1. Write 2-3 pages about the ethical challenges, questions, and problems that you have faced in your fieldwork thus far. What decisions did you make, and why did you make them? Feel free to reference Agawu 2003 (Ch. 9). Also consider what ramifications your decisions may have and whether you would have made different decisions had this been a full-scale academic fieldwork project in an unfamiliar country or community, rather than a "first experience" fieldwork project for a class.
2. Do you think it is vital for musical traditions to be preserved at all costs, or is it better in some cases to let a tradition die out rather than to go into their culture and conduct fieldwork which they may not understand and which may be considered taking advantage of them? (See the Agawu quote in Kiri's sample challenge question for an argument that might support the idea of ethnomusicologists taking advantage of their subjects.) Consider Shelemay's work with the Syrian Jews, who were happy to have their music recorded and preserved. Compare this to recordings of isolated communities anywhere in the world who might not understand how the recordings work or what will happen to them. What sort of burden is there on the ethnomusicologist to fully explain what might happen to the recordings in the future, and do you think that fieldworkers always fully explain this to their subjects? Write 2-3 pages.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Monday, October 20, 2008
Interview Transcript
The following are selected excerpts from my interview with Moira Kyweluk, a member of AWKappella.
J = Joseph Maurer
M = Moira Kyweluk
J: How long have you been a member of AWKappella?
M: I've been a member of AWKappella for...a month.
J: What prompted you to join?
I was really tired of not doing anything artistic on campus and, um, I'd always heard about it and had a lot of friends who were involved in it, and for a long long time they discouraged me from doing it because I did “serious business a cappella” [laughs] and then finally I was just like “can I please be a part of awkward a cappella, that's all I want to do,” and they said “absolutely, come to practice.”
LATER
J: Do you have any previous experience singing?
M: I have a lot of previous experience singing, I did, um, church choir for like 10 years, I did chorale in high school for two years? A year? And, um, I auditioned for two Brown a cappella groups, all-female a cappella groups and was called back and was almost in one of them, and then tried out again the next semester, and was almost in that, so I've been involved in a cappella for a long time. Or singing in general, in one way or another.
J: So, have you done much singing at Brown?
M: Other than in my auditions for a cappella, no. Regular a cappella, not AWKappella.
J: Is there a pronunciation difference?
M: [first syllable emphasized] AWKapella vs. a cappella.
J: So you emphasize the...
M: The AWK.
J: And how has your experience in AWKappella compared to other singing experiences?
M: Ummm, it's much more laid-back, it's much more fun; people really encourage each other to sing, rather than competing over solos or, um, being uptight about arrangements. It's much more casual, much more laid back, it's sort of a group effort, rather than something is already arranged and you're learning it from a “head” director, or someone who arranges, or someone who does the arrangement, sort of we all do the arrangement because it's not very structured. And, you know, I've only been doing it a month and already we're doing a song that was my suggestion so I felt pretty good about that, and yeah, it's really just much more laid back, much more fun, much more time for singing. We don't really warm up or anything.
LATER
J: How do you think other people, not in the group, view AWKappella?
M: I think there's sort of two...minds, there's one that think it's just, I mean, who have sort of an attitude about it and think that it's really stupid, and just think it's a bunch of dorks doing, like...dorky things. And then there's other people who just...sort of self-consciously are like “yeah, that's so cool!” um...but I don't know if they genuinely actually think it's cool or not. But I guess the people who are in it just do it for fun, they don't take it very seriously. And there's no, I mean there's literally zero rivalry between regular a cappella groups, you know, the ten or twelve a cappella groups on campus, and AWKappella. I think they're very separate.
LATER
J: Where do you see the future of AWKappella going?
M: I would love for AWKappella to be...not the way the “classic” a cappella groups are, but um, sort of along the lines of the pirate a cappella group, sort of a recognized “fun” thing, that people want to go to the performances of, and aren't just going 'cause their friends are in it. Like, it'd be fun if incoming freshmen, you know, when they're going out to the archsings and things, if AWKappella had archsings that they actually wanted to attend, cause it was funny, and fun. And if people realized that this isn't really...it's called awkward a cappella because it's a bunch of kids who just wanted to sing, and it's not really self-consciously like “oh, we're awkward, but we're really not,” it's people just singing because they like it, and sort of singing their hearts out. So, the future I'd love to see is...a fan following, or people who, you know, whether they themselves sing or not, um, wanting to be a part of our performances. We generally have pretty good turnout, but it's also because we force our friends to go [laughs].
