ABSTRACT. In this panel, we will explore the complex dynamics of migratory musical flows between Brazil and Europe. Since the beginning of the 20th century until today, Brazilian and Portuguese musicians have crossed the Atlantic Ocean in search of opportunities, carrying with them a wealth of sounds that resonate in the host contexts and reverberate in the original one. Throughout the session, we will examine and contrast a set of strategies adopted by some of those artists to establish themselves in new territories, both at a musical and social level. We will address this problem through four case studies in which both individual musicians and musical groups, through their musical practices, are not only impacted by the new context but also act as agents of transformation in their surroundings. The panel will address key issues, such as the paths and strategies adopted by migrant musicians to continue their profession in the host context. Additionally, the institutionalization of musical activity in both the countries of origin and destination and how it contributes to the development of musical expressions rooted in the migrants' experiences, will also be discussed.

1. Musical Journeys: Artists in Overseas Transit during the Era of Mechanical Recording (1902-1927):

Throughout the 20th century, phonographic industries unprecedentedly intensified the circulation of music between countries and territories with Lusophone heritage. Local music genres such as samba and maxixe in Brazil, and fado in Portugal, were promoted through musical industry to the symbolic status of national music, becoming part of a vast and complex system of transoceanic circulation. This presentation will address three musicians who played a key role in building sonic bridges between Brazil and Portugal during the early phase of phonography, whose trajectories are largely forgotten due to technological obsolescence. These are artists whose productions actively contributed to the construction of shared sonic imaginaries and who moved between Portuguese and Brazilian artistic contexts in the early decades of the 20th century, participating in the emerging entertainment industry. The presentation is part of the project "Liber Sound: Recorded Music, Transcontinental Experiences, Connected Communities," which proposes the liberation of musical heritage stored in obsolete sound carriers with the aim of providing memory reactivation through innovative archiving processes. The project is developed at INET-md of the University of Aveiro (Portugal).

2. Echoes from Brazil: Unraveling the Influence of Brazil on Amalia Rodrigues' Artistic Journey (1944 – 1949):

Amália Rodrigues's first visit to Brazil occurred in 1944, with a series of notable performances at the Casino Copacabana, on the radio, and in the main theatres in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The following year, Amália recorded the first albums of her career in the same city by the Continental label, a milestone that led to the dissemination of her voice in domestic settings and, later, worldwide. This paper aims to trace Amália's paths in Brazil during the first five years of her activity in the country (1944-1949), observing the reasons and contexts that led her to record her first albums in Brazilian lands and not in Portugal. How was the circulation of Fado and its audience in Brazil at that time? Had other Portuguese Fado musicians already migrated to Brazil to perform concerts and record albums? What effects did Amália's release in the Brazilian record industry have on her career and on Fado? These are some questions that guide my research. Amália's artistic trajectory is widely documented in biographies and audio-visual productions. Her presence is also noted in academic works in areas such as literary studies, marketing, and cultural sciences. However, in the field of Ethnomusicology, there are no productions dedicated to addressing the importance of Brazil in her career. Therefore, I will present a topic that is still little studied but of fundamental importance not only to better understand the career of this influential Fado singer but also the musical exchanges that she promoted.

3. Empowering and Integrating Migrants in Host Countries through Forró Festivals:

This paper presents the early-stage research about forró festivals in Europe. As an accordionist, forró player, Brazilian and recently inserted into the context of forró festivals in Europe, I have been developing an investigation whose main methodology is performative ethnography, in which I actively participate, collaborating artistically with my interlocutors. Forró is a performative practice that involves music and dance. Its history is linked to a series of mobilities: between contexts, social classes and modes of production and listening. In 2021, forró was classified as intangible heritage in Brazil and reached a transnational scale in the 21st century, with great expression in European countries. In 2023, we counted 57 forró festivals in Europe. These festivals constitute spaces for the circulation and strengthening of a transnational community of forró, formed not only by Brazilian immigrants, but also by individuals from the host communities. Through these spaces, Brazilian immigrant musicians build a musical job market, subverting the logic of the migrant seeking work offered by host communities. Discussions about "affective work" and the "economy of festivals" provide us with important references to analyze this context. In this presentation, I aim to understand how immigrants, through heritage festivals, aggregate musicians and dancers from the host community and provide work for themselves. To do this, I observed one of the biggest forró festivals in Europe: Forró Douro (Porto, Portugal). Through my participation as musician and researcher in forró festivals, I have crosscutted stage, backstage and audience spaces. I will discuss how forró festivals have become fields of material and immaterial labor and how they accommodate bottom-up strategies to promote self-empowerment and integration of migrants in host countries.

4. Diversity of processes in Choro´s Institutionalization in Europe based on pedagogical action and communities of practice:

This work addresses the institutionalization processes surrounding Choro in Europe. Choro is an urban musical genre that emerged in Brazil during the 19th century. From the beginning of the 2000s choro undergone several modifications and achieved significant prominence on the European continent. This paper will discuss several actions carried out by groups and individuals in Europe, which enhance, feed, and in some cases, anticipate the institutionalization of choro, whether formally or informally. These actions include festivals, concerts, meetings, teaching and learning actions like private lessons and workshops. I note that the ability to create and maintain such actions enabled the creation of "Choro Clubs" and "Choro Schools", presented in several European cities, such as Paris, Toulouse, Munich, Porto, Lisbon and Rotterdam. In this presentation Choro is adressed as a social ecosystem, composed of a network of individuals and mediators who constantly attribute meanings and symbolic constructions to this musical practice. I also present some pedagogical initiatives developed in this context of choro, supported by the concept of community of practice coined by the theorists Jean Lave and Etienne Wenger. In many of the choro institutions that emerged in Europe teaching and learning choro is their inherent action. This paper is a result of my doctoral research, where I developed multi-sited fieldwork in institutions in Europe that carry out formal and informal activities around Choro.

ABSTRACT. The Tibetan Yungdrung Bön tradition claims that it predates Indian Buddhism in Tibet and that it originated in Zhangzhung. The Bön founding Buddha, Tönpa Shenrab, regarded men and women as equal. Consequently, monks and nuns of Yungdrung Bön have the same doctrinal and ritual authority, even if the monks are seen to be more prominent than their female counterparts. Since the 1959 Chinese invasion of Tibet, some Bon monks and nuns can be found in the Tibetan Bon settlement of Dholanji, a relatively remote settlement in Himachal Pradesh sourrounded by Hindu villages, and far from the Tibetan Buddhist traditions that are concentrated in Dharamsala. In this relatively displaced and isolated environment, the ritualistic training of the nuns has flourished and is gradually becoming more evident and respected, in deliberate contrast to the cultural practices to which both monks and nuns were previously accustomed. What motivates young women and girls to enter a Yungdrung Bön nunnery and engage in ritual chanting and music, and what is it that makes both lay people and monks value these nuns and their chanting so highly?

In my paper, I will argue that the motivation for women and girls to become nuns is often either their own or their parents’ desire for them to receive an education. I will also consider why the Bön religious authorities, monks, and lay people attribute to the singing nuns a superior ability to protect and heal through their connection with the divinities.

Christiane Strothmann has conducted 4 years of field research on ritual music in the Tibetan Bön settlement of Dholanji. She completed her doctoral thesis in 2022 and has recently published a book based on her thesis: Learning from a Monastic Musician: Masters of Chant and the Function of Ritual Music in the Tibetan Bön Tradition.

ABSTRACT. In studies of sacred soundscapes in modern public spaces, the effectiveness of ritual music is often believed to have faded away under modernity (Sykes 2015: 382). In contemporary China, the practices of rituals and music in villages upholding clan traditions have been greatly impacted by rapid modernization. Rural-urban population migration since the 1980s once resulted in the dispersion of village bands that used to accompany ancestral ceremonies due to the lack of male players. However, with the growing personal wealth earned in the city, villagers now, in turn, generously contribute to the financial needs for holding ancestral ceremonies. This paper, therefore, discusses the function and efficacy of ritual music, taking Paiziluo music popularized in villages of central China as an example. Despite its depleted repertoire and decreased participation in ritual processes, Paiziluo music remains in the ritual space centering on the ancestral temple, representing the traditionality of the ceremony. Although not being musically appreciated by locals anymore, villagers argue for the efficacy of Paiziluo music at ancestral ceremonies, driven by their imaginations of and nostalgia for the collective past. It has been argued that Chinese villagers advocate their own public authority by building ancestral temples and constructing their collective memory alongside state ideology (Feuchtwang 2001: 249). Considering a broader range of sonic materials (Novak 2015), including music, noise, linguistic utterances, as well as written texts in ritual spaces, this paper further explores how these ritual necessities help mediate the negotiation of ritual legitimacy among the traditionality of collective history, local authority, state ideologies, and modern forces such as social trends and economic resources.

