What do ethnomusicologists do?

What do ethnomusicologists do?

Ethnomusicology is the study of music in its social and cultural contexts. Ethnomusicologists examine music as a social process in order to understand not only what music is but what it means to its practitioners and audiences.

What is the importance of ethnomusicology?

Many of the theoretical concepts of ethnomusicology are important because they define the direction of one’s research. The combination of musicology and anthropology has given an emphasis to establishing one’s theoretical backing with the desired methodology.

What is the difference between an anthropologist and an ethnomusicologist?

Anthropological and Musicological Approaches Ethnomusicologists using the anthropological approach generally study music to learn about people and culture. Those who practice the musicological approach study people and cultures to learn about music.

Who is anthropologist?

Anthropology is the study of what makes us human. Anthropologists take a broad approach to understanding the many different aspects of the human experience, which we call holism. They consider the past, through archaeology, to see how human groups lived hundreds or thousands of years ago and what was important to them.

Where do ethnomusicologists work?

Ethnomusicologists are usually employed by colleges or universities, where they lecture in addition to conducting research. (Others are employed by museums, archives, institutes, record labels, etc.)

What two fields contribute to the study of ethnomusicology?

Ethnomusicologists come from, draw upon and contribute to a variety of disciplines: music, cultural anthropology, folklore, performance studies, dance, cultural studies, gender studies, race or ethnic studies, area studies, sound studies, and many other fields in the humanities and social sciences.

How does an ethnomusicologist contribute to the development of music?

Since video recordings are now considered cultural texts, ethnomusicologists can conduct their field work by creating documentaries and recording music performances of the people behind the music. Ethnomusicologists are active in a variety of areas. Ethnomusicologists also play a role in public culture.

What is fieldwork ethnomusicology?

One of the most important activities in which ethnomusicologists engage is the practice of fieldwork. Fieldwork can mean traveling abroad to a place where the locals look quite different from yourself, or it might mean locating musicians to work with in your own city or country.

What is anthropological approach?

An Anthropological Approach. As a research discipline, anthropology combines humanist and social science strategies. The method that sets anthropology apart from other disciplines is ethnography, the qualitative process of exploring in depth the whys and hows of human culture, behavior, and expression.

Why do we need to study anthropology?

Many students study anthropology because it fascinates them, and provides them with a strong liberal arts degree. Anthropologists explore human evolution, reconstruct societies and civilizations of the past, and analyze the cultures and languages of modern peoples.

What skills do you need to be an ethnomusicologist?

Here are some of the top skills ethnomusicologists need:

• Musical abilities. Ethnomusicologists use a deep understanding of musical techniques and theory in their cultural studies.
• Research.
• Analysis.
• Cultural sensitivity.
• Communication.

What music do ethnomusicologists study today?

Today, modern ethnomusicology has expanded to include folk music, art music and popular music. The focus has shifted to exploring music from global and contextual perspectives within their traditional cultural contexts, rather than by comparison to western music.

What is ethnomusicology and why is it important?

Ethnomusicology is the academic study of the socio-cultural aspects of music. In other words, ethnomusicologists look critically at the social and cultural roots of music and the people who make it. Therefore, professionals in this field take a broad view of music and don’t merely study the sound of music.

What education is required to become an ethnomusicologist?

Ethnomusicologists generally hold at least a bachelor’s and master’s degree because of the amount of specialized knowledge this field requires. A bachelor’s degree generally requires 3-4 years of schooling, and you will probably focus on fields such as cultural anthropology, musicology,…

What are the most common jobs for ethnomusicologists?

Below, I’ve listed some of the most common jobs among ethnomusicologists: Academic researcher: They are perfectly equipped to serve as academic researchers at a university, college, or research institute.

What is comparative musicology and ethnomusicology?

Comparative musicology and early ethnomusicology tended to focus on non-Western music, but in more recent years, the field has expanded to embrace the study of Western music from an ethnographic standpoint.