Technology as Cultural Preservation: Digital Tools for Endangered Music Traditions

This paper examines why endangered music traditions continue to decline despite large-scale digitization efforts. It argues that the primary challenge is not the preservation of cultural content but the transmission of musical practice, including pedagogical methods, social context, and embodied knowledge. Through a systematic literature review and four structured case studies, the research analyzes existing digital tools and demonstrates that most current systems function primarily as archives rather than effective transmission platforms. Drawing on theories from postcolonial computing, value-sensitive design, activity theory, and self-determination theory, the paper proposes a five-principle framework for transmission-focused music software: Pedagogical Fidelity, Practice Visibility, Community Embeddedness, Generational Interface Design, and Organic Adoption as a Validation Metric. The study highlights a significant gap in computer science and HCI approaches to cultural preservation and provides a foundation for designing technologies that support the continued practice and intergenerational transmission of living musical traditions.