MCN x CME: Re-Cen­te­ring Music Cities Around People and Purpose

For music policy to succeed in cities, it must connect to the broader social and cultural challenges we all face where we live. From addressing mental health issues and loneliness to improving cross-cultural communication and diversity, music provides opportunities to enhance communities holistically. In this sense, music can serve as a foundation for social change—a tool not only for economic growth but also for fostering empathy, promoting inclusion, and driving systemic transformation. But in a world where disinformation is a valued currency and defense spending is a priority, creating meaningful change is more complex than ever. 

So what should we do? Where can we find lessons and best practices? How do we redefine economic value through the lens of purpose? When music addresses real human needs, it creates value not just financially, but emotionally, socially, and democratically. Join us in a discussion about how music can be integrated into solutions for some of the biggest challenges of our time, and what that could mean for all of us.