/End Interview
This interview was quite illuminating, as it shows a crucial moment in the growth of the group: Moira is a member of the first group of "outsiders" to join AWKappella, people who were not closely tied to the original founders of the group. This semester will be interesting, as it will determine what sort of effect the new members have on the direction of the group, whether it thrives, or whether it's unable to be sustained when the members lack the additional bonds that the founding members already had with each other.
Moira is also an interesting interview subject because she has experience singing in "serious" groups, but she still embraces the AWKappella ethos. I have transcribed some of the more interesting parts of the interview (which was over fifteen minutes in length), and I will transcribe more as time allows. I'm also in the process of interviewing several other members of the group, but I thought that this particular interview would be a good one to post for the transcription assignment. Overall, I'm happy with how the interview went. I planned out some rough questions that intrigued me, but I mostly just let the interview flow naturally, and I tried to segue naturally between topics.
Moira also noted that AWKappella has a performance coming up in a few weeks, so that will be exciting! It will be their fist performance with the new members, so I'm sure it will be quite interesting to observe.
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Critical Review #5: Barz
In "Confronting the Field(note) In and Out of the Field," Gregory Barz addresses the issue of fieldnotes, quite apropos at this stage in the course. Barz's overall goal is to reject the linear approach to ethnography that flows from Field Research to Fieldnote to Ethnography (Experience->Reflection->Interpretation). He proposes a second model, imagining the fieldnote as a fulcrum on which experience and interpretation balance, and he emphasizes that interpretation is "part of an ongoing process rather than a final product" (216). In the article he includes various passages from his own fieldnotes, highlighting different discoveries he made or realizations that he came to in the process of writing, reviewing, and working with his fieldnotes. One aspect that I found particularly interesting was in his review of personal photographs taken of him with some of his research subjects. He saw in the photographs that he had been holding a notepad and pencil at the ready for the entire time, but in his memory of the events, he had not realized that the recording utensils were so prominent. He concludes that in that specific instance, his written documentation did not remove him from the group, as self-documentation was "not outside the experience of the kwaya itself" (221).
Even when self-documentation is normative for a group that we choose to study, can the constant presence of pencil and paper in the hands of the ethnographer ever truly be unremarkable to the extent that there is no seperation between the ethnographer and the group? If the answer is no, then is the experience of seamless inclusion in a group worth the price of forgetting details that one is unable to write down?
Even when self-documentation is normative for a group that we choose to study, can the constant presence of pencil and paper in the hands of the ethnographer ever truly be unremarkable to the extent that there is no seperation between the ethnographer and the group? If the answer is no, then is the experience of seamless inclusion in a group worth the price of forgetting details that one is unable to write down?
Monday, October 6, 2008
Fieldwork Observations 10/5
Ethnomusicology fieldwork project notes
10/5/08
I have made arrangements to attend rehearsals of Awkappella. Awkappella is, according to the group’s Facebook page, “An a cappella group for people you [sic] LOVE to sing, but aren't really that good. But they're always willing to give it a wail and see what happens.” I have never seen Awkappella perform live; I know of them by reputation only, and I have watched videos of their performances on YouTube. Early in the fall I saw flyers for Awkappella around campus, and on the flyers was a contact e-mail address. I got in touch with Gavin Crynes, who seems to be one of the leaders of the group. I made arrangements with him to attend their rehearsal on Sunday, Oct 5 from 5-6 pm.
I arrived at Caswell House at around 4:50. The group rehearses in a lounge in the basement of Caswell House. I met up with Gavin outside, and he let me into the building. I wanted to avoid any formal interviews for my first experience with group, so that I could get an overall idea of how the group worked, but I thought that it would be a good idea to get a basic history of the group from Gavin. Following are my notes from my brief conversation with Gavin and from the rehearsal.
Gavin Crynes ‘10
Started idea with brother, Christian, and friend, Hannah
Walking along singing “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
- singing different parts (beat box, lyrics, “wah wah”)
- thought “this would be great w/more people”
- called some friends, put together arrangement: “surprisingly easy,” just assigned different parts to people
Feb 2007-ish. That year they had 12 people max, attendance sketchy.
Two concerts that year, one at a study break and one at Wayland.
Group had about 8 people last year, only one performance during spring reading period.
