New ACT Publication: “Common Ground” explores music, collaboration, and connection across cultures.

Posted on Wednesday 15 October 2025

New Publication: “Common Ground” explores music, collaboration, and connection across cultures.

We’re thrilled to celebrate a new publication by ACT academics Federico Pendenza, Marianna Cortesi, and Elizabeth Haddon in the journal Music and Arts in Action!

Their article, “Common Ground: Co-facilitators’ perspectives on music workshops for refugees and asylum seekers,” explores how collaborative music-making can create shared spaces of understanding, empathy, and belonging. Drawing on the experiences of workshop co-facilitators, the study highlights how creativity and music can bridge cultural differences and nurture meaningful human connections.
This research contributes to growing conversations about the social impact of the arts and the role of music in supporting inclusive and participatory community practices.

They are also featured discussing this work in Episode 4 of The Book of Refugees Podcast: https://www.york.ac.uk/language-linguistic-science/research/projects/book-of-refugees/book-of-refugees-podcast/

Read the full article here: https://musicandartsinaction.net/index.php/maia/article/view/278