Beginning with a short overview of the strate-gies and activities in applied ethnomusicology in Southeast Asia, this paper focuses on the develop-ment of a socially engaged approach to empower young people in Malaysia to address two concerns: revitalizing traditions and bridging cultural barriers in a multiethnic and multireligious society where tensions often occur. | Začenši s kratkim pregledom strategij in aktivnosti aplikativne etnomuzikologije se pričujoči prispevek osredotoča na razvoj socialno angažiranega pristopa k omogočanju mladih Malezijcev, da se lotijo dveh vprašanj: oživljanja tradicij in preseganja kulturnih pregrad v multietnični in multikulturni družbi, v kateri so nestrpnosti često prisotne.