Tried to do more, but sort of degenerated.
This year got about 6 new people.
Group started based largely around crew (rowing) — 3 originals, most of initial members were friends in men or women’s crew, but new people who showed up this year are random group. No auditions, anyone who wanted to join could.
So far this year, they had an initial meeting for new members who wanted to join, and they’ve had two rehearsals since. At the first they taught “It’s My Life,” their signature piece. At second they taught “Everybody Dance Now”
Initially they just rehearsed in peoples’ rooms, as the original members were all friends, but now that there are new people they’re rehearsing in a more “neutral space,” the lounge.
For first concert, they sang
- “It’s My Life” – Bon Jovi
- “Build Me Up Buttercup” – The Foundations
- “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” – Shania Twain
- “We like to Party” – Vengaboys
- “Don’t Stop Believing” – Journey
At this point, my discussion with Gavin stops as the other members of the group start to arrive.
People begin to arrive. When there are 9 people (6 men, 3 women), they begin rehearsal. Warm-ups are led by Moira Kyveluk. I am surprised to find that Moira is a member of the group, as she is a friend of mine from freshman year, and I didn’t know she was involved with Awkappella. I don’t know any of the other members who show up.
Gavin asks her to lead warm-ups.
“Are we doing a cappella warm-ups?”
“Do we divide by soprano/alto?...by men and women?”
“Am I leading this”
She seems surprised by the fact that she is being asked to lead warm-ups. She also does not seem entirely clear on normal procedure for the group.
They run through some arpeggio warm-ups on various vowel sounds, though they disorganized, and many members of the group seem unfamiliar with this method of warm-ups. They do their best to copy Moira as she demonstrates.
Two more women arrive.
At this point, the seem to be trying to decide on a new song to learn.
“Is anyone a fan of John Lennon?” – Gavin
Gavin explains to me that they are at a loss for some of their main members/soloists right now, so they’re picking new songs.
They play several songs on a laptop to gauge the other members’ opinions.
Christian plays a slow gospel number. The group seems to generally like it.
One girl requests “Earl” by the Dixie Chicks
- Gavin suggests that it wouldn’t suit the group – it’s mostly just vocals, not enough parts for people to sing
Moira suggests “I’m a Bitch” by Meredith Brooks
- People seem to generally like this idea, they decide to try the song.
Working on a song: “I’m A Bitch”
Next they try to decide who will sing the solo for “I’m a Bitch.”
Gender dynamics – women suggest that men sing solos in “I’m a Bitch,” they seem to be suggesting that this would achieve good comedic effect.
Gavin asks if Moira will do solo. She would like to do it w/someone else.
They play first 20 secs of song on laptop, start working out parts.
Christian and Moira seem to be leading this part of rehearsal, though it is only moderately structured. At first, many people are making noise at once, working out percussion/background/chorus parts.
They decide to try singing the first bit of the song w/the recording:
- One woman seems pre-assigned to do beat-boxing for the song. She bounces in place, hands partially over her mouth as she makes percussive sounds.
- Moira sings the solo. The rest do a soft “bum bum-bum” imitation of the guitar part.
- Christian takes over the solo partway through at Moira’s insistence.
- Several people sing along when they get to the chorus.
“Who wants the guitar solo?”
“How are we going to do it [the backing guitar part]?” – Christian
Someone suggests “waw, waw-waw”
“Yeah, more twang.” – Hoops (woman in the group)
Gavin joins the girl who is on percussion. He does a “shoop, shoop” sound.
“How many people should do the chorus?”
- They settle on 3 (Moira plus two other women)
Gavin gets into the music, mimes playing a drum set.
Some soloists red the lyrics off of a laptop.
They all listen to it again to hear the background parts.
“It goes down a little, then up a little, then back to the middle” [in reference to the guitar]
Beatboxing woman: “I might pass out during the performance”
They try to get someone to do the guitar solo. Hoops volunteers.
They listen to it. Solo is relatively straightforward, but ends with an intricate line.
“Awww shit”
Hoops tries to copy it.
Gavin says “you can basically do whatever you want [for the guitar solo]
Moira makes sure that everyone has a part to sing.
Most of them seem to have a decent sense of pitch.
Moira tells me several times throughout this process that “this is just about having fun,” not meant to be too intense. She asks if I’m going to observe the Chattertocks, Higher Keys, etc. I reply that I am only observing Awkappella.
