How do the past and future of wind band music influence our present?
Regarding the past, this topic brings to the forefront the use of archival materials such as score manuscripts and instruments, which are researched and adapted for contemporary artistic practice. It also highlights the cultural heritage of wind bands and their historical and current roles in society. Musicology’s growing interest in the history of wind bands offers new insights into their repertoire and performance practices, as well as approaches to edition.
Looking towards the future, novel technologies – such as augmented reality and AI-generated scores and audio – promise to influence wind music communities. We invite research that explores the impact of these innovations on music production, education, and dissemination, and how they intersect with societal changes. These developments are transforming the ways in which wind band musicians engage with their art today, and we seek to understand how they shape modern music-making.