About the project

Music4Change was a European collaboration that explored how music research and education could more effectively engage with questions of sustainability within the cultural and creative sectors. Working across universities, NGOs, and music stakeholders, the project focused on how education and research might better support emerging forms of social, cultural, and environmental responsibility in our fields.

A central aim was to strengthen research education by deepening interdisciplinary practice, enhancing digital competence, and improving cooperation between higher education and the wider music sector. The project placed strong emphasis on exchange, across disciplines, institutions, and national contexts, recognising that sustainable development in music depends on sharing perspectives and collaboration.

What Music4Change Developed:

Learning Framework for Sustainable Music Research

  • Open-access digital learning resources
  • Blended learning opportunities on sustainability in/through music
  • Tools to support interdisciplinary and responsible research practice
Living Lab Workshops

  • Cross sector exchange spaces for co-creation, and dialogue
  • Collaboration between students, researchers, NGOs, and music-sector partners
  • Hands-on exploration of sustainability, inclusion, and cultural practice
Bridge Mentorship Scheme

  • A pilot mentorship model linking academia and the music sector
  • Tailored support for Ph.D. and early-career researcher pathways
  • Strengthened awareness of professional futures beyond the university
Strengthened Exchange Across the Sector

  • Improved understanding of how sustainability intersects with music education, research, and practice
  • Support for more collaborative, context-aware research approaches
  • Closer alignment between higher education and the cultural and creative sector
Music4Change archive

Bergen, 19th - 21st June 2023

International Research School 2023: Breaking the Sound Barrier? Inclusion, Diversity and Equity in Music Life

Mentorship Hub

Mentorship Programme 2024/2025

Groningen, 6th - 8th November 2024

International Research School 2024: Sustainable Cities and Cultures of Music

Thessaloniki, 23rd - 26th September 2025

International Research School 2025: Rethinking Interdisciplinarity and Innovation in Music Research