This course examines folk, popular, and art musical traditions from around the world with a special focus on the Andes, Ireland, Ghana, Spain, and India. Drawing on historical and visual sources, recordings, and contemporary ethnography, the course develops interpretive skill sets for analyzing the sound and social life of music in contexts ranging from rituals, festivals, politics, and schools, to recording studios, television, the internet, and global stages. In addition to learning about key topics in the field of ethnomusicology, we engage with traditions firsthand through virtual ethnography and a weekly workshop with performance faculty on campus. Organized into three small-group sessions on Monday evenings, the workshop component introduces music from Ghana, Spain, and India through rotating sections devoted to each area. Finally, we will also confront how differences of gender, sexual orientation, age, class, race, ethnicity, faith, and nationality influence our understanding of musical life.
- Teacher: Alexander Addy
- Teacher: Julia Banzi
- Teacher: Erica Jensen
- Teacher: Kaley Mason
- Teacher: Michael Stirling