Ethnomusicology

Ethnomusicology is the study of music and society, with special emphasis on the cultural contexts of their interaction. Ethnographic research guides the participations and conversations that ethnomusicologists have with musicians, audiences, and the many social actors who also interact with music to consider, affirm, or oppose discourses of interdisciplinary scholarship in the humanities and social sciences. In so doing, ethnomusicologists privilege theory that the people share in fieldwork. Career paths in ethnomusicology may eventually include Ph.D. training, research publication and pedagogical development as a professor, as well as opportunities to contribute expertise at archives, museums, arts-presenting institutions, primary and secondary schools, government agencies, publishing and media firms, and organizations focused on health, community development, environmental sustainability, cultural heritage, social justice, and other issues.

Studying Ethnomusicology

Ethnomusicology at Bard emphasizes ethnographic fieldwork. Fieldwork remains the longest lasting feature of knowing in ethnomusicology despite shifting generational consensuses of concepts and paradigms that dwell on modern insistences for “theory” that predictably and necessarily shift for newer and more ethical considerations of human life with music. Specifically, the Ethnomusicology Area’s core and special topics coursework highlight the consistent centrality of technological reproductions of fieldwork, from phonography to reciprocity through social media, as foundational to ethnomusicology in the 21st century. Accommodating the Bard student’s free exploration of liberal arts education and musical culture—in traditional, popular, and art music—the Ethnomusicology Area offers such coursework within the richness of The Bard Music Program and its many musical practitioners and ensemble classes such as the Georgian Choir, Afro Latin Percussion Ensemble, and Balinese Gamelan.

Requirements in Ethnomusicology

Course Requirements for Majors

Course Requirements for Majors

Ethnomusicology Core Courses:
All core courses are required.
MUS 185 - Introduction to Ethnomusicology
MUS 247 - Ethnographies of Music and Sound
MUS 334 - Field Methods in Ethnomusicology

Ethnomusicology Special Topics:
Choose 3 of the following special topics courses:

MUS 1xx - Social Media and Music
MUS 251 - Improvisation as Social Science
MUS 253 - The Social Life of Loudspeakers
MUS 269 - Sound Studies and Critical Listening
MUS 373 - Pentatonicism and Culture
MUS 381 - Musicology Among Enslaved Americans

Music Theory:
Choose 1 of the following music theory courses. Students with prior proficiency may test out of Music Theory I or Jazz Harmony I at the discretion of the instructor. Examples include:
MUS 201 - Music Theory / Ear Training I
MUS 171 - Jazz Harmony I

Music History:
Choose 1 of the following music history courses. Examples include:

MUS 142 - Introduction to Western Music
MUS 149 - Women Composers
MUS 177 - Jazz Through the Prism of History

Music Performance/Ensembles:
Choose 1 of the following ensemble courses. Examples include:

MUS 108H - Balinese Gamelan
MUS 108R - Georgian Choir
MUS 108S - Afro Caribbean Percussion Ensemble
MUS 108N - Contemporary Jazz Composers
MUS 108SC - Spontaneous Composition Ensemble
MUS 108V - Jazz Standards Ensemble
MUS 108M - Ensemble for Any Instruments
MUS 105 - Bard College Symphonic Chorus
MUS 104 - Bard College Community Orchestra
Moderation Requirements

Moderation Requirements

In consultation with the ethnomusicology faculty advisor, with whom the student has taken ethnomusicology courses in the Lower College, the second-year student must prepare for review by a board of three faculty members in order to moderate, entering into the Upper College, declaring the Music major.

Students must submit two ethnographic final projects from ethnomusicology courses to the board in addition to their two Bard Moderation papers: the first assessing their curriculum, performance, and experience in the first two years, and the second identifying their goals and proposed study plan for the final two years. The board of three faculty members, who evaluate the student’s past performance, commitment, and preparedness in the field; make suggestions for the transition from the Lower to the Upper College; and approve, deny, or defer promotion of the student to the Upper College.
Senior Project Requirements

Senior Project Requirements

The Bard Ethnomusicology Senior Project is an ethnographic research paper (70 page minimum) based on participant observation associated with ethnographic fieldwork and its adjudication of pertinent scholarship.