They run through it again w/o the recording.
Beatboxer is rocking out.
All of them moving to the beat to greater or lesser extent.
When guitar solo starts Moira encourages Hoops: “more power!”
At this point the parts are not perfected, but the assignment is mostly settled. It breaks down to:
One woman + Gavin: percussion, beatboxing
Moira: solo
+ 2 women on chorus
Christian: Background guitar + solo leading into chorus
Hoops: background guitar + guitar solo
3 other women and 1 other man: background guitar
They have been rehearsing more or less in a semi-circle around the laptop, with soloists in the front and percussion in the back.
It is all very informal. Some people lean against furniture. Very laid-back.
At this point they decide that they are done with “I’m a Bitch” for they day.
They want to show my “It’s My Life,” their signature number.
They arrange themselves for the start of the song. They all have assigned places and seem to know their positions. It’s has an air of rehearsal and organization, more than I expected given the way some were downplaying their seriousness.
4 women sitting on floor in front. Rest are in semi-circle behind them
“someone want to take over for beatbox?”
- they listen to a recording to hear the drumbeat, one man volunteers to do it
They start song, go for 20 seconds, but decide that something’s not right. They restart.
Solo: Christian (standing in center of semi-circle)
“Wah wah”: 4 people standing on either side of Christian
Perc: guy on the end
“Ma ma ma ma”: background part, woman on other end of semi-circle
4 women of the ground do high “ooooo” part
The performance also has choreography!
4 women sitting on ground have faces down, raise them on “ooooo”
Christian starts w/back to audience, turns and comes forward for solo
4 on either side star facing him, turn upper torso out for “wah wah”
Christian + 4 on either side of him sing chorus together, do dance with hands waving
All in all, I am quite impressed by their performance. It is quite planned out, and they have at least 4-5 different parts going on. It is definitely much more sophisticated than I expected given the way they emphasize that they’re “just about having fun”.
There are definitely pitch problems and most of them seem to not have much singing training, they generally have a decent sense of pitch. I am very intrigued.
I will be returning for their next rehearsal. Next Monday, 5-6 pm.
10/5/08
I have made arrangements to attend rehearsals of Awkappella. Awkappella is, according to the group’s Facebook page, “An a cappella group for people you [sic] LOVE to sing, but aren't really that good. But they're always willing to give it a wail and see what happens.” I have never seen Awkappella perform live; I know of them by reputation only, and I have watched videos of their performances on YouTube. Early in the fall I saw flyers for Awkappella around campus, and on the flyers was a contact e-mail address. I got in touch with Gavin Crynes, who seems to be one of the leaders of the group. I made arrangements with him to attend their rehearsal on Sunday, Oct 5 from 5-6 pm.
I arrived at Caswell House at around 4:50. The group rehearses in a lounge in the basement of Caswell House. I met up with Gavin outside, and he let me into the building. I wanted to avoid any formal interviews for my first experience with group, so that I could get an overall idea of how the group worked, but I thought that it would be a good idea to get a basic history of the group from Gavin. Following are my notes from my brief conversation with Gavin and from the rehearsal.
Gavin Crynes ‘10
Started idea with brother, Christian, and friend, Hannah
Walking along singing “It’s My Life” by Bon Jovi
- singing different parts (beat box, lyrics, “wah wah”)
- thought “this would be great w/more people”
- called some friends, put together arrangement: “surprisingly easy,” just assigned different parts to people
Feb 2007-ish. That year they had 12 people max, attendance sketchy.
Two concerts that year, one at a study break and one at Wayland.
Group had about 8 people last year, only one performance during spring reading period.
Tried to do more, but sort of degenerated.
This year got about 6 new people.
Group started based largely around crew (rowing) — 3 originals, most of initial members were friends in men or women’s crew, but new people who showed up this year are random group. No auditions, anyone who wanted to join could.
So far this year, they had an initial meeting for new members who wanted to join, and they’ve had two rehearsals since. At the first they taught “It’s My Life,” their signature piece. At second they taught “Everybody Dance Now”
Initially they just rehearsed in peoples’ rooms, as the original members were all friends, but now that there are new people they’re rehearsing in a more “neutral space,” the lounge.
For first concert, they sang
- “It’s My Life” – Bon Jovi
- “Build Me Up Buttercup” – The Foundations
- “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” – Shania Twain
- “We like to Party” – Vengaboys
- “Don’t Stop Believing” – Journey
At this point, my discussion with Gavin stops as the other members of the group start to arrive.
