Musik Unserer Nachbarn: XR - interkulturelle Lernmaterialien gestalten
Projektziel: To explore and implement effective ways to teach diverse cultural expressions in XR and to create open-access digital materials on diverse musics, dances, and cultures for learners within and beyond the University.
Status: bis 10/2025
Vorhaben
Germany’s cultural diversity is growing, and Würzburg reflects this trend: One third of Würzburg residents hold foreign citizenship or have a parent with foreign citizenship, local schools can have up to 50% of pupils from migrant families. Yet, the rich cultural expressions present remain underrepresented in education. To foster intercultural competence, self-worth in minority learners, and social harmony, it is essential to teach these cultures with accuracy and sensitivity.
However, educators often lack intercultural training and accessible teaching materials. This project addresses both issues by training future cultural workers and arts educators (students) as well as providing easily accessible, interactive learning materials that can be used by current educators.
Building on the Volkswagen-funded Musik Unserer Nachbarn project (ending March 2025), which produced ethnographic research and professional film portraits of local artists with diverse heritages, the Wue-Dive project will use and expand upon these materials to co-create open, extended reality learning resources. These digital tools aim to support culturally sensitive arts education and will be made available long-term.
The didactic approach is grounded in three research-based premises: (1) close interaction with people from different backgrounds can reduce prejudice; (2) actively learning to make music from other cultures is more effective for cross-cultural understanding than passive listening; and (3) creative engagement with diverse artistic expressions supports emotional well-being and positive identity formation, particularly for members of minority or marginalized groups.
To make these experiences accessible, the project uses XR to enable cultural immersion, personal connection (presence), and embodied participation through music and dance. Learning materials will include narrative texts, film portraits, performance recordings, video tutorials, and both digital and real-world exercises for practice and reflection.
The project aims to benefit educators and learners at different levels, including school pupils and introductory level students.
The project is interdisciplinary, involving ethnomusicology, music and general education, ethnology, cultural studies, and sociology.
https://youtu.be/ET0QJwfvyM0 (Trailer)
The project will explore both digital and hands-on means of creating culturally and artistic immersive learning experiences.
