Musicology

139 (Fall 2017)

PAPER GUIDELINES

The format for all papers appears below. Not following the format will result in the loss of a
grade point (for example, from an A minus to a B plus). The formatting guidelines (font, spacing,
and margins) are in place to ensure equity in effort between all students and not to stifle your
creativity.
Font: 12-point Times, Times New Roman, or Cambria font
Spacing: double-spaced with no extra lines in between indented paragraphs
Margins: 1-inch on all sides

1. All college-level classes require proper writing skills, including those in musicology.
2. Spelling and grammar mistakes will cost you points. Read over your paper, and use spell
check. Consider exchanging papers with another student to get a fresh set of eyes (be sure
not to copy any ideas from one another).
3. Your name and section instructor (GSI) must be at the top of the paper.

Musical Ethnography (6-8 pages)
Deadlines
• Week 7: Paper subject description with possible argument due in section
• Week 11: Paper abstract and outline due in section
• Friday, December 15: Submit final paper in Canvas by midnight. Hard copies and email will
not be accepted.

This assignment requires you to perform ethnographic fieldwork in order to collect information
about a particular music culture/community. The community under study may be an ensemble
in which you participate or one that you simply observe over time. To fill in details beyond your
own experiences, you should interview participants and engage in outside research using books,
articles, liner notes, programs, and reputable websites. You will then write your own musical
ethnography that must include the following:

1. thesis statement (your primary argument)
2. description of the musical group under study (context, people, instruments, etc.) that
includes your outside research
3. argument (Titon calls this a topic) that frames what you want to say about the musical
community or ensemble
4. narrative of what a rehearsal/performance was like to experience as either a performer
or observer
5. important quotations from interview(s) with your consultant(s) that help to prove your
point
6. analysis of a piece of music played by the ensemble that supports your argument (choose
an aspect or aspects of the music that are representative).

While you are researching your subject matter, you will have to attend rehearsals and
performances. Even if you are in the ensemble, you must also interview at least one other
performer to gain further perspective on the music and culture of that group. The interviewees
are your consultants. You need not agree with everything your consultant says, but find a way in
the paper to respectfully portray differences in opinion and why they might have arisen.

The goal of your research and writing is not merely to describe a music group, but rather to
collect enough details to be able to say something relevant about the importance of the music to
people or of the musical group to the larger community. The relevance will be brought to light by
your choice of topic and how you frame the material. Examples of topics can be found throughout
the course syllabus and textbook.

The Titon article required for class gives a good summary of how you might think about your
subject and topic. From the Soundscapes textbook, you should also review “Studying Music:
Observing and Participating” (p. 17).

Below are a few pointers that you may find helpful (adapted from a handout created by Kay
Kaufman Shelemay and Carol Babiracki):
• While witnessing/taking part in this event, observe the goings-on as broadly as
possible. Elements of the “setting” include details such as the physical layout of the
building/room/outdoor space; how the participants are configured and move within
that space; age, ethnicity, dress, body language, and mannerisms of the participants;
and the progression of the event. How, when, and for what purpose does music play a
role in the event? What else strikes you?
• Talk with participants (to the extent that it is appropriate). Ask questions related to
why they are there, and what the event and the music employed means to them (i.e.,
the significance). Try to speak with as many different people and kinds of participants
as possible. Are there other, nonverbal ways of communicating with and receiving
knowledge from participants?
• Take a small notebook with you, though you are the only one who will be able to judge
whether it is appropriate to write notes in the midst of the event. Often it is not
possible or appropriate to write observations down; in such cases, make a mental
outline of points that you will want to write about later. If there is some quote or list of
things you are afraid of forgetting, you might excuse yourself to go outside or to the
bathroom to write a few things down.
• Was a program distributed for the event? If so, make sure to get one, as it can be a
valuable tool for you to understand the ordering of performances and to check the
proper spellings of song titles or names of performers. Descriptions found in the
program often communicate aspects of the event’s significance for those organizing it.
If you quote from the program directly, make sure to cite it and include it in your
paper’s bibliography.
• Most important, write down everything you can recollect after rehearsals or events
before going to sleep that night. Expand on any notes you may have taken during the
event. Don’t filter your experience at this time; simply write down everything you can
remember. Later, when you return to your notes, you can choose what is relevant as
you write more pointedly about the role of music in the event.