References: Feuchtwang, Stephan. 2001. The Imperial Metaphor: Popular Religion in China. Surry: Curzon Press. Novak, David. 2015. “Noise.” In Keywords in Sound, edited by David Novak and Matt Sakakeeny 125-138. Durham: Duke University Press. Sykes, Jim. 2015. “Sound Studies, Religion, and Public Space: Tamil Music and the Ethical Life in Singapore.” Ethnomusicology Forum 24 (3): 380–413.

ABSTRACT. Ethnographic descriptions of Chinese Buddhist rituals are important accounts that contributes critical insights into the contexts in which music are used in such rituals. Various travellers, such as missionaries and diplomats, traversed across the great Chinese empire during the 18th and 19th centuries, and would later go on to publish their observations and experiences on life in China. These discourses provide invaluable perspectives on regional customs and landscapes, thus enriching contemporary understanding of China's historical milieu. In this paper, I seek to further develop a historiography of the music used in Chinese Buddhist rituals, and to examine the influence that location has had on religious musical practices.

This paper first scrutinizes travel narratives from the 18th to early-20th centuries, illuminating the role of music in Chinese Buddhist rituals and, more broadly, its function in other religious practices. These descriptions are then geographically classified to discern regional musical idiosyncrasies in ritual music and determine any universally shared features across temples in disparate Chinese regions. The paper then presents a comparative study of the data against descriptions of modern-day Chinese Buddhist musical practices to form a more comprehensive understanding of ritual music activity across different environments and time periods. I conclude by summarising any findings on musical shifts and continuity in the use of music in Chinese Buddhist rituals and evaluate its relationship with geographic location.

ABSTRACT. Music and musical instruments are essential to a place's affective and aesthetic assets and profoundly influence how we experience places sensually. By listening to and participating in music, we actively understand real and imagined geographies and spatial environments and, in doing so, learn how people experience space and place. Certain music, including the devotional genre, is tied to a specific area and context that defines its locality, territoriality, and sacredness. Through sacred narratives tuned to music, people describe the place and origins of the musical instruments, songs, dances, and ceremonies. This paper adopts a rigorous research methodology to focus on studying music production and consumption in Badakhshan, Tajikistan, as a reflection of the landscape and geographical spaces surrounding it. It critically engages with ethnomusicological studies on the musical construction of place (Stokes, 1994; 1997) and configuration of human sensorium (Hirschkind, 2009) to discuss how the Pamiri Ismailis harness music to understand their religion and construct their identities unique to their sacred geography. In Badakhshan, music, place, culture, and identity are interconnected concepts. Through the sound of the rabbob, the most revered musical instrument, and the traditional performance of qasida-khonī, a genre associated with this particular geographical region, my paper aims to explore how music informs our sense of sacred place and constructing meanings around a place. This paper also investigates what could be learned about Badakhshan and its sacred geography through the music people make. This paper utilizes ethnographic data from 2011-2014 gathered in Badakhshan via interviews with musicians and practitioners to answer the question. It discusses the music and instruments, as well as their symbolic meanings, sound, and physical features that reveal the geography and environment of the region and how the environment and religion might have shaped the music itself.

ABSTRACT. Teachers' language and behaviour are essential ways to construct learning situations and convey learning materials, and humour, as a form of communication, is undoubtedly a powerful tool for teachers. Using some form of humour in the classroom can help students increase and maintain interest and attention in the subject matter, creating a more engaging classroom. However, not all forms of humour have a positive impact on students. Conversely, some forms of humour can lead to ridicule, isolation, ostracism, and rejection. Humour can sometimes be aggressive; it emphasizes the power distance between teachers and students, arouses fear and shame in the target audience, or induces schadenfreude in both the audience and the sender. In China, Confucianism, Taoism, Buddhism and other schools have different views on humour. The drag between different philosophies complicates the deep-rooted appreciation of humour in Chinese culture, which makes Chinese people very ambivalent about humour. The main goal of this article is to elucidate how Chinese teachers' humorous behaviour in classroom settings creates humiliation and impacts students' identities and relationships. In order to give students a better educational experience and sense of self-actualization, this paper constructs the complexity of self-discourse types according to the experiences and feelings of different students. Thus, it implies the problems existing in the management construction and power distribution of higher education in China and the future development ideas.

ABSTRACT. Ethnomusicologists have long sought out musical-cultural concepts and terminology of their subjects, seen in the glossaries essential to musical ethnographies. However, these efforts have largely underscored differences among "local knowledge," rather than forming cross-culturally significant "focal points" sharable among musical civilizations. Stephen Blum, in his new book (2023), and Shen Qia, in his 42nd ICTM World Conference keynote address (2013), both call for compilation of a worldwide music theory thesaurus. This task is important: our efforts towards "decolonization" promote conservation and sustainable development of local music, and we aim to build a platform for mutually understandable heteroglossic music theory, whereby musical concepts from different societies and self-expression of musicking by culture bearers are fully communicated, the use and meaning of words in different cultures and languages can thus be further assessed at the level of mutual understanding of difference. Otherwise, if we only discuss ethical justice, the power of discourse, social action, and expansion of the local music market at a political ideological level, it will ultimately be difficult to counter globalization of Western discourses of art music analysis. Here I report on a move towards this goal within the China context. In 2015, I organized a group of young ethnomusicologists to collect, collate and compile the Dictionary of China Musical ldioms, which will be published how contexts for idioms and musical soon. This paper shares our compilation methodology—how contexts for idioms and musical proverbs are communicated as thoroughly as possible. We emphasize internal variability of multi-ethnicity in China music, tacit knowledge in mechanisms of oral transmission, and a comparative perspective among ethnic groups, regions, and genres. Through sharing of musical perception, sound use and sound expression, and acquisition of idioms directly related to sound musical terms defined by culture-bearers, our knowledge and mutual understanding are deepened, and comparative data regarding musical discourses and representations provided.

ABSTRACT. In Spring 2024, Graz Opera invited residents of Styria to participate in the urban culture of Austria’s opera world in their own towns. Sixteen performances of a newly composed opera in Styrian dialect, based on the local legend of the Schöckl mountain spirit, took place in libraries, community theatres, and small-town auditoria. Intended to demonstrate that opera can be cheap, mobile, and meaningfully local, this opera was also designed to draw regional audiences to the city and the Graz Opera. Only the first half of the work was performed locally, the conclusion of this operatic reconceptualization of the legend was presented once at a grand finale at the Graz Opera in May 2024. I conducted ethnographic observation and interviews with audience, performers, and the creative team throughout the whole project. While performances received resounding applause and engagement in the after-production discussions, a surprising number of respondents did not attend the final performance in Graz, which rendered the marketing success and goals for the popularization of opera through the production partially unmet. Nonetheless, the project raised important research questions. What did opera mean to audiences and performers when it was performed in small towns in Styria? What impact did the localization of the opera – through story, language, performance location – have on the reception of opera as a type of “classical” musical performance? Preliminary research results suggest that opera/classical music was already familiar to most in the audience. Pride in hosting such an event at ‘home’ was stronger than the desire to go to Graz to learn the conclusion of the story. The use of local dialect made the experience especially amusing and appealing, causing audiences to feel closer to the actors and their story. For most, the experience was neither exotic nor normal but rather surprisingly fun, even excellent.

ABSTRACT. Creative approaches to composition and arrangement in Irish traditional music have become fundamental to Irish traditional performance practice in modern society, many of these incorporating Western musical influences along with various examples of cultural hybridity (McAvoy, 2018). The dichotomy surrounding the dual competencies of the oral tradition non-textual aesthetics in contrast to the non-orally orientated Western performance practices presents diverse independent characteristics. Based on continuous fieldwork, this paper will explore how certain composers and performers interface both of these musical worlds into their works, along with how they address any disparities that arise in the process.

The creativity and a certain ‘looseness’ associated with the oral creative process in Irish traditional music, and also how the “creative impulse lives in the moment of performance itself” (Ní Shíocháin, 2009) will be highly relevant throughout this paper whilst exploring the ways in which these composers and musicians competently interface these musical worlds. Bi-musicality (Hood, 1960) plays a pivotal role in their creative endeavours. In relation to Irish traditional dance music, the limitations of music notation (Cook, 2013), as well as the significance of bowing (Cranitch, 2008) and rhythmic enunciation will be explored with focus on the distinct characteristics of each musical tradition. The benefits of both their formal and informal learning (Folkestad, 2006) throughout their careers will be examined, displaying how this has greatly augmented the dual competencies of these composers and musicians.

