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This essay explores the work of the Field Band Foundation (FBF) in South Africa, a non-governmental organisation that has been working nationwide since 1997 to create opportunities for the development of ‘life skills’ in youth in predominantly socioeconomically underprivileged communities through music education. It positions the work of the FBF as a pragmatic interaction with the government's efforts to rectify profound levels of socioeconomic inequality over the past two decades, which have relied upon neoliberal reform. I examine the political and economic developments in South Africa that mobilise such ideologies, attending to the historical trajectory of development discourse through the colonial and apartheid period. Observing the flexibility with which neoliberalism manifests in diverse settings, I identify conflicting moralities invoked within both neoliberalism and social development work, as music is harnessed to achieve humanitarian socioeconomic goals. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

A review of the DVD release of the documentary film "War Dance," by Sean Fine and Andrea Nix Fine is presented.

Although Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR) user experiences have received large amounts of recent research interest, a direct comparison of different immersive technologies' user experiences has not often been conducted. This study compared user experiences of one VR and two AR versions of an immersive gallery experience 'Virtual Veronese', measuring multiple aspects of user experience, including enjoyment, presence, cognitive, emotional and behavioural engagement, using a between-subjects design, at the National Gallery in London, UK. Analysis of the self-reported survey data (N = 368) showed that enjoyment was high on all devices, with the Oculus Quest (VR) receiving higher mean scores than both AR devices, Magic Leap and Mira Prism. In relation to presence, the elements 'spatial presence', 'involvement', and 'sense of being there' received a higher mean score on the Oculus Quest than on both AR devices, and on 'realism' the Oculus Quest scored significantly higher than the Magic Leap. Cognitive engagement was similar between the three devices, with only 'I knew what to do' being rated higher for Quest than Mira Prism. Emotional engagement was similar between the devices. Behavioural engagement was high on all devices, with only 'I would like to see more experiences like this' being higher for Oculus Quest than Mira Prism. Negative effects including nausea were rarely reported. Differences in user experiences were likely partly driven by differences in immersion levels between the devices. • Compared user experiences of one VR and two AR versions of a UK gallery experience. • Questionnaire data was provided by 368 National Gallery London UK visitors. • Overall, all tested devices created a positive user experience. • On enjoyment and most presence items, VR outperformed AR. • Experience differences likely partly driven by devices' immersion levels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]