People begin to arrive. When there are 9 people (6 men, 3 women), they begin rehearsal. Warm-ups are led by Moira Kyveluk. I am surprised to find that Moira is a member of the group, as she is a friend of mine from freshman year, and I didn’t know she was involved with Awkappella. I don’t know any of the other members who show up.
Gavin asks her to lead warm-ups.
“Are we doing a cappella warm-ups?”
“Do we divide by soprano/alto?...by men and women?”
“Am I leading this”
She seems surprised by the fact that she is being asked to lead warm-ups. She also does not seem entirely clear on normal procedure for the group.
They run through some arpeggio warm-ups on various vowel sounds, though they disorganized, and many members of the group seem unfamiliar with this method of warm-ups. They do their best to copy Moira as she demonstrates.
Two more women arrive.
At this point, the seem to be trying to decide on a new song to learn.
“Is anyone a fan of John Lennon?” – Gavin
Gavin explains to me that they are at a loss for some of their main members/soloists right now, so they’re picking new songs.
They play several songs on a laptop to gauge the other members’ opinions.
Christian plays a slow gospel number. The group seems to generally like it.
One girl requests “Earl” by the Dixie Chicks
- Gavin suggests that it wouldn’t suit the group – it’s mostly just vocals, not enough parts for people to sing
Moira suggests “I’m a Bitch” by Meredith Brooks
- People seem to generally like this idea, they decide to try the song.
Working on a song: “I’m A Bitch”
Next they try to decide who will sing the solo for “I’m a Bitch.”
Gender dynamics – women suggest that men sing solos in “I’m a Bitch,” they seem to be suggesting that this would achieve good comedic effect.
Gavin asks if Moira will do solo. She would like to do it w/someone else.
They play first 20 secs of song on laptop, start working out parts.
Christian and Moira seem to be leading this part of rehearsal, though it is only moderately structured. At first, many people are making noise at once, working out percussion/background/chorus parts.
They decide to try singing the first bit of the song w/the recording:
- One woman seems pre-assigned to do beat-boxing for the song. She bounces in place, hands partially over her mouth as she makes percussive sounds.
- Moira sings the solo. The rest do a soft “bum bum-bum” imitation of the guitar part.
- Christian takes over the solo partway through at Moira’s insistence.
- Several people sing along when they get to the chorus.
“Who wants the guitar solo?”
“How are we going to do it [the backing guitar part]?” – Christian
Someone suggests “waw, waw-waw”
“Yeah, more twang.” – Hoops (woman in the group)
Gavin joins the girl who is on percussion. He does a “shoop, shoop” sound.
“How many people should do the chorus?”
- They settle on 3 (Moira plus two other women)
Gavin gets into the music, mimes playing a drum set.
Some soloists red the lyrics off of a laptop.
They all listen to it again to hear the background parts.
“It goes down a little, then up a little, then back to the middle” [in reference to the guitar]
Beatboxing woman: “I might pass out during the performance”
They try to get someone to do the guitar solo. Hoops volunteers.
They listen to it. Solo is relatively straightforward, but ends with an intricate line.
“Awww shit”
Hoops tries to copy it.
Gavin says “you can basically do whatever you want [for the guitar solo]
Moira makes sure that everyone has a part to sing.
Most of them seem to have a decent sense of pitch.
Moira tells me several times throughout this process that “this is just about having fun,” not meant to be too intense. She asks if I’m going to observe the Chattertocks, Higher Keys, etc. I reply that I am only observing Awkappella.
They run through it again w/o the recording.
Beatboxer is rocking out.
All of them moving to the beat to greater or lesser extent.
When guitar solo starts Moira encourages Hoops: “more power!”
At this point the parts are not perfected, but the assignment is mostly settled. It breaks down to:
One woman + Gavin: percussion, beatboxing
Moira: solo
+ 2 women on chorus
Christian: Background guitar + solo leading into chorus
Hoops: background guitar + guitar solo
3 other women and 1 other man: background guitar
They have been rehearsing more or less in a semi-circle around the laptop, with soloists in the front and percussion in the back.
It is all very informal. Some people lean against furniture. Very laid-back.
At this point they decide that they are done with “I’m a Bitch” for they day.
They want to show my “It’s My Life,” their signature number.
