A few weeks ago, I received an e-mail by researcher Mahaliah Edwards. She’s looking for musicians with in-depth cultural and social understanding of two or more distinct musical traditions.

Her research project seeks to understand the experiences of musicians who have been immersed in a particular musical tradition since childhood, while simultaneously or later learning or making music in a contrasting tradition or style. An example could be a musician of Chinese origin, who grew up with the music, instruments and notation of Chinese musical tradition, while at the same time studying piano with a Western classical repertoire. Some terms associated with this experience are bimusicality, intermusicality or multi-musicality.

If you are at least 18 years old, you fit this description, and you’d like to contribute to Mahaliah’s research, you can start with the quick survey Intermusability: An Exploration of Lived Experience. The project will run until 19th January 2024, but please send your answer at your earliest convenience. For more information, e-mail Mahalaiah at Mahaliah.e21@edu.trinitylaban.ac.uk

Best wishes to Mahalaiah and all the participants!