Ethnomusicology Minor

Using music as an entry into a variety of cultures, social classes, and populations, the discipline of ethnomusicology has become an important field of study for students interested in music education, music performance, music history, performance studies (ritual studies, dramaturgy and ethno-choreology), cultural anthropology, linguistic anthropology, and other interdisciplinary fields. 

Broadly speaking, ethnomusicology can be defined as the study of music as a cultural phenomenon. Ethnomusicologists take a global, interdisciplinary approach to the study of music and seek to understand music as a social practice, viewing it as a human activity that is shaped by its cultural context. Ethnomusicologists often engage in ethnographic fieldwork, by participating in and observing the music being studied, and frequently gain facility (or expertise) in another music tradition as a performer or theorist. Ethnomusicologists also conduct historical research, utilizing the methods of historiography, manuscript analysis, archaeomusicology, and archival/museum research. These skills reflect the diversity of learning expected from liberal arts students. Students who study ethnomusicology have a global outlook, are critical thinkers, and are better able to appreciate the cultural and aesthetic diversity of the world and communicate in ways that are ethically sensitive.