Ethnomusicology
Come on an audio trip around the world as we listen and study the world’s music. We will look at the societies and traditions that create the many diverse cultures of sound. We will investigate the why, the how, the who, and the history of the wide variety of musical expression forms from around the world.
Ethnomusicology aims to understand what music is, why it is, what it means, and how it reflects, references, and affects our human condition.
We will also wrestle with the question of whether outsiders can validly study another culture's music.
You will be expected to write general reaction papers on each of the societies and music covered as well as a longer essay on an area of music study of your choosing. No prior musical experience is required, just an open mind, the ability to listen and think about sounds you may not be familiar with.
Eva's Bollywood
https://youtu.be/waCexeCPGlw?si=w3CNIHygSxe2PvEA
https://youtu.be/B1dmwRBVqWI?si=D7da5fzlUKlZI_qZ
Exercise: Listen carefully, be silent. Write down everything that you hear.
Aboriginal Music Fron Australia and New Zealand
Eurocentrism and Black Spirituals
Eurocentrism is a worldview that centers Western civilization or favors it over non-Western civilizations. It can be conscious or unconscious, and is sometimes only revealed when other ways of knowing come into contact with it.
Homework: Choose a song from a music genre you are familiar with and write a report about everything you know about the artist, genre, style and history.