Prompt
This paper is your first fieldwork assignment as an ethnomusicologist-in-training:
• Select and attend a live music performance in the Washington D.C./Maryland/Virginia area that involves at least two musicians. You may choose any kind of music (popular, classical, traditional, religious, etc.), in any kind of context, and it may also include dance, theater, or some other type of activity. The concert must take place after August 27, 2018 (within this current semester).
• Conduct preliminary research on the music being performed prior to attending the event. Consult at least two scholarly sources, which must be cited and listed in your bibliography.
• Analyze this performance by utilizing the frameworks presented in class (i.e. Merriam's and Turino's models). Analytically discuss the music performed, cultural values and identities expressed through the performance, the experience of the performers and audience members, and the context of the performance.
Requirements:
• Your paper should be between 6 and 7 pages long (double spaced, pages numbered and stapled together).
Papers will be turned in to TAs as hard copies in class, not as electronic submissions.
• As proof of your attendance either:
• Take a selfie inside the venue (this can be submitted with your paper or separately on ELMS) OR Staple your ticket stub (or a screenshot of your mobile ticket) to your paper.
• You paper must include a clear thesis statement at the beginning.
• You must attach to your paper and fill out the Paper Checklist, which can be found on ELMS
• You must use at least 2 scholarly sources. At least one of your scholarly sources must be a printed source, not an online source. All sources must be cited and listed in your bibliography.
• Follow the Writing Guidelines for formatting and citing your paper, which can be found on ELMS.
Methods and Approach:
• In order to best gather information on the performance, plan to take notes during the event with pen and paper (while being respectful of performers and sensitive to etiquette).
Do not try to simply reconstruct the event in your head the following day-you need to observe and record specifics, not just remember general impressions.
After the performance, write down "headnotes" (longer notes that you may not have been able to jot down mid- event) as soon as you can. For best results, write your report as soon as possible after attending the performance.
• Your observations should be informed by your pre-fieldwork research, listening, and what you have learned in class regarding performance observation.
• Consider interviewing/talking with audience members or performers to better enhance your understanding of the event.
• Your goal is to discriminate between your observations, your judgements, and your analyses. Some aspects of the performance will be more directly observable, some will depend upon your interpretation of events, which should be informed by your research and discussions with members attending the event.
• Things to consider and include:
• The names of performers/group and genre
• Location, date, time, length of performance
• Type of event (concert, dance event, fundraiser, worship service, etc.)
• Price of admission
• Models of performance analysis from Merriam, Titian, and Turino (discussed in lecture)
• Choosing a performance: you may find that it will be easier to attend a performance of a tradition you are unfamiliar with. While you are certainly welcome to choose music you listen to already and identify with, consider trying something new.
• Context:
• Physical and social environment
• Use of space (exclusively for performance? Multi-purpose?)
• Musical sound:
• Instruments used
• Style
• Pieces played (focus on a few key pieces rather than recounting everything)
• Interaction between performers/audience:
• Is there a leader? Do dancers interact with the musicians? Do musicians interact with one another? How do/do the musicians interact with audience members? Do audience members interact with one another?
• Is the performance participatory or presentational? Both?
• Intended purpose:
• Why are people attending? What is the performance trying to achieve (entertainment, protest, religious worship, dancing, community outreach, etc.)?
• What issues or ideas was the artist negotiating, reinforcing, or challenging?
• Socio-cultural background of music and community members:
• Being respectful and discreet, "read" the appearances of performers and audience members and try to determine age, gender, race, socio-economic status, etc. What kind of audience is this kind of music typically associated with? Does the audience fit your expectations of who would attend this type of event or no?
• Audience behavior
• How does the audience experience the event? Is there a certain etiquette typically associated with this type of music and does the audience adhere to it? How do audience members seem to react/be affected by the musical event?
• How do you fit into this event?
• While not a primary focus of the paper, include your positioning within the event. Are you an insider or outsider to this music-culture?
• Social media
• Do the artists use social media? Consider following them to gather more information about the event and
• other events the group may hold.
• And finally: remember that research is a process, one that is best conducted gradually rather than all at once in a last-minute rush. This is a difficult assignment to put together at the eleventh hour, but easy if you think ahead and plan accordingly.