feasibility study for development project for folk music in the island's rural areas

The feasibility study will provide the basis for a three-year development project for folk music in Gotland. The vision is a vibrant, inclusive, and intergenerational folk music environment with fixed meeting places in the countryside. The ambition is further that there will be clear educational pathways, an annually recurring folk music camp for children and youth, a touring route in the countryside for professional folk music, and many opportunities for amateur musicians of all ages to play and dance together.

The vision includes collaborating with KUNO — Cultural Association Northern Gotland, Hantverkshuset in Burgsvik, and Östergarns Bygdegård Cultural House to create a structure for folk music where non-musicians also find a natural community and where this community contributes to strengthened cohesion and increased security in the local community.

Through the feasibility study, Gotlandsmusiken wants to:

• Create an overview and establish contacts within the organizer field, performers, and educational institutions in Gotland.
• Gather new perspectives for development and explore how it can be implemented in Gotland.
• Plan for the larger development project and apply for funding for this.

The method for the feasibility study is to gather different perspectives through conversations, study visits, and public jam sessions where music-making, song teaching, and dialogue are combined. In this way, the needs and wishes of the target groups will be made visible, and the interest in the larger development project will be mapped and established.