Elaborating on the topic of creativity in music (Bayley, 2017; Hill, 2018) and the creative process in Irish traditional music (Ó Súilleabháin, 1990), the aesthetic values of creative and compositional practices will be explored in depth, with particular focus on how they interact, co-exist and combine to create new cross-cultural arrangements drawing on Irish traditional practices

ABSTRACT. A master of the spoken word, a faithful guardian of oral tradition and the undisputed guardian of ancestral customs, the griot plays an extremely important social role in Mandingo society. His status makes him the most enlightened and closest advisor to the king, the prince, and today's politicians. The village of Kéla is located some 100 km southwest of Bamako in Mali. The village of Kéla is home to a large community of griots (jeliw), most of whom belong to the Diabaté family. Their mastery of the jeliya (the Mandenka griot tradition) is recognized throughout West Africa, and many griots come from all over to stay, sometimes for several years, in the hope of becoming either a master lyricist or singer. Among the Mandings in West Africa, oral tradition is still dominant. Conventional speeches and songs of praise are produced by griots and passed down orally from generation to generation. With modernization and the emergence of music schools in Mali, many musical artists such as Salif KEITA have created their own music inspired by the griots, but without necessarily going through the griot school. However, griots, the masters of the spoken word, still hold the privilege of singing and playing certain musical instruments better than others. What's left of the music of yesteryear, generally sung on special occasions to special people (having demonstrated bravery or nobility) that is currently under the strong sway of modernity? In this film, we look at the role of the griot in African tradition and the new challenges of modernity.

ABSTRACT. Azmari, who play a one-stringed fiddle called masenqo, are known as hereditary musical professionals who have made music their livelihood in the communities of the Ethiopian highlands since ancient times. Azmari simultaneously serve as a resistance against the rulers and as representative voices of the people for social and political satire and debate through songs. The performances by Azmari are characterized by the improvisation of poetry, not only by the singer but by the audience, who improvise and throw their own poems at the singer. Azmari’s songs serve as a mirror, reflecting the social situation and the feelings of the locals. This film follows the performances of Solomon Ayanaw, an Azmari working in Addis Ababa, and examines issues surrounding the transformation, authenticity, and inheritance of Azmari culture through conversations between the anthropologist/filmmaker, Itsushi Kawase, and Solomon, his relatives, and the audience.

ABSTRACT. Film 1: Music in the Mountain Kingdom (8:52). The film crew goes in search of musicians still performing little-remembered Lesotho instruments featured in the clay figurines commission by Percival Kirby, renowned colonial collector of Sub-Saharan instruments, and made by Lesotho clay figurine artist Samuele Makhoanyane. A poignant film about people who live on the margins of society yet continue to play these national instruments, mostly forgotten by the modern world of digital technology. Film 2: Riel Dance (10:20) showcases an ancient rural dance tradition in southern Africa. This dance has experienced a revival during the mid-200s through annual competitions and when one of the groups wins gold at the World Championships of Performing Arts in 2015 in Los Angeles, the dance is catapulted onto the international stage. Still a rural form of entertainment and competition, it has not yet been commercialised although the competitions and the recent international focus have stimulated its revival and more younger people are involved in its sustenance. Film 3: Performing Respectability (10 mins) showcases the colourful Christmas Bands Movement in Cape Town, one of three parading practices in the city. Typically comprising family networks and wind band instruments, this century-old tradition continues to thrive in the twenty-first century. Through interviews with band members, we come to understand the significance of the community practice in the lives of band members and the larger community. Although from a marginalised community in the political landscape of South Africa, the band members build community through musical performance, annual parades and competitions. Together these three films, although quite different in their subject matter and contextually, contribute towards an awareness of lesser-known music and dance practices in southern Africa.

ABSTRACT. In my video presentation, I will discuss my film documentary, Gone to the Village: Royal Funerary Rites for Asantehemaa Nana Afia Kobi Serwaa Ampem II, within the broader framework of Asante history and embodied experience as a manifestation of its musical and allied arts. Filmed on location in Kumase during the funerary rites of the Asantehemaa in January and December 2017, we witness traditions that have stubbornly and proudly resisted the onslaught of colonial rule and globalization. Exceptional scenes of singing, drumming, instrumental and verbal poetry, and dress code will highlight Asante past in the present.

ABSTRACT. Khele is a traditional call associated with the Talesh people of Iran. Its origin lies in the geographical and occupational needs of Talesh individuals engaged in farming, ranching, and maritime activities. Today, khele is featured in local concerts within the region, embodying nostalgic reflections on rural life. My research, based on Talesh studies literature and fieldwork, reveals significant transformations in the Talesh rural community over the past fifty years due to urbanization, technological advancements, and shifting lifestyles (Shokouri 2003; Abdoli 2007; Tavana and Amir Entekhabi 2007; Bazin 2015). Through interviews, ethnographic, and netnographic research, I have discovered that khele remains intertwined with the daily life, traditions, and changes of the Talesh rural community. In this presentation, I will also explore the role of khele in the context of the Talesh people's seasonal migration. Second, I will discuss the impact of the transformation of the Talesh rural community on the practice of khele. Lastly, I will investigate how khele has gained a new significance in musical settings, serving as a reminder of the Talesh community's rural origins. Despite its reduced practical use in everyday life, khele retains cultural importance, connecting the community to its traditions, land, and history.

ABSTRACT. In a place of two distinct musical traditions, overlapping members of the Tongan and British brass banding movements struggle to construct senses of place and belonging within two disciplines that are ideologically at odds. Ideals of worship and service at the core of ifi Tonga (Tongan banding) push up violently against values of competition and individualism of ifi Pālangi (British banding). After tracing a brief history of brass banding in Tonga and and its diaspora in Aotearoa through the limited materials available, I contextualize the analyses of three long-form interviews of members of this overlapping community, as well as fieldwork performed at the New Zealand Brass Band National Championships and Auckland Regional Championship in 2022. These three interviews are the centrepiece of this research. Inspired by discussions of the dynamic, collaborative and volatile role of the modern ethnographer (Miller 2012, Sunardi 2015, Lassiter 2001, Widdess 1994), I present this project as an audiovisual collaborative dialogue between myself and the interviewees. Together, we argue and explore how their cultural displacement and tension of ideals, rather than further alienate them, forces them to form unique identities in-between the traditions of ifi Tonga and ifi Pālangi. The interviewees construct for themselves a place of belonging defined strictly by their sense of disconnection from their own communities. However, it is through this construction, not despite it, that the interviewees feel they are able to form a more fortified sense of their cultural identity. Placing themselves in the space in-between allows them to reconcile, reconnect to, and reclaim their musical spaces. As the connection between Aotearoa and its Pacific neighbours continues to grow, observing and analysing these connections and ambivalent positionings in constructions of place and belonging will only become more important in the national cultural landscape of Aotearoa.

ABSTRACT. This paper examines the role of music in a small Christian community its origin was in Lebanon and in the nineteenth century moved to the Galilee in northern Israel. The community presented here is the Greek-Orthodox community located in the Arab village of Sakhnin in the Galilee. This community consists of eight hundred people that live in an Arab town of Muslim Arabs that consists of thirty thousands citizens. The study presented here found that this community struggles to preserve its unique religious and cultural identity as a small community within two majority groups – the Muslim Arab society of their town and the Jewish society of the Israeli state. The main issue of the paper is the significant role of the liturgical and paraliturgical music performed in the church of this community as a tool of preservation of cultural and personal identity. The music of this Church will be described mainly by presenting the central figures that are active in the music of the church. The paper will describe their different narratives concerning the musical situation in the church and the ways to keep the tradition of this community. We will also refer to the influence of the cultural environment on the music of this church. The study presented here is based on fieldwork that has continued for the last five years. It includes regular participant observations in the religious services on Sundays and the holidays, active participation in lessons and meetings of the church choir and interviews with the main figures of this church and with members of the community.

