The framework used for this research is the “Music Vitality and Endangerment Framework” (MVEF).
The MVEF is a tool to assess the levels of vitality or endangerment of music genres, created by the researcher of this project. It is presented in-depth in the book “Music Endangerment: How Language Maintenance Can Help“.
The MVEF identifies twelve factors in the vitality of any music genre. Assessed together, these factors give an overall picture of the strength of the genre.
Using the MVEF can help:
- to gauge how urgently a music genre may need support
- to indicate the type of support needed
- to measure the success of efforts over time.
In these ways, the MVEF may be useful for musicians, communities, fieldworkers, researchers, cultural bodies, and others who are trying to find best ways to strengthen specific cultural practices.
By gathering information on many genres using the MVEF, this project begins to generate comparable data on music endangerment across the world. Over time, this could help build a rigorous basis for research, policy, and action on music endangerment.