Affinity spaces are the physical, virtual, or combination of locations where people come together around a shared affinity (interest) (Duncan & Hayes, 2012). Online affinity spaces can act as a participatory hub for music making and learning through social networking and sharing. Although music affinity spaces exist in myriad informal spaces, little scholarship explores potential applications of affinity space characteristics within formalized learning spaces. This chapter introduces characteristics of an affinity space and questions the role of the framework in relation to another framework commonly used in online music learning communities: communities of practice. This chapter concludes with a discussion on practical and theoretical applications of affinity space characteristics within formalized educational contexts.
Read MoreThis chapter is concerned with the diverse ways that people engage with music or sound within, through, and around video games. It begins with a review of literature on games as a leisure activity and sonic space, followed by highlighting various frameworks of participatory cultures. The bulk of the chapter connects these participatory culture frameworks with examples of engagement in sonic participatory cultures and sonic participation within, through, and around video games. Although these categories of sonic participation are divided into three sections, the chapter concludes with a discussion on the overlapping nature of sonic participation and implications for leisure as sonic participation.
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