Musicology Department
Musicology investigates the role of music in our lives—the study of society, music, power, and difference and the intersections of music, media, and technology. The Musicology department at ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé explores the rich diversity of music traditions within these contexts through a combination of cultural studies and traditional performance practices. Our department bridges the gap between historical music studies and multicultural studies by engaging and representing musical approaches from outside the Western canon, both globally and locally. In addition to our core (3-credit) survey and cultural studies courses, the musicology department encompasses the following areas of focus in traditional musics:
Celtic Ensemble is a traditional music group that performs tunes and songs of Irish,
Scottish, Welsh, Manx, Galician, Breton, and Scandinavian origins. With a varied instrumentation,
and an emphasis on learning aurally, the Celtic Ensemble is open to anyone interested.
Sangeet Ensemble performs traditional and classical musics from India and the surrounding
regions of Nepal, Pakistan, and Bangladesh. The ensemble is open to anyone interested
in exploring music and culture from the Indian Subcontinent through learning songs,
melodies, rhythms, and lore.
Traditional Music Workshop is a course that surveys traditional music from around
the globe, with an emphasis on exploratory play. Students perform traditional music
on a variety of traditional instruments and learn about cultural traditions that comprise
the context of the musical traditions represented in their hands-on coursework.
Chinese Folk Ensemble is a traditional music group dedicated to playing a variety
of traditional Chinese instruments and melodies from various regions around the country.
The ensemble promotes cultural exchange and awareness through creative expression
of traditional melodies and is open by appointment.
Folk Music of the Americas is an appointment-only ensemble that plays traditional
music from many regions of the Americas. The group has performed old time songs and
tunes from the United States, as well as indigenous songs, folk songs and tunes from
Central and South America, and syncretic musics, exploring a broad variety of American
cultural traditions.
The Traditional Music Instrument Collection at ÎÞÂë¾ÞÈé’s School of Music includes traditional instruments from a rich variety of
cultures, many of which are regularly played in Traditional Music Workshop and in
our ensembles. Follow the link to see our expanding collection of performance-quality
instruments from around the world.