Ethnomusicology is the study of people's musics, and more specifically, the study of the relationship between music and culture. It is about understanding what music means to particular groups of people, and the role of music in their lives. Ethnomusicologists study music in order to illuminate issues of politics, gender, identity, aesthetics, and social organization. It is the study of any and all musics, including traditional, popular, and western art musics. Ethnomusicologists use interdisciplinary approaches – particularly anthropology and musicology, but also a range of other disciplines such as folklore, sociology, linguistics, and education – to study sounds themselves, as well as the people who make and listen to those sounds. Ethnomusicology is the study of the contexts and processes involving the creation, performance, and reception of music.
Cape Breton University offers one of the few opportunities to take a minor or Certificate in ethnomusicology anywhere in Canada. We are pleased to offer a specialty in Celtic music, although students may choose to investigate a broader array of cultures and issues. Ethnomusicology students do not require any prior musical training; however, there are performance courses available for practicing musicians. An ethnomusicology minor can be combined with any major offered. It may be paired with a major in a related discipline, such as folklore, anthropology, sociology, or Mi'kmaq studies, or paired with any other major, including Communication, English, History, Philosophy, Political Science, or Psychology, for a broader, multi-disciplinary program. An ethnomusicology certificate may be taken instead of a degree; alternatively, certificate courses may count as part of a degree. Ethnomusicology students can also take advantage of other Cape Breton University programs such as the undergraduate certificate in Heritage Studies, or the graduate certificates in Heritage Preservation or Mi'kmaq Cultural Heritage Preservation.
Students taking a minor or certificate in ethnomusicology at CBU must take three required courses: Experiencing Music, which develops listening and musical analysis skills, Musics of the World, which introduces a range of musics in diverse cultures, and Music and Culture, which introduces students to issues of particular interest in the discipline of ethnomusicology, such as the intersections between music and everyday life, migration, worship, dance, memory, identity, politics, and the music industry. Certificate students must also complete an independent study in ethnomusicology. Students are then free to take at least three more courses from a variety of electives (a minor requires at least three more courses while the certificate requires at least four more). We are pleased to offer a specialty in Celtic music, offering courses such as Celtic Music, Canadian Celtic Music, Celtic Performing Arts, Performance Analysis of Celtic Arts, and performance courses in traditional Cape Breton music. However, students may also choose to investigate a broader array of cultures and issues through other courses such as Popular Music and Culture, Protest Song, or Folk Music and Culture.
Because ethnomusicology is the study of a variety of musics in diverse cultures, it provides insights into the culturally varied way people think and act, insights that are essential for students living in a diverse, multicultural world. Students will develop skills in designing and undertaking original research through fieldwork that involves interviewing and cultural participation, in addition to library and archival research. Fieldwork requires skills in observation, reporting, documenting, analysing, and multicultural understanding, all of which are synthesized into written form. The interdisciplinary basis of ethnomusicology, together with the transferable skills and knowledge acquired during its study, make it beneficial for students taking a range of majors, and for students planning any number of careers. For example, studies in ethnomusicology may complement or lead to careers in academia, archives, arts administration, broadcasting, education, festivals, film, government, journalism, libraries, museums, the music industry, music management and promotion, and policy making.
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