Arti musices, Vol. 46 No. 2, 2015.
Preliminary communication
Between Performance and Research: Thoughts on the Contributions of an East European Ensemble at the University of Pittsburgh
Adriana Helbig
; University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA
Abstract
Taking as an example the Carpathian Music Ensemble at the University of Pittsburgh, this article acknowledges the central role that performance practice plays in research. It attempts to fill a gap in ethnomusicological literature regarding the role of the world music ensemble in the undergraduate curriculum, particularly as it influences and shapes undergraduate research. The world music ensemble has moved far beyond its original goal to offer experience and insights into the practice of foreign musical traditions. Rather, the ensemble today is the jumping off point for broader engagement with music readily available on the Internet and offers confidence to students wishing to engage with a region that is of scholarly interest for them. This interest is fostered through undergraduate publications, research presentations, and other activities that help deepen student relationships to the topics at hand. Thus, performance and research co-exist on a continuum. And the success of this co-existence relies fully on the student’s willingness to move between these points with open-mindedness and ease.
Keywords
world music ensemble; under-graduate curriculum; performance practice; ethnomusicological research; Balkan and East European traditions
Hrčak ID:
152035
URI
Publication date:
26.11.2015.
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