They arrange themselves for the start of the song. They all have assigned places and seem to know their positions. It’s has an air of rehearsal and organization, more than I expected given the way some were downplaying their seriousness.
4 women sitting on floor in front. Rest are in semi-circle behind them
“someone want to take over for beatbox?”
- they listen to a recording to hear the drumbeat, one man volunteers to do it
They start song, go for 20 seconds, but decide that something’s not right. They restart.
Solo: Christian (standing in center of semi-circle)
“Wah wah”: 4 people standing on either side of Christian
Perc: guy on the end
“Ma ma ma ma”: background part, woman on other end of semi-circle
4 women of the ground do high “ooooo” part
The performance also has choreography!
4 women sitting on ground have faces down, raise them on “ooooo”
Christian starts w/back to audience, turns and comes forward for solo
4 on either side star facing him, turn upper torso out for “wah wah”
Christian + 4 on either side of him sing chorus together, do dance with hands waving
All in all, I am quite impressed by their performance. It is quite planned out, and they have at least 4-5 different parts going on. It is definitely much more sophisticated than I expected given the way they emphasize that they’re “just about having fun”.
There are definitely pitch problems and most of them seem to not have much singing training, they generally have a decent sense of pitch. I am very intrigued.
I will be returning for their next rehearsal. Next Monday, 5-6 pm.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Critical Review #4: Agawu
Agawu's article is a fascinating yet sometimes frustrating analysis of ethics in ethnomusicology and ethnography. I say frustrating because every time that he seems to touch upon some sort of conclusion or judgment, he adds a qualification, or says that the issue is up to the reader, or he moves on to a different issue. Not that conclusions or judgment are necessary, but I digress.
Agawu starts with discussion of whether ethics are even necessary for scholars: "Does a code of ethics inhibit or promote intellectual freedom?" (Agawu 200). He then moves to ethnomusicology, asking whether it is ethical for the field to exist, or for the music of the world to be seperated into "Western" and "World Music". Moving into the subtleties of ethics, he points out that fieldworkers commonly decieve their subjects, and that "deception, including the whithholding of information, may be regarded as a condition for successful fieldwork in Africa" (204). The most interesting and illuminating section of his article for me was his discussion of personal experience with applied ethics. The story of his Peki coworker whose identity they had to lie about in order to protect his life brought up the issue of conflicting ethics. Inevitably, different ethical considerations collide and people must make comparitive judgments about which ethics are the most important. Agawu conclues that perfect ethics are impossible, and the best way forward is for ethnographers and ethnomusicologists to recognize the discontinuities between different cultures and just do their best to pursue as ethical an attitude as is possible.
QUESTION:
As students of ethnomusicology, how are we to take this discussion of ethics, and how are we to apply them in our fieldwork projects? Many of us are new to this field and this philosophical discussion of ethics—how are we to know if we are violating ethical principles that we haven't even thought of? Where do we draw the line between getting wrapped up in trying to avoid every possible ethical problem and just using our best judgment as we go about our first fieldwork experiences?
Agawu starts with discussion of whether ethics are even necessary for scholars: "Does a code of ethics inhibit or promote intellectual freedom?" (Agawu 200). He then moves to ethnomusicology, asking whether it is ethical for the field to exist, or for the music of the world to be seperated into "Western" and "World Music". Moving into the subtleties of ethics, he points out that fieldworkers commonly decieve their subjects, and that "deception, including the whithholding of information, may be regarded as a condition for successful fieldwork in Africa" (204). The most interesting and illuminating section of his article for me was his discussion of personal experience with applied ethics. The story of his Peki coworker whose identity they had to lie about in order to protect his life brought up the issue of conflicting ethics. Inevitably, different ethical considerations collide and people must make comparitive judgments about which ethics are the most important. Agawu conclues that perfect ethics are impossible, and the best way forward is for ethnographers and ethnomusicologists to recognize the discontinuities between different cultures and just do their best to pursue as ethical an attitude as is possible.
QUESTION:
As students of ethnomusicology, how are we to take this discussion of ethics, and how are we to apply them in our fieldwork projects? Many of us are new to this field and this philosophical discussion of ethics—how are we to know if we are violating ethical principles that we haven't even thought of? Where do we draw the line between getting wrapped up in trying to avoid every possible ethical problem and just using our best judgment as we go about our first fieldwork experiences?
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