Musical Excursions

Is anyone familiar with Songlines Magazine? It seems they also have a tour company, organizing trips that bring music enthusiasts up close and personal with the local music scenes around the world: Songlines Music Travel

Tango in Buenos Aires. Flamenco in an Andalusian bar. Kora music in Mali. Ecstatic Rajasthani dancing at a local festival.

Nothing beats experiencing music in situ - with the food, the ambience and the local people. Yet finding the best music isn't always that simple.

That's why Songlines Music Travel is starting dedicated music trips for music lovers worldwide, bringing you the excitement of real music directly where it's made.

They put together groups of 10-20 people and arrange to attend festivals, concerts, and jam sessions as well as meeting some of the musicians and instrument makers. They also make time to see the sights and check out the rest of the local culture too.

They book their groups into “modest three star, or sometimes four star hotels” with the criteria for accommodation being that they are clean, safe and comfortable. There is no problem if you’re traveling alone, because they’ll just bunk you in with another solo traveler. Welcome to our world! It sounds like they should be using hostels instead, right?

Many backpackers are probably just as interested in music as Songlines’ customers are. If Songlines isn’t bringing people through your part of the world, maybe you could follow their lead. Is your area known for a particular type of music, or do you simply have some extraordinarily talented musicians in town? If you’re not already organizing musical excursions, give it a try. A few ideas to start brainstorming:

• Organize an outing to watch live music, and arrange to meet with the musicians after the show
• Invite local musicians to perform in your hostel
• Arrange for any guests with musical talent to join a jam session with local pros
• Bring in a lecturer to talk about a particular style of music, and then go see a live performance

The same ideas would work for theatre, art, food, dance, etc.