Inspiring Soulful Communities Through Music: Connecting Arts Entrepreneurship Education and Community Development via Creative Placemaking

Abstract

Due to its focus on business topics such as entrepreneurship and management, AEE has generally been focused on economic motivations and market-driven rationales (Beckman, 2007; Manjon & Guo, 2015). The same holds true for the community development field (Phillips, 2003). This article examines an interdisciplinary collaboration between courses in two disparate units of the university: music and community development. Creative placemaking activities are presented as pedagogical tools for connecting AEE and community development goals. At the heart of the experiences described was a desire to extend beyond the dominant paradigm of both AEE and community development in relation to economic development of the individual (AEE) and collective (community development). In so doing, it is suggested that these projects represent a soulful approach to learning and community building (Westoby, 2016; Westoby & Dowling, 2009) via creative placemaking.