ABSTRACT
The final chapter is a key component of the monograph, introducing questions of identity and influence that inevitably arise when reflecting on the historical information presented in previous chapters. Are there any defining characteristics of Australian percussion music? If there are, are they unique to Australian percussion? How have Australian practices aligned with international practices since 1960? Have advances in technology affected the development of global schools of thought? The nature of percussion itself renders succinct answers to these questions difficult; on a global scale, we can see that even the definition of a Western percussion instrument is constantly changing. Examination of persistent influences evident in Australian contemporary percussion practices throughout the years between 1960 and 2010 takes place in this chapter, including French avant-garde and experimental music, aspects of arts practices from North America and Europe, Asian and African traditional musics, geographical context, artistic approach and community. Chapter Seven thus develops the meanings of Australian percussion activity between 1960 and 2010 as applied to contemporary music globally, serving to introduce the question of identity within the field of contemporary percussion. It is vitally engaged with ideas of current contemporary practice, and is representative of cutting-edge critical thought in this emerging topic within the field.
