At Matt Burk Music Studio, we not only build musical skills, but we also add value to our students' futures. Students of ours, whether enrolled in voice lessons, piano lessons, bass guitar lessons, guitar lessons, drum lessons, or voice lessons, acquire the skills needed to pursue a career in music. Today, lets take an in depth look at a curious musical career with a funny name: Ethnomusicology.
Culture + Music
It's no surprise that with each emerging culture, a musical sound is developed within that same region or culture. Historians know and value the musical heritage of the cultures and communities around the world. The merging of history and musical sound equals Ethnomusicology. When you think of Jamaica, you may automatically think of the Rasta movement and Reggae. If this kind of education is intriguing, visit Nat Geo's World Music Page. But beware! This entire site dedicated to learning more about the musical cultures around the world can capture your attention for hours if this is your idea of interesting, as it is ours. Music lessons automatically instill an empathy and awareness of cultures other than the pupil's. This career path blows the doors wide open on that subject.
The Journey
As a student of Ethnomusicology, you will study what socioeconomic, geographic, and government related influences built the Reggae sound by studying the history of Jamaica and specific regions within the country (we're using the Reggae sound as an example here). Most ethnomusicologists will closely follow the path of an anthropologist and will require a masters or Ph.D. in order to make the most of their work. The life of an ethnomusicologist is far from traditional. Most will use their musical talent and knowledge to follow those cultures that capture their attention most. This includes spending months and years with those cultures. Learn more about the Society of Ethnomusicology. What colleges offer degrees in Ethnomusicology? Take a look at the big list below. Many Texas schools are included.
- Bowling Green State University
- Brown University (1967)
- City University of New York
- Columbia University (1966)
- Florida State University
- Harvard University
- Indiana University (1948/1980)
- Kent State University
- Liberty University
- New York University
- Ohio State University
- Oberlin College
- Texas Tech University
- University of Arizona
- University of California, Berkeley (1975)
- University of California, Davis (2003)
- University of California, Los Angeles (1958)
- University of California, Riverside
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- University of California, Santa Cruz
- University of Chicago
- University of Colorado, Boulder
- University of Florida
- University of Hawai'i at Manoa
- University of Illinois
- University of Iowa
- University of Maryland, College Park
- University of Memphis, TN
- University of Minnesota at Minneapolis
- University of Michigan
- University of New Mexico
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Pittsburgh
- University of Rochester, Eastman School of Music
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Washington
- University of Wisconsin–Madison (1966)
- Wesleyan University (1961)
We'll continue to highlight musical careers on our blog, so stay tuned for other interesting career paths.
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