2.2.  External infrastructure and cooperation

If the cultural values that have so far instigated the development of the arts will continue to be slashed to a common lowest denominator, the global village might soon exemplify a random collection of past and present traditions and the degeneration of those symbols and meanings that have characterised their originality throughout the course of history. The increasing speed at which events are occurring could in many ways create a wider gap between four distinct groups of people: a technocratic elite, the tycoons running the market, the vast majority of people and a tiny isolated community of artists without impact on society. If this apprehension is founded, it is possible that such a gap will increasingly widen up, and that the myth of globalisation will become a new meta-ideology imposed on the inhabitants of the planet by the expanding consumerism of the West. Within the social context described earlier, the notion of art as an indicator of civilisation may of course be disputed and rejected as an old fashioned assumption with no relevance for the 21st century. Unless through an intensification of the entertainment industry the arts will loose the critical and philosophical significance they have maintained in the second millennium, such a notion is still tenable, and therefore the importance of music in the search for human inter-cultural evaluation should be convincingly promoted at any level. But how can we ensure that such continuation can take place and flourish?

It is not a chance that the most refreshing field in the music of the second half of the 20th century has been identified in the electroacoustic domain, where the lack of a long-established tradition has facilitated independent thought and a more liberating approach towards form, sonic and conceptual propositions. The continuous refinement of electronic and digital media is proving to be an outstanding challenge to the musician’s psychological and artistic flexibility in working with new compositional tools. More recently, the world-wide-web has caused a major boost in the diffusion and exchange of musics and discussion throughout the globe potentially allowing anybody who uses a computer to both present original work and get in touch with an ever-increasing number of musicians, professional services and organisations of all sorts. The globalisation of such a technology has provided an ideal network upon which cultural autarkies can engage themselves into a planetary dialogue at the fingertip of a computer keyboard. Examples such as the Canadian ‘cec discuss’, the international electroacoustic concerts projects by the American electroacoustic society SEAMUS, the creation of the Electronic Music Foundation in the USA are clearly indicating the increasing need of cross-fertilisation between the local, national and international dimension. The expanding nature of the EMF’s functional logistics, for example, is a case in point which is pioneering a crucial change of direction with regard to the purpose of music services such as information, promotion, sale, archives, production and publishing around the globe.

The educational world is not immune. Although education still remains a national affair despite growing international infrastructures, the teaching of different musical traditions and the integration of diverse musical cultures is increasingly becoming a major necessity for educational institutions worldwide. Through the implementation of the latest technology, teaching and learning strategies are rapidly changing and wider approaches to training are being implemented at primary, sec-