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Course Details

Music 8838.02 Topics in Empirical Musicology: Quantitative and Qualitative Approaches to Studying Musical Performance
Fall 2015
Mondays and Fridays 2:20–3:40 – Room 205, 18th Avenue Library

Course description:

This seminar will examine quantitative and qualitative approaches to studying musical performance that are drawn from the fields of computer science, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and philosophy; with a particular focus on the way that these approaches are applied in music theory, musicology, ethnomusicology, and sound studies. The seminar will also discuss the role of technology in mediating musical performance and issues related to understanding listeners’ responses to musical performances. Throughout the semester, students will be assigned both survey and research articles to read and summarize for each other. They will also be asked to write a series of reflections on musical performances of their own choice, which they will be asked occasionally to present in seminar. For their final project, students will have the opportunity to work either individually or collaboratively on a study of performance practice in their choice of musical tradition. In addition to a written report, the students will be required to present the results of their study in the seminar.

Course goals:

  1. To gain familiarity with the various quantitative and qualitative methods for studying musical performance
  2. To develop an understanding of way in which musical performance is studied in the fields of music theory, musicology, ethnomusicology, and sound studies
  3. To formulate and execute a research project using the methods covered in (1) that is situated within one of the fields listed in (2)

Grade Breakdown:

  • 40% Weekly Seminar Activities (including preparing article summaries and acting as a respondent in seminar)
  • 10% Listening Reflections
  • 20% Project Presentation
  • 30% Project Paper

Course Schedule:

Week 1–2 Setting the stage
Week 3 Historical context
Week 4–6 Methodological considerations
Week 7 View from music theory and musicology
Week 8 View from ethnomusicology
Week 9 View from sound studies
Week 10 Technological mediation of performance
Week 11 Considering the listener’s experience
Week 12–15 Project presentations