ABSTRACT
Kristen, as lovers of music and song, I am excited about this dialogue – wondering what it might offer to this exploration of soul, community and social change. In sharing the idea of the dialogue with several others, people have asked, ‘Why song and music?’ to which I have answered, ‘Why not?’, after all as Oliver Sacks reminds us, a propensity ‘to music, this “musicophilia” … is manifest and central in every culture’ (Sachs, 2007: x). You and I recognise that music and song is but one manifestation of soul, but I’d suggest it is one with a significance for community practice and social change work related to the theme of soul because there are few things that animate the body quite like music and song. It is with this thought in mind that I would like to ‘kick off’ this dialogue by providing some ‘settings’ about how I approach our topic and task. I hope some of it resonates with you, inviting a response.
