On October 27, the Society for Ethnomusicology will open its 2021 Virtual Annual Meeting with a pre-conference symposium Celebrating Historically Black Colleges and Universities' (HBCUs) Musical Legacy: An Exploration of Relationships Between HBCUs and the Society for Ethnomusicology. In this episode we talk with pre-conference co-chairs, Loneka Battiste and Fredara Hadley, about musical life at HBCUs, the work of members of the Gertrude Robinson Network, and supporting sustained...

In this episode, Eduardo Herrera and Michael O’Brien discuss their research into collective music making in Argentina. Grounded in a discussion of Argentina’s 2018 “Hit of the Summer,” this episodes examines the possibilities for political action and issues of toxic masculinity within participatory musicking practices of Argentinian soccer chants and neighborhood-based Murga ensembles.

In this episode we talk with Javier León and Ed Wolf about the upcoming SEM 2019 pre-conference symposium: “Heritage and the Politics of Inclusion in Latin American Brass Bands.” This November, the Society for Ethnomusicology will hold its 64th Annual Meeting in Bloomington, Indiana. On November 6, the day before the start of the annual conference, the society will present two pre-conference symposia: one focused on Film as Ethnography and the other on Latin American Brass Bands.

In this episode, we discuss with Bonnie McConnell how community-oriented and participatory-based musical performances impact global health initiatives. By investigating the relationships between kanyelang musicians, government officials, health workers, and local communities, Bonnie discusses the value of musical performance and participation in local health education and effective global health strategies.

In this episode, we discuss with Bonnie McConnell how community-oriented and participatory-based musical performances impact global health initiatives. By investigating the relationships between kanyelang musicians, government officials, health workers, and local communities, Bonnie discusses the value of musical performance and participation in local health education and effective global health strategies.

In this episode, we discuss performative ecology with Brian Dietrich, whose article, “’Summoning Breadfruit’ and ‘Opening Seas:' Toward a Performative Ecology in Oceania” was published in the Winter 2018 issue of the journal, Ethnomusicology. Diettrich explores the concept of performative ecology in his discussion of ótoomey (summoning breadfruit) and ocean wayfinding and voyaging songs in the islands of Chuuk. Through his study of both historical and present-day musical performances in...

In this episode we talk with two scholars, Sydney Hutchinson and Byrd McDaniel, whose respective articles on competitive air guitar were recently published in the journal Ethnomusicology. Hutchinson, whose article, “Asian Fury: A Tale of Race, Rock, and Air Guitar” was published in the Fall 2016 issue of Ethnomusicology, explores themes of race, gender, and embodiment in air guitar competitions. McDaniel’s article “Out of Thin Air: Configurability, Choreography, and the Air Guitar World...

In this episode we talk with Marié Abe, whose article “Sounding Against Nuclear Power in Post-3.11 Japan: Resonances of Silence and Chindon-ya” was published in the Spring/Summer 2016 issue of the journal, Ethnomusicology. Abe explores the Japanese musical advertisement practice chindon-ya, and how it has become politicized as the sounds of anti-nuclear street protests after the 3.11 nuclear disaster. Abe examines the tensions between chindon-ya’s role in street protests and the socially...

In this episode we talk with Marié Abe, whose article “Sounding Against Nuclear Power in Post-3.11 Japan: Resonances of Silence and Chindon-ya” was published in the Spring/Summer 2016 issue of the journal, Ethnomusicology. Abe explores the Japanese musical advertisement practice chindon-ya, and how it has become politicized as the sounds of anti-nuclear street protests after the 3.11 nuclear disaster. Abe examines the tensions between chindon-ya’s role in street protests and the socially...

In this episode we talk with Juan Diego Diaz Meneses, whose article “Listening with the Body: An Aesthetics of Spirit Possession Outside the Terreiro” was published in the winter 2016 issue of the journal, Ethnomusicology. In his investigation of the aesthetics of spiritual possession, Juan Diego compares the ritualistic practices of Candomblé and the musical performances of Orkestra Rumpilezz to highlight the similarities and differences between spiritual possessions in the context of...

In this episode we talk with Juan Diego Diaz Meneses, whose article “Listening with the Body: An Aesthetics of Spirit Possession Outside the Terreiro” was published in the winter 2016 issue of the journal, Ethnomusicology. In his investigation of the aesthetics of spiritual possession, Juan Diego compares the ritualistic practices of Candomblé and the musical performances of Orkestra Rumpilezz to highlight the similarities and differences between spiritual possessions in the context of...

In this episode we talk with Allen Roda, whose article “Ecology of the Global Tabla Industry” was recently published in the journal, Ethnomusicology. Roda examines the global tabla industry as a complex ecosystem involving many contributors, including instruments, the artisans who make them, and the musicians who play them. Roda explores the material culture of the tabla and the complex craftsmanship that goes into manufacturing it. Allen Roda is an adjunct lecturer at New York University and...

In this episode we talk with Allen Roda, whose article “Ecology of the Global Tabla Industry” was recently published in the journal, Ethnomusicology. Roda examines the global tabla industry as a complex ecosystem involving many contributors, including instruments, the artisans who make them, and the musicians who play them. Roda explores the material culture of the tabla and the complex craftsmanship that goes into manufacturing it. Allen Roda is an adjunct lecturer at New York University and...

In this episode we talk with Anna Morcom, whose article “Terrains of Bollywood: (Neoliberal) Capitalism and the Transformation of Cultural Economies” was recently published in the journal, Ethnomusicology. Morcom explores changes in post-1990’s Indian dance culture. She contrasts the Bollywood dance craze in the middle classes with the rise of less culturally-accepted dance bars, bars in which dancers were showered with money to perform seductively. As a consequence of neoliberal capitalist...

In this episode we talk with Gregory Booth, whose article “Copyright Law and the Changing Economic Value of Popular Music in India” was recently published in the journal, Ethnomusicology. In his investigation of intellectual property rights within the context of the Indian popular music industry, Gregory traces the influence of copyright laws and new technologies on the social and economic value of popular music. Gregory Booth is an Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology at the University of...