Senior Projects in ethnomusicology require IRB certification. IRB certification should ideally be completed by the end of junior year, so that fieldwork can take place either over the summer or from the beginning of the senior year. Students must register for MUS 401 and MUS 402 in order to work in consultation with an ethnomusicology faculty advisor during the senior year when the student develops and completes the Senior Project.

Read past Ethnomusicology Area Senior Projects here

Ensembles

All of these ensembles can be taken for credit at Bard College. Additionally, many of them welcome community members. Please contact ensemble leaders for information about participating.

Balinese Gamelan

Balinese Gamelan

Hudson Valley Gamelans at Bard College practice and perform on a collection of authentic Balinese gamelan gong kebyar instruments composed of gongs, metallophones, drums, cymbals, and flutes. Hudson Valley Gamelans comprises two distinct ensembles: Gamelan Chandra Kanchana (Golden Moon) is made up primarily of Bard College students, while Gamelan Giri Mekar (Mountain Flower) is open to advanced students, community members, and faculty. Popularized in early 20th-century Bali, the gong kebyar repertoire is noted particularly for its explosive dynamics, tempo changes, and intricate interlocking rhythmic patterns. Ensemble members are instructed in the gong kebyar tradition by associate professor and Balinese master musician I Nyoman Suadin. Performances featuring both ensembles and guest Balinese artists take place at the end of each semester. Founded in 1988 by Woodstock Percussion CEO Garry Kvistad and his wife Diane, Gamelan Giri Mekar relocated from its home in Woodstock, N.Y., to Bard College in 1998, when Kvistad made the instrument collection available to the College through a long-term loan. Listen to gamelan performance excerpts on Soundcloud.
Contact: Sue Pilla ([email protected])
Afro-Caribbean Percussion Ensemble

Afro-Caribbean Percussion Ensemble

Practice & performance; study & consideration of the rhythms (& culture) of the West African drum legacies thriving in modern music; essential music languages & roots of popular music in our hemisphere: Afro Brazilian (samba, batucada, bossa nova), Afro Cuban (guaguanco, bembe, rumba Columbia) Afro Puerto Rican (plena, guaracha, bomba), etc. etc. Requirements: attendance, focus & participation (at best level of ability) in weekly Ensemble.
Contact: Roland Vazquez ([email protected])
Georgian Choir on Facebook

Bard Georgian Choir

The Bard Georgian Choir is an all-vocal group that studies and performs traditional polyphonic songs from the Republic of Georgia. Most songs are taught orally, and no previous singing experience or music reading skill is required. Special vocal techniques are also explored, including ornamented singing and yodeling. The group performs concerts at the end of each semester. The instructor, Carl Linich, has been a scholar, teacher, and performer of traditional Georgian polyphonic singing since 1990, and is a member of Trio Kavkasia. In recognition of his work to promote and preserve Georgian folk song, Linich has been honored as a Silver Medal Laureate of the Georgian government (1995) and is the recipient of Georgia’s prestigious President’s Order of Merit Award (2009).
Contact: Carl Linich ([email protected])
Georgian Choir on Facebook

Faculty

Whitney Slaten

Associate Professor of Music, Whitney Slaten trained as an ethnomusicologist, earning the Ph.D. at Columbia University.

Applying to the Program

How to Apply

To apply to the undergraduate Bard Music Program, apply through the Bard Admission Office. Applying to the Bard Conservatory of Music requires a separate application to the Conservatory.
Apply to the Undergraduate Program Apply to the Conservatory

Ethnomusicology

Studying Ethnomusicology

Requirements in Ethnomusicology

Course Requirements for Majors

Moderation Requirements

Senior Project Requirements

Ensembles

Balinese Gamelan

Afro-Caribbean Percussion Ensemble

Bard Georgian Choir

Faculty

Faculty

Applying to the Program