Music education in times of trouble

EU policy documents on the effects of the global migration wave suggest that culture has an important role in promoting inclusion as well as developing and maintaining democracy. These expectations on culture places music education as a potential key factor in coping with the effects of the current refugee situation. In this paper, it is argued that European music educational systems are given a task to respond to the migration flow by active involvement in the on-going and necessary social re-molding. In praxis, this might be done by curriculum changes, course development, out-reach activities, and focused efforts to intertwine research and education in expanding knowledge on intercultural competence. Through the local lense of developing a globally relevant music teacher training at Malmö Academy of Music, the characteristics of ”times in trouble research” are presented. Finally, with examples from ongoing research on the El Sistema implementation in Sweden, important factors for developing intercultural competence in, through and with music education are discussed.