An ethnomusicologist is a person who studies and analyzes music in various cultural settings. Although the study of music and anthropology are often central to this work, ethnomusicology is an interdisciplinary field that weaves together methods and approaches from several different fields in the humanities, and this discipline typically involves a mixture of fieldwork and publication. Many ethnomusicologists work in higher education institutions, but others work in the music and culture industries.
The majority of research in this field is based on fieldwork. An ethnomusicologist will try to observe musical traditions being performed in their natural and cultural settings. An ethnomusicologist will pay close attention to the structure of the music as well as the meanings that are attached to it as it is performed, listened to, and experienced during this observation.
An ethnomusicologist will often approach fieldwork as a participant observer, becoming a participant in the musical culture being studied. During this type of fieldwork, one of the most important ethnomusicologist responsibilities is to avoid changing the meaning of the cultural experience more than is absolutely necessary. Every observation causes a change in the system being studied, but an ethical ethnomusicologist makes every effort to have the smallest possible impact.
The raw material that an ethnomusicologist uses to create a scholarly analysis of a particular musical tradition or community is information gathered during fieldwork. Members of this discipline frequently draw on theoretical tools from a variety of fields, such as anthropologists’ use of dense description to convey meaning or sociologists’ careful attention to details of class and status, wealth, and power. Cultural theory is frequently used to contextualize and explain the role of music in particular situations.
An ethnomusicologist’s work is usually done in conjunction with a college or university. This necessitates a certain amount of instruction. Graduate students in the field typically serve as teaching assistants and assist more senior ethnomusicologists with grading and other tasks. Professors of ethnomusicology typically teach a mix of graduate and undergraduate courses, and they are frequently expected to supervise graduate students as well as handle other administrative duties within their departments.
Although many ethnomusicologists work in academia, there are some positions available outside of the ivory tower. Ethnomusicologists may work in the music industry, where they can use their skills to find new artists who can be promoted more widely. They could also work as music critics or as self-employed scholars.