Symposium Focusing on the Study of Cultural Music and Its Applications at UCLA
On May 19, 2017, the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music hosted a symposium titled "Ethnomusicology in Theory and Practice." The event, which took place at the Choral Room, Schoenberg Music Building 1325, aimed to examine the nature of theorizing in ethnomusicology.
The symposium featured presentations by a diverse group of scholars, researchers, and practitioners in the field. Among them were Maureen Mahon from New York University, who presented "Race in Theory and Ethnomusicology," and Deborah Wong from the University of California, Riverside, who discussed "Will Sound Studies Decolonize Ethnomusicology?"
Mark Slobin, Wesleyan University, emeritus, shared his thoughts as a "Confessions of a Theory Skeptic," while Thomas Turino, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, emeritus, presented "You Never Know Where You're Going Till You Get There: Dialectics of Experience and Theory."
The symposium was also an opportunity for academics to engage in discussions and debates. Session 1, titled "What is Music Good For?", was chaired by Mark Kligman and included presentations by Anthony Seeger, Michael Bakan, and Jane Sugarman. Session 2, titled "Studying Music or Studying Sound?", was chaired by Jessica Schwartz and featured presentations by unspecified respondents. Session 3 was chaired by Daniel Neuman, UCLA, and included a response from Roger Savage. Session 4 was chaired by Robert Garfias, UC Irvine, and included a response from Timothy Taylor, UCLA.
Other presentations included Judith Becker's "Ethnographic Puzzle to Theoretical Formulation: Transwomen and Burmese Spirit Ceremonies," Harris Berger's "Others, Dialectics, Horizons: Comparativisms, Work, and Life for Ethnomusicologists," and Jeff Todd Titon's "From Music in Its Sonic Context to Music as Sound: Some Theoretical Implications." Martin Daughtry, New York University, presented "Sound Studies Provincializes Music Studies. What Provincializes Sound Studies?"
The symposium began at 9:00am with opening remarks by Steven Loza, Chair, Department of Ethnomusicology. A coffee break was scheduled at 10:30am. The event concluded with a grand concert titled "Grand Concert: Celebrating the School's Musics" in Schoenberg Hall at 7:30pm.
While the search results do not provide specific information about the presenters at the symposium, it is clear that it was a valuable opportunity for scholars and practitioners in ethnomusicology to come together and engage in meaningful discussions about the field. For those interested in learning more about the concert details, further information can be found at the specified link.
The symposium served as a platform for scholars and practitioners to discuss various aspects of ethnomusicology, focusing on personal growth and education-and-self-development through learning, such as Anthony Seeger's presentation in Session 1 titled "What is Music Good For?", or Mark Slobin's confession as a "Confessions of a Theory Skeptic." Moreover, the event aimed to foster debates on decolonizing ethnomusicology, as demonstrated by Deborah Wong's discussion in her presentation.