ABSTRACT. There has been increased tendency among Tanzanian musicians to use music elements from South African music genres. This paper discusses the interaction between Tanzanian Church music (Muziki wa Injili) and South African Amapiano music. Muziki wa Injili is one of the prominent popular music genres in Tanzania. It is a genre of music which is associated with Christian religious practices in Tanzania and is usually used in various Christian religious contexts such as church services, evangelical gatherings, and gospel festivals. Amapiano music is a relatively new music genre of electronic dance music, that emerged in South Africa in the early 2010s, and gained popularity in Tanzania and the world at large, it is mostly used in secular environments, including venues like nightclubs, political functions, and festival occasions. Despite differences between these music genres, musicians of Muziki wa Injili have been borrowing several music elements from Amapiano music and using them in their compositions of Muziki wa Injili. This paper argues that the influence of Amapiano music on Muziki wa Injili can be observed in various musical elements including rhythmic pattern, dancing style, the use of percussion, melodic patterns, improvisation, and the use of call and response singing technique. This paper is a result of my ethnographic study conducted in Dar es Salaam this year, and the review of several secondary data.

ABSTRACT. This article explores the innovations integrated into the Georges Ouédraogo Museum of Music to digitize its collections, disseminate, and promote Burkinabé musical heritage. Nowadays, technology influences various domains, including museums, where it is utilized for digitizing collections, offering online exhibitions, and facilitating musical heritage preservation. The Georges Ouédraogo Museum of music, a showcase for Burkinabe music, is one of the most visited museums in Burkina Faso. With a collection of up to 239 musical instruments, including balafons, drums, harps, bells, flutes, trumpets and audiovisual background. The Georges Ouédraogo Museum of Music has recently introduced a digital catalog of musical instruments, sounds, and a virtual exhibition to enhance preservation and global access to its collections. The article highlights the digitization methods employed by the Georges Ouédraogo Museum of Music, emphasizing the importance of technology in dissemination, conservation, and promotion of musical instruments. It examines various approaches used by the museum, based on interviews with museum staff. The objective is to present the digital tools used for preserving Burkinabé musical heritage, contributing to education, research, and virtual dissemination of instruments and sound archives at the Georges Ouédraogo Museum of Music. Surveys conducted demonstrate the effectiveness of digitizing collections in this museum, as it allows for closer interaction with visitors, increased visibility through social networks, while preserving musical heritage effectively. The article discusses the different innovations at the Georges Ouédraogo Museum of Music in the digital age and new methods to cater to a more diverse audience, including those on social media platforms.

ABSTRACT. In recent years, the global creative economy has experienced significant expansion propelled by the advent of digital platformisation. Notably, platforms such as social media, streaming services, and online marketplaces have emerged as potent tools for Kenyan artists, offering accessible and scalable avenues to showcase their work to a worldwide audience while directly engaging with their fanbase. Furthermore, innovative initiatives have led to the development of more tailored platforms addressing the specific needs of Kenyan and African artists. In Kenya, this trend is exemplified by the emergence of distribution platforms like Mdundo, aimed at empowering African musicians and promoting fair compensation in the music industry. Mdundo empowers artists to expand their reach and monetize their creativity in previously unattainable ways. However, amidst these opportunities, there persist various challenges surrounding platformisation within the Kenyan context. These include issues surrounding digital literacy, internet accessibility, and data privacy, which disproportionately affect artists in rural and marginalised areas. Additionally, issues arise regarding copyright infringement and sustainability of revenue models on platforms like Mdundo, as well as the equitable distribution of profits among creators and platform owners. This paper endeavors to explore the intricate dynamics of platformisation within Kenya's creative industries, with a specific focus on the challenges and opportunities presented by the Mdundo platform. Employing an ethnographic approach, the study aims at offering a comprehensive understanding of how Mdundo has reshaped the creative economy landscape in Kenya.Insights obtained from interviews with artists, and industry insiders will provide valuable perspectives on the platform's impact on their professional practices, income generation, and market access. Through a nuanced examination of these complexities, this research seeks to enrich our understanding of the relationship between platformisation and Kenya's creative economy. The implications of these findings extend to policymakers, industry stakeholders, and platform developers navigating the evolving terrain of digital innovation in the arts. Ultimately, this study aims to inform strategies for fostering the sustainable growth and inclusivity of Kenya's dynamic creative sectors within an increasingly digital and interconnected world.

ABSTRACT. The Akata Masquerade, a nocturnal Efik tradition in Calabar, South South Nigeria, serves as a cultural watchdog, exposing societal misbehavior through its enigmatic performances. Central to the Akata's ritual is a bamboo instrument utilized for vocal surrogacy, acting as a conduit for masked speech and singing. This paper aims to unveil the reality of bamboo vocal surrogacy within the Akata Masquerade, shedding light on its secretive mode of sound production. Limited scholarly attention has been directed towards the Akata, necessitating an exploration into its unique musical and vocal practices. Employing qualitative research methods, this study draws from interviews with Akata performers and practitioners, complemented by a review of relevant journal articles on Akata music and speech surrogacy. Key findings reveal that the bamboo instrument's construction and vocal production methods are closely guarded secrets, accessible only to initiates of the tradition. The instrument serves as a surrogate for ancestral voices, symbolically representing voices beyond human perception. This paper underscores the importance of cultural awareness and preservation, highlighting the Akata's role as a bearer of indigenous knowledge and societal values. Through this investigation, the paper aims to foster appreciation for the Akata tradition and its unique vocal surrogacy, contributing to the discourse on African masquerades, indigenous music, and the preservation of cultural heritage. Ultimately, the study seeks to illuminate the intricate intersection of ritual, secrecy, and sound production within the context of the Akata Masquerade's reality.

ABSTRACT. This talk reflects on the author’s experience as recipient of a ‘Talent – Arts and Culture’ New Zealand work to residency visa in 2003, navigating both the opportunities and challenges posed to musicians globally by the new online environment, and the New Zealand cultural policy muddle. The opportunity resulted from an early involvement in creative online communities emerging at that time. The immigration policy was introduced shortly after Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Rings broke global box office records and fuelled a national euphoria: the aim was to attract established overseas artists and promote ‘creative industries’ as an economic growth sector – along with biotechnology and IT – to attract foreign financial investment and boost the tourist industry. However, the expectations raised by an exceptional moment in film history were unrealistic and did not rest on a sound understanding of how creative practitioners operate and what they contribute. The concept of ‘cultural industries’ was developed in the UK in the 1990s. Adopting this policy, and ‘branding’ New Zealand as a pristine yet quintessentially British ‘Middle-earth’, was a neo-colonial effort profoundly at odds with the public rhetoric about creating a unique New Zealand cultural identity. In this confusion, qualifying as ‘New Zealand musician’ became determined by whakapapa and place of birth. Overseas artists arriving under the new immigration policy were by definition excluded, and their creative energy and broader perspectives were wasted in a cultural-political environment that focused on elusive short-term economic benefits and defined New Zealand music as Anglo-Saxon, rather than on building a sustainable and unique creative sector that reflects New Zealand’s Māori heritage while integrating the diverse communities who have chosen this home for the promise of creativity, diversity and inclusion which New Zealand so successfully projected overseas.

ABSTRACT. In the wake of the 2011 Jasmine Revolution, Tunisia embarked on a substantial journey towards democratic governance, catalyzing major changes in its cultural policies. The Ministry of Culture has been instrumental in various domains under its purview, with a key emphasis on ensuring unbiased and equitable management of government-funded cultural endeavors. This paper delves into the evolution of Tunisian dance policy, charting its path from a marginalized cultural niche to becoming a fully institutionalized art form. In 2018, the dance sector reached a pivotal moment in Tunisia, receiving official recognition from the Ministry of Culture and coinciding with establishing the Tunisian City of Culture - the country's most enormous cultural edifice. A Department of Dance was established as an integral component of this new cultural hub, previously a sub-administration under the Department of Music and Popular Arts. The Department is now granted budgetary autonomy, empowering it to lead its activities and promote dance policy nationwide. This research inquiries critical questions surrounding Tunisian dance policy: What is the cultural value of dance, and how is it perceived in Tunisian society? How have institutional changes impacted dance professionals' experiences? Will the cultural policy shift after the revolution have a lasting impact on dance policy? Conducted over a three-year period from 2020 to 2023, the research involved archival research to trace relevant laws relating to dance policy. Qualitative research methods, e.g., interviews and observations, were employed to provide deeper insight into the findings. The outcomes drawn from this inquiry provide valuable insights into the origins of Tunisia's dance policy and the Ministry of Culture's endeavors to safeguard and promote the country's rich dance heritage, including recognition on UNESCO's lists. The paper prompts critical reflection on Tunisian dance policy, an area that has received limited attention in existing literature on Tunisian ethnomusicology research.

ABSTRACT. The paper delves into the historical backdrop of cultural patronage in Tunisia and how it paved the way for establishing a national musical policy. Of particular importance is the recent recognition of Baron D'Erlanger's musical archives by The UNESCO Memory of the World Register in 2023 is of great significance to scholars engaged in Tunisian and broader MENA ethnomusicology research. The Arab and Mediterranean Music Center, inaugurated by Tunisian cultural authorities in 1992, has been safeguarding these valuable archives, previously the lavish residence of D'Erlanger in the early 20th century. Today, the center is an important institution pillar for Tunisia's music policy. D'Erlanger, a prominent cultural patron in Tunisian musical history, cannot be overstated, as he played an instrumental role in inspiring local music connoisseurs and musicians to push the boundaries and take a musical policy project to new heights. However, the project stems from a legacy of innovative initiatives dating back to the Beylik of Tunis reign in the early 1800s, e.g., Ahmad Bey, who was a forward-thinking figure who tirelessly dedicated himself to modernizing music education nationwide and founded Tunisia's first-ever Conservatory in 1837. This remarkable occurrence remains unacknowledged despite its historical significance, mainly in Tunisian music scholarship. This research questions the intriguing realm surrounding a Tunisian music policy: When was this term initially introduced, and what is its tangible impact in practical terms? By conducting extensive research, including scrutinizing musical archives at Tunis city's archive institutions, and conducting ethnographic and historical inquiries at cultural sites connected to the prominent Tunisian musical policy landmarks. The findings offer fresh perspectives that challenge traditional interpretations relevant to music policy in Tunisia. Ultimately, this paper seeks to unearth the origins of this policy and its genuine significance, which has been overlooked by Tunisian music scholars, enriching scholarly discussions on this topic.

ABSTRACT. The Tunisian Jasmin revolution that occurred on January 14th, 2011, marks the beginning of the Arab Spring and the subsequent transition to a post-revolution democracy. This has sparked a cultural identity debate among cultural activists and intellectuals, which has become a critical theme in the post-revolution cultural scene. The national musical identity has played a crucial role in this discussion. This paper delves into the impact of the revolution on the national musical scene, as well as the relevant cultural policies and institutions. In the pre-revolution context, the Ministry of Culture played a pivotal role in shaping musical policy. However, after the revolution, this governmental cultural institution has taken the lead in driving the country's democratic transition. This research aims to address key questions such as the alternative cultural-musical policies and politics currently pursued by the government, and whether post-revolution cultural authorities have been successful in meeting the demands of the new cultural-musical policy. The research was conducted over three years (2020-2023) in Tunisia, using various research methods, including archival studies, fieldwork, research mapping, survey research, qualitative research methods such as interviewing and observation. The findings from both archival and fieldwork research offer empirical results on the concrete contributions of the Ministry of Culture in terms of institutions, participants in cultural debates, and reforms in domains under the Ministry's purview. Additionally, they offer insights into the Ministry of Culture's involvement in the realm of musical policy and the challenges faced by cultural politics in relation to society. Overall, this paper contributes to a deeper understanding of the dynamics of musical policy in the post-revolution era. This topic has received limited attention in the realm of MENA research and has yet to be studied in the depth it deserves.

ABSTRACT. Extensive interaction with the environment is evident in Igbo musical traditions. This is characterized by nuanced subtleties and occasional direct expressions. Music scholarship in Igboland, located in southeastern Nigeria, lacks significant focus on the conceptualization of environmental themes within Igbo songs. Despite the prevalent issue of acute land degradation in the region and the worldwide concern for topics such as temporal and spatial dynamics, climate change, and environmental sustainability, there remains a notable absence of attention to these themes within indigenous Igbo music scholarship. Consequently, my aim is to examine how indigenous Igbo music addresses environmental concerns. Employing the ethnomusicological research methods, I analyze concepts, musical structures, performance practices, social and cultural contents of selected songs that engage environmental motifs, including themes related to land, air, sky and water. I anchor this investigation on the ecomusicological perspectives. These perspectives explore the relationships between music/sound (textual and performative), and the natural environment within cultural and social contexts. I critically examine and interpret how elements of the environment are engaged through the concept and practice of music in Igbo society. I argue that the philosophy underlying the Igbo idiom, ako bu ije, which embodies the ideals of wisdom and success, and incorporates cooperation and reciprocity among other principles, inextricably constitutes the bedrock upon which the relationship between the entities of the environment and the Igbo are situated. This study offers novel theoretical frameworks and avenues for examining the intersection of music, spirituality, social disparities, environmental sustainability, and societal dynamics through its transdisciplinary discourse.

ABSTRACT. Artists worldwide are searching for ways to respond to the climate and biodiversity crisis, often by returning to traditional ecological knowledge embedded in languages that have been threatened by years of colonial erasure. In Ireland, there is currently a youth-led resurgence of interest in the native language, which is often expressed through the lens of place-making and environmentalism. Ireland, although it trades on a green image, is consistently one of the worst performing nations in the EU when it comes to environmental outcomes. Our indigenous language offers a relationship to land that encourages “enchantment” (Bennett 2001) and a more ecological consciousness to thrive (Cronin 2019). This paper reflects on an ecologically-informed community music project that builds a “sound community” (Titon 2015) through musicking in a rural area. Most significant is a community Javanese gamelan orchestra which creates new music from the juncture of Javanese sonorities with Irish language, music and mythology. Incorporating this foreign musical system into local practices creates tensions as well as opportunities to explore sound as an ontological starting point for understanding human-nonhuman relations (Feld 2015). The integration of the gamelan with local traditions mirrors my own journey as a learner of the language and traditional music of my native land, all of which is framed by Irish philosopher John Moriarty’s (2005) call to re-invoke our relationship with Ireland by reaching for indigenous mythology as a narrative guide for living within planetary limits. My practice is cross-cultural, but directed towards deeper engagement with local traditions and place, while building a resilient, decolonised and ecologically conscious community where I live and work.

ABSTRACT. Amongst many communities in the Philippines, musical instruments produced from bamboo are diverse and widespread, and considered crucial both for cultural maintenance and socio-economic survival. One such example is the Talaandig community, one of the lumad groups (non-Muslim indigenous peoples of Mindanao) in the Philippines, with Datu (chieftain) Waway Saway as one of the key cultural bearers. In this paper, I draw from my recent ethnographic fieldwork with Datu Waway and other members of the Talaandig community, as well as from theories on resilience and sustainability, to explore the complexities of Talaandig music-making related to bamboo. Primarily informed by Jeff Titon’s resilience-sustainability in music framework (2015), also known as “eco-trope” (2023), as well as by Shain Shapiro’s “music ecosystem” (2022), the paper analyses how bamboo music functions as a dynamic tool in cultivating resilience (strategy) to obtain sustainability/SDGs (goal) by overcoming various disturbances (obstacles) in a particular culture, and uplifts various facets of the community such as environment, employment, and education. Furthermore, considering the “resilience paradox” of Mahdiani and Ungar (2021) and the “resilience ambivalence” of Llanera (2023), the paper intends to dismantle idealisations about bamboo music as a space for displaying performative elements signifying “resilience,” and instead look at ways in which resilience serves as a strategy towards sustainability/SDGs by examining the different strategies used by the Talaandig community to overcome some of their challenges through their music culture and reclaim their identity and heritage according to their own perception and proclamation.

ABSTRACT. Between 1975 and 1981 my wife and I spent four years of fieldwork in Aboriginal camps in the Northern Territory and Western Australia  A trilogy of monographs on Aboriginal music followed.

In 2007, when the Federal Government's Intervention legislation came into force, the population of one camp — at Honeymoon Bore — were compulsorily moved to a site called Ampilatwatja, where they remain. In 2018 the camp leaders (whom we knew as teenagers) asked me to return to discuss what I had recorded, written and published on their music. In stark contrast to the 1970s, ritual life, so I was told was dead. This, however, was not the case thanks to an unexpected event. A re-visit was recently requested.

In 2023, a second community — at Balgo — asked me to return with digitised copies of audio recordings and documentation. One man, grandson of my main co-researcher,  had been identified as the appropriate person to receive the materials. As before, the existence of current ritual activity was initially denied, but this view was subsequently changed on perusing my book. 

At an indigenous level, repatriation was possible only because of a change of  attitude towards accessing photos and recordings of deceased family members and ancestors, a shifting over half a century from anathema to desirable. But my own extramusical credentials were also instrumental, including contributions to land claim hearings, invited participation as a dancer at initiation rituals, siding with the community in an altercation with a local cattle station owner and books foregrounding the indigenous perspective.

I examine these and other issues in the context of the pros and cons of institutional and personal repatriation. 

ABSTRACT. In resonance with global movements toward cultural heritage preservation and sustainability, Taiwan has witnessed a proliferation of initiatives and organizations dedicated to cultural revitalization since the late 20th century, with a notable engagement in music, including ethnic genres. Supported by both local communities and governmental bodies, the endeavor to sustain ethnic traditions through music manifests in various forms in terms of the agendas to the contents of musical practices. However, scholarly investigations into the everyday cultural activities within these communities remain scarce. Focusing on a Hakka music organization involving the elderly community in a rural community in north-central Taiwan, this article explores how ethnic music provides pathways for community identity construction and cultural sustainability. My study is based on interviews and ethnography conducted at the Zhusen (“Bamboo-Forest”) Village Community Development Association in Miaoli County during 2023 and 2024. By scrutinizing this local organization in terms of its sponsorship, content of music sessions, types of activities, participants musical understanding, and its interaction with the broader social context, this paper assesses how music and relevant endeavors advocated and reinforced the community's ethnic identity and cultural sustainability. Furthermore, this study delves into how the activities of an amateur music group contribute to defining the Hakka community and shaping its cultural aesthetics of aging. Preliminary observations on the Zhusen Community suggest that vocal music plays a prominent role in fostering participants' sense of being Hakka. On the other hand, instrumental music offers a diversified cultural and sensory experience, enabling aging participants to imbue reflections on rural life into their evolving ethnic identity. This investigation illuminates the flexible role of music in fostering ethnic identity, community cohesion, and cultural sustainability within the Hakka community, offering insights into the dynamic interplay between tradition and modernity in Taiwan's rural landscapes.

ABSTRACT. The objective of this project is to explore the collaborative methods in preserving the wealth of krung, one of musical resources in Nan province. The curatorial and collaborative methods engaged with the process of developing plans together with artisans, testing the model with stakeholders, adapting to learn the lessons and mistakes in the field, and to implement a longitudinal activity to integrate cultural and biological ecology. Active agents are the only two instrument makers in the village who possess local wisdom of plant identification, wood cutting, forest hiking. Stakeholders are the local administration of the village, local organization of water management, district administration, educational personnel, and high school students and teachers. The model included meetings, forest survey, seminar with local students, collaborative design for a workshop, an instrument making workshop by backward design thinking process, musical instrument design, and a student presentation.

ABSTRACT. This paper examines how Turkmen musicians, within the formal institutions of post-Soviet Turkmenistan, uphold traditional ways of knowledge transmission and performance. Drawing on my experience as an indigenous performer of Turkmen music, I begin by conceptualizing the meanings of “pata” (blessing) and “gaýybana şägirt” (disciple-in-absentia), mystically imbued stages through which an emerging musician is distinguished as exceptional not only technically but also spiritually. By illustrating the ways in which these indigenous methods of transmission find meaning within the state schools of Turkmenistan, I argue that, in practice, these are tactics that aim to subvert an institutionalized rupture with the intimacy and spiritual potency of lineages, which are evoked here through the enduring impact and undiminished cultural presence of absent masters. The account I offer highlights the complexity surrounding musical knowledge transmission, thereby contributing to scholarship (Cohen 2009; Harris 2008; Wilf 2014; Fossum 2015) that challenges assumptions regarding the inadequacy of formal institutions for instruction in traditional arts.

ABSTRACT. Digital teaching support is a public welfare activity that relies on remote video to provide online real-time courses for rural primary schools in remote areas, helping to improve the shortage of teachers in rural primary schools and enrich students' school experience. Based on the particularity of this teaching method, content, and teacher-student relationship, remote music classes have always been one of the more difficult courses. This article uses 3 years of teaching experience as the basis for field work, introduces the knowledge cooperation method of this teaching method, describes the practical process of placing Chinese musical culture knowledge in remote music classes, and explores some thinking of transforming academic research knowledge into popular knowledge.

ABSTRACT. Using Regression-Based Analysis in Digital Musicology

Figures can be viewed here: https://imgur.com/a/ZxncRe8 Note: The Imgur account is under a Pseudonym

In this research, I advocate adopting regression-based analysis when visualising data across multiple online platforms such as Spotify and YouTube. Regression-based analysis utilises the concepts of statistical regression (commonly used in fields such as finance or investing) and can be used to visualise musical data. Regression, in financial fields, determines the relationship between two independent variables. As such, there is untapped potential for musical analysis, such as comparing trends in songs released to multiple streaming services. In Fig. 1, regression (an experimental regression model) is used to identify the relationship between Spotify and YouTube streams from songs released in 2020.

In this particular rendition, the blue dots each relate to 148 individual songs that charted in the top 100 songs released on Spotify or music videos uploaded to YouTube. The line represents the average ratio, and this input intends to identify songs with major discrepancies in popularity between platforms. In this case, the outliers include songs that performed well on one platform but fell short of expected views/streams on the second. Using a model built on Python code, the songs and their respective view counts on both platforms can be fed into the program, which then outputs this image, alongside an Excel document listing the songs “by error”, with the Spotify-heavy songs at the top, and the YouTube-heavy ones at the bottom (see fig. 2 and 3).

This method allows for easier identification of key music trends, especially when using large data sets. Regression-based analysis has the potential to break new ground in musicology, as it can assist in visualising and identifying outliers from independent sources.

ABSTRACT. Academic research on the performing arts faces a challenge when it comes to sharing research results due to the dominance of writing as the accepted medium of knowledge dissemination. I argue that digital storytelling (DST), a multi-modal method that can present findings concisely and reach audiences beyond academia by way of ‘ “showing,” rather than “telling'' ’ (Lambert & Hessler, 2018, p. 60), is a suitable alternative medium (especially for those in the arts-based sectors) to the written word.

In this presentation, I will critically analyse existing scholarship on DST, starting from its launching on the StoryCenter's platform up to a recent article by Fu, Mahony and Liu (2023) that offers a new, community-led outlook on the method. I will examine the limitations of DST and suggest its potential in the performing arts, particularly through the inclusion of videos and sonic layers, along with the potential of the preservation of cultural heritage and oral storytelling.

To support my argument, I will draw from my multidisciplinary PhD practice-based research (2021-2024), which investigated the tradition of folk music arrangements for piano in Latvia and the UK. My research led to the creation of a new model of free improvisation for soloists, fused with Latvian folk music and contemporary compositional practices. The model includes experimental improvisation on the piano and the indigenous Latvian folk instrument 'kokle', technological advancements (acoustic microphone/amplifier/electroacoustic reverb filter/loop pedal for 'kokle'), and archival recordings of Latvian folk songs. To reach global audiences beyond academia, I shared my PhD findings through a self-built online platform that includes an interactive component.

References Cited Fu, Y., Mahony, S. and Liu, W. (2023) ‘Reconstruction of cultural memory through digital storytelling: A case study of Shanghai Memory project’, Digital Scholarship in the Humanities, 38(4), pp. 1522–1535. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1093/llc/fqad044. Lambert, J. and Hessler, B. (2018) Digital Storytelling: Capturing Lives, Creating Community. 5th edn. Routledge. StoryCenter (no date). Available at: https://www.storycenter.org/

ABSTRACT. New technologies and media have not only become an integral part of our lives, but also an inseparable part of our ethnographic work. Musicians use social media and other digital technologies to represent and market themselves, but also other stakeholders construct and participate in the discourse around these musical practices via these media. Yet, digital natives are experiencing new media in a more intense and more confidential way, perceiving them as an extension of their own reality. This has enabled them not only to construct new mixed and virtual identities, but also to make increasingly clearer the interrelation and interconnectedness between physical and virtual multi-local spaces, and to act more fluidly in their musical practices and knowledge constructions. This appropriation of the virtual worlds, as well as the development of new virtual platforms, provided new spaces to develop new forms of musical practices. I am going to present my work on multimedia music practices exemplified on the app TikTok, in order to discuss methodological and theoretical possibilities and challenges of musical ethnographies in digital worlds. Drawing on reflections of my ethnographic research, I will briefly review the ethnographic model introduced by Alan P. Merriam (1964) to introduce to this model the concept of E3 Internet by Christine Hine (2015), looking to understand the internet and its (musical) practices as a daily, highly embedded, and embodied experience. Proposing to conceive our musical practices as auditory expressions, that different interacting physical and virtual identities perform and experience in asynchronously networked multimedia spaces, I suggest that a digital performance can be, aside from a representation of reality, an integral part of it, and likewise, contribute to the construction of an extended lived world.

ABSTRACT. If we see indigeneity as a positioning, this positioning has been excluded from the academic, media, and thus public discourses of China. The Chinese state has been asserting that “there is no indigenous people in China,” even at the United Nations General Assembly meetings after it voted to support the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous People. However, my ethnographic experience with some native tribes inhabiting Southern, Northwestern, and Southwestern China led me to question that official assertion. These native dwellers had established their own cultures before their lands were annexed to China or before the Chinese regime gained comprehensive control over their socio-cultural lives. But, as my research suggests, while denying the existence of indigenous peoples, the state reorganized and combined these diverse native tribes into freshly created Chinese ethnic groups and gave them a new identity of ethnic minority. Such an official positioning has been hindering the employment of indigeneity or “indigenous people” as an analytical starting point or a mode of representing cultures, experiences, and musical practices of these cultural others in China. Tina Ramnarine (2009) notes that indigeneity is a mechanism through which people are understood and understand themselves as being different. In this paper, I argue that both minority and indigeneity are mechanisms of understanding being different: The former draws attention to the risk of discrimination and social inequality, while the latter has the potential to legitimize the native settlers’ appeals for land rights and sovereignty. This paper will examine the Chinese state’s practices of inventing ethnic minorities as a safer mechanism of managing and representing the native settlers of China’s frontier regions. I will discuss the role of music in erasing indigeneity, in creating new ethnic groups, and in transforming culturally diverse indigenous tribes into a homogeneous ethnic minority.

ABSTRACT. In 2023, Sweden nominated Karl Tirén's joik collection to UNESCO's Memory of the World Register. The official nominator and owner of the collection is The Swedish National Collections of Music, Theatre and Dance supported by the Sámi Parliament in Sweden. In this paper we will discuss and the nomination from a Sámi and a Swedish perspective.

The nomination is of great importance for the Sámi peoples in Sweden. It raises the status of an indigenous minority culture and will make an important cultural heritage more visible and accessible to researchers and practitioners. At the same time, the nominations to UNESCO take place on a national level - it is Sweden as a nation that nominates the collection - not the Sámi community. In a way the joik will become a Swedish symbol. Such situations call for a discussion about power relations. Should this be seen as a sign of acceptance and appreciation by the majority or as a kind of cultural hijacking? There are several related questions. What is the place of the music of minorities in national museums and archives? In what way is the music of minorities presented in exhibitions and in publications? Who takes responsibility for collecting, maintaining, and presenting the cultural expressions of minorities?

When Tirén made his recording trips, the Sámi joik was seen as rapidly declining. This had many causes, not least a forced adaptation to Swedish culture. Joik was seen as an expression of traditional Sámi religion and opposed by the Lutheran state Church in Sweden.

We see the inscription of the Tirén collection as a step towards increased recognition of the Sámi culture, and it might serve as a good example of how UNESCO’s actions for archives and cultural heritage can support the global work for democracy.

ABSTRACT. In 2020, Japanese Indigenous policy entered a new era. More than a decade following the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, the Ainu people were officially recognized as indigenous to Japan in 2019. The subsequent establishment of the Upopoy National Ainu Museum & Park in 2020 by the Japanese government marked a significant milestone. This national endeavor, situated on ancestral Ainu land in Shiraoi, Hokkaido, is a focal point for cultural revitalization, succeeding a half-century of Ainu-run indigenous museum stewardship in the region. The policy shift and the inauguration of this national institution have profoundly influenced traditional Ainu performing arts. This paper adopts a cultural policy and management perspective to delve into these transformations. Collaborating with indigenous co-researchers, the author, a non-indigenous researcher at the Museum, conducted a research project from 2021 to 2024, examining the contemporary landscape of Ainu performing arts. This presentation illuminates several pivotal findings from this research endeavor. The foremost impact of these institutions lies in their establishment of the first professional, full-time employed group dedicated to Ainu traditional performing arts. Moreover, this professional group has assumed a new role in the preservation and dissemination of endangered songs and dances from diverse regions, unlike the inherent example of knowledge passed down within communities. Additionally, the institutionalized stage performances have catalyzed community-based Cultural Preservation Associations, prompting a deeper recognition of their importance within the community. Finally, both institutional performers and community-based groups emphasize the necessity of a non-discriminatory social environment as a fundamental cornerstone for performance. Understanding these shifts and their implications is integral to the evolving cultural policy for Ainu, furthering the mission of cultural resurgence and fostering a society devoid of discrimination.

ABSTRACT. While ethnographic literature historically divested joik performances of other-than-human agency – defining it as an exclusively human practice – Sámi onto-epistemologies underscore how joiking transcends human performativity and rather represents a biocultural sonic expression that any organic or inorganic inhabitant of the Indigenous Arctic can voice. Joik melodies are heard in the howling of wind, in the grunting of reindeers, in the buzzing of mosquitoes… But how musical is mosquito? This paper seeks to address this provocative question, firmly embedded in issues of acoustemological relativism. Whereas travelers and missionaries – extending to today’s mass tourists – have hopelessly lamented the agonizing and persistent buzz of mosquitoes in the Arctic summer, Sámi auditory culture ascribes strong musical values to them, with evident aesthetic implications on how listening to other-than-human voices defines Sámi joiking. Confronting the divergent onto-epistemologies of Sámi and non-Indigenous audiences, a dialogic analysis delves into the culturally contingent concepts of “musicality” and “sonic undesirability” towards the disputed sonic agency of mosquitoes in Arctic Europe. Through this critical case study, the paper addresses current gaps in ethno-eco-musicological research dealing with multispecies voices, advancing an Indigenous methodology that challenges top-down and often-unquestioned applications of ethno-anthropocentric acoustemological paradigms that overlook the plurality of Indigenous aesthetics and sustainabilities associated with sounding practices and listening experiences. This approach is informed by Sámi ways of storying, modes of scholarly publication and knowledge co-creation that foster musicking and traditional storytelling as 'research methods', more than 'study objects'. Thus, throughout this paper, joiking and Indigenous storytelling are adopted as bioculturally sustainable pathways for analyzing mosquito voices. Findings reveal an inextricable tapestry of ecosystemic relationships, situated knowledge and multispecies memories that extend beyond musical realms. Ultimately, this approach urges a decolonizing re-evaluation of relevancy and applicability of musical paradigms and methods in the ethnographic consultation of Sámi and other Indigenous onto-epistemologies.

ABSTRACT. Dambus is a traditional stringed musical instrument of the people of the province of Bangka Island (Indonesia) which is characterized by the use of a representation of the shape of a deer's head on the head of the musical instrument. In the ensemble, the dambus consists of Gong, Tawak-tawak, Gendang Induk (large drum), Gendang Anak (small drum). In its development before the 19th century, dambus developed with quite strong animist beliefs on Bangka Island, but after the 19th century there were changes in dambus art, especially after the era of Islamization. There are many things related to deer in several contexts of social and cultural relations among the Bangka people. Deer is an animal that is considered important in several Bangka people's beliefs, one of which in the past was a tradition called Ngelapun or deer hunting tradition, where at the Ngetep Nasik Baru ceremony the main dish or side dish was deer meat. However, recently a polemic has emerged regarding the identity of the Bangka dambus regarding the reasons for using the characteristic deer head on the dambus musical instrument, and how important it is whether there is a deer head representation or not. The research aims to find out and present answers to the meaning of the deer head representation on the Bangka dambus musical instrument, starting by exploring and collecting historical data, mythology and stories circulating in society. This type of research is qualitative research with an ethnomusicological approach.

ABSTRACT. The viola da terra is a native chordophone of the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal located in the North Atlantic Ocean. The 12-or-15-stringed instrument features two hearts carved into the hollow body, thought to symbolize the separation of two lovers or the diasporic relationship between Portuguese immigrants in North America and those who remain on the Azorean islands. The viola da terra (hereafter referred to as just the viola), and other hollow-bodied chordophones like it in other regions of Portugal, are understood as a telltale sonic feature of Portuguese culture stirring saudade, or nostalgic longing, and conjuring memories of a former, pastoral reality (Almeida, 2010; Juslin et al., 2015). Players of the viola in centuries past were single males who would project both their voice and the viola’s sound as an invitation for locals to join in song (whether they sang, danced, or made percussive sounds) following a day of agricultural or marine labor.

While this lasted from the 17th to early 20th century, individuals additionally learned the instrument to perform in folkloric or religious groups and presently play for leisure – as many women learn an instrument that was formerly taboo for them to play. Understanding musical play and listening as cultural, gendered, and political acts (Attali, 2012, 30), I argue that the continued resonance of the viola da terra in communal performance and gatherings signals futurity, allowing the instrument to take on new meanings within Azorean society. Using ethnographic data, the phenomenological analysis of viola performances, and my own experiences learning the instrument, I explore the ontology of the viola da terra as a sonic, gendered, and environmental cultural object, with a focus on its distinct, metallic sound within the spaces in which it is used as a marker of Portuguese labor and leisure.

ABSTRACT. The image and the role of the shakuhachi, the Japanese end-blown bamboo flute, during the WWII has recently been discussed in academia and among shakuhachi aficionados. During this period the shakuhachi became a symbol of Japaneseness, and soldiers were encouraged to play the instrument during their service, while it was simultaneously used as a comfort for the war wounded for whom concerts were held and to whom also shakuhachi lessons were offered. This paper explores how the shakuhachi underwent changes from being played by wandering monks, organised within Fuke sect, a Zen Buddhist sect, that was never recognised as a religious sect, to a symbol of masculinity, bushidō (spirit of the samurai) and of the individual soldier, that gives all he has to the so-called war effort and for his country? I analyse writings on shakuhachi in magazines, newspapers, books and scores for shakuhachi from around 1875 till the end of the Russo-Japanese War (1904-5), which reveals the beginning of the change that led to the approach to the instrument, its use and its philosophical underpinnings during WWII. I will discuss how the role of the shakuhachi changed into being a part of militarism and nationalism in the context of the zeitgeist of the time, when the leadership of Buddhist sects openly supported the war, if there was a good reason for it, or even just in order to support national interest (Brian Daizen Victoria 2006: Zen at War). The shakuhachi’s role in the Russo-Japanese War will also be analysed in the context of the popularity of the instrument during what often is referred to as first shakuhachi boom after the abolition of the so-called Fuke Sect.

ABSTRACT. Despite the sharp development of different kinds of digitalization, electronic music and artificial intelligence, the traditional sound ideal remains one of the unchangeable stereotypes in the Kazakh musical culture. The ancient Kazakh instrument zhetygen, related to the harp, is one of the most characteristic for demonstrating the timbre-sound specifics of this sound ideal, that is named konyr sound and means not also soft, pleasant, "blissful", but sacred natural sound with great philosophical significance. The term konyr is used not only in determining the color of sounds extracted by a musical instrument but is also a more widely used concept. The traditional culture of Kazakh music belongs to the superethnic civilization of the nomadic peoples of Central Asia. The proof of this is the facts from the history of ancient musical instruments that have come down to our times. The study of such valuable information about the rich cultural heritage would undoubtedly prove to be an urgent task and contribute to musical instrumentation. The aim is to study the natural sound of the Kazakh zhetygen and, in general, the features of the natural sound of Kazakh musical instruments. It concludes that there is ample evidence of correlation between Kazakh traditional worldview and landscape, its’ influence the properties and features of the sound of the instrument as the zhetygen’s structure and features of manufacture; the material of the stretched string; acoustics of the sound of it; and the nature of this sound (pitch, oscillation frequency, color, speed and duration, strength and energy, sound level adjustment, resonance, sound dynamics level).

ABSTRACT. Shi‘a tradition promises divine rewards, believed to aid believers in the afterlife, for mourning the martyrdom of Shi‘a sacred figures. Yet, the young participants of Shi‘a mourning rituals in Tehran rarely present divine rewards as their primary motivation for engaging in rituals. Instead, they emphasize how their participation brings liveliness, material success, and internal peace to their daily lives, shifting the focus from spiritual to immediate, this-worldly benefits of mourning rituals. Given the historical centrality of the experience of suffering in Shi‘a rituals (Ayoub 1978), how could we understand these young mourners’ emphasis on the rituals’ this-worldly benefits? Drawing on my interviews in Tehran, I elucidate how my interlocutors’ narratives should be understood in their relation to two competing yet intertwining discursive resources: state-sponsored Islamist activism, which prescribes positive emotions as a prerequisite for realizing particular religious-political ambitions, and secular neoliberal productivism, which promotes the self-management of emotions as a means to maximizing material advantage. The latter has been popularized in Iran since the 1990s by a secular happiness industry sponsoring a wide range of self-help publications and public seminars on positive psychology, mindfulness, and alternative therapeutic spiritualities, among other similar topics. I argue that my interlocutors’ narratives allow them to employ and challenge both Islamist and neoliberal discursive resources simultaneously. While suggesting a nuanced engagement with both religious and secular discourses, my interlocutors’ narratives reveal how they navigate and reinterpret these discourses to justify their participation in rituals. My interlocutors employ a productivist logic to resist secular criticisms that dismiss Shi‘a mourning rituals as irrational, melancholic, and anti-modern. Yet, their individualist interpretations challenge the political implications of these collective rituals. This innovative engagement with rituals suggests a complex interplay between individual agency, the state, religious orthodoxy, and neoliberal logic, signifying the changing dynamics of Islamism in contemporary Iran.

ABSTRACT. This paper will explore the use of sound and music in the practice of mindfulness. By "mindfulness", I’m referring to the contemporary mindfulness movement that has emerged over the past few decades. While the movement has its roots in religious meditation practices, especially Buddhist meditation, it is largely a secular phenomenon that has become a fixture of the wellness industry in recent years, particularly in North America, the United Kingdom, and other parts of the Anglosphere. This project will provide an ethnographic account of how sound and music are used among practitioners of mindfulness, focusing most particularly on the use of popular smartphone applications (“mindfulness apps”) that incorporate sound and soundscapes in their meditative practices. This includes, for example, such apps as Waking Up, Headspace, Calm, and Insight Timer, among others. In some cases, these apps use ambient and soundscape recordings to enhance the user experience, while others use sound and music to facilitate meditation. The musics featured in these apps range from traditional forms to more popular genres and styles. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews conducted with practitioners of mindfulness, as well as with producers and musicians who create sound recordings for mindfulness apps, I aim to document the diverse range of sonic practices and sound knowledge that manifest in the case of the contemporary mindfulness movement. Ultimately, I ask, how can we understand mindfulness as a distinct form of listening?

ABSTRACT. By employing ethnographic research (interviews and participant-observation), this study discusses and analyses the ways in which two of my family members (my grandmother and my cousin) experience and used/use music in their daily lives. The results stress what research on this topic has indicated, illustrating that some of the most common functions of music in people’s lives include social bonding, mood regulation and identity formation. An additional function includes dealing with grief. I have created a matrix to organize the findings of my study and that will hopefully be employed into future studies on the field of music in everyday life. This study is inspired by Tia DeNora’s fascinating work on music in everyday life. As addressed by DeNora (2000), the connection between music and society was acknowledged in Howard Becker’s Art Worlds (1982), which revealed a trend that had been developing since the 1970’s in American scholarship (the “production of culture”) by Richard Peterson (1976), Lewis Coser (1978), Janet Wolff (1981) and Vera Zolberg (1990) (DeNora, 2000). T.W. Adorno was the most noteworthy advocate of this approach in the field of music (DeNora, 2000) (see Adorno, 1967; 1973; 1976). Adorno believed that music, a force in social life, was connected to cognitive behaviours, means and building of consciousness, historical advancements, and social structure (DeNora, 2000, 2003). The roles that music played/plays in my family member’s lives are common themes of music consumption, which are underpinned by the literature on each topic (refer to the paragraph above to see some important references). Although my family members’ past life experiences, ages and current lives are very different from each other, music still had and has some similar functions in their lives.

ABSTRACT. During my first field research trip to Qamani’tuaq, Nunavut in 2015 I witnessed the community mourn the death by suicide of a young woman. Her passing was the third death by suicide in Qamani’tuaq, and it was only June. Through this tragic loss, I learned how hymns, gospel and popular music can be used as coping mechanisms for individual and collective trauma. More specifically, I learned that hip hop is often used by young Inuit to address and work through mental health issues, intergenerational trauma, and grief. While there are numerous studies about Indigenous hip hop and activism, tradition and modernity, decolonization and Indigeneity, discussions focusing on Inuit hip hop in Canada remains under researched with the only contribution coming from Charity Marsh (2009). This paper aims to address this gap. I suggest that Inuit hip hoppers draw alliances between hip hop culture and their lived experiences to mediate the impact of colonialism. I argue that