses why individuals find a reason to participate, benefits focus on what they gain after they engage in music activities. Individuals engaging in music activities, including school, community, or even peer settings, can derive massive benefits at the individual and community levels. For example, non-music students participating in music-making activities indicated to derive social benefits from the activities. In this case, the social benefits are often in the form of enjoyment derived from engaging with like-minded people. Relaxation and positive impacts on personal lives have also been recorded as part of the social benefits (Kokotsaki & Hallam, 2011). These findings can be used to make inferences about the community-generated music activities, where individuals who attend enjoy and relax as they interact with peers and other like-minded people. This interaction confirms the argument that music is a tool for social bonding (Suttie, 2016). The rationale is that community-generated is an opportunity for individuals to be happy.
Mental Health Aspects
The most common benefits of individuals participating in community-generated music activities include physical well-being and psychological benefits. However, most also base their arguments on the fact that group music activities are joyful and that joy positively affects the psychological well-being of individuals (Judd & Pooley, 2013). Music festivals are examples of community-generated music activities. Participation creates a union among the attendees since they gather in the same space for a similar purpose, which creates a sense of community.
Psychological Health
The positive psychology framework shows that psychological well-being is improved through interpersonal relationships, agency, and identity. According to Packer and Ballantyne (2010), positive psychology focuses on identifying, understanding, and building factors that improve the quality of life. Positive psychology also helps individuals, societies, and communities to thrive instead of merely surviving. Music festivals and other community-generated music events offer attendees experiences that improve their positive psychology.
Therefore, positive psychology is the cornerstone of human well-being. Music festivals and other events are particularly interesting in that they can be used as tools for the positive functioning of individuals. In this case, well-being is perceived through elements of mental health, including happiness and life satisfaction (Yi & Kim, 2023). Well-being can also be manifested through energy levels and a sense of social connection (Maury et al., 2022). Therefore, many motivations for engaging in music activities often translate into benefits. For example, identity and a sense of community are major motivations for individuals to engage in music activities. These elements are also benefits that can be derived by those who decide to participate.
It is important to acknowledge the determinants of psychological well-being to understand the relationship between community-generated music activities and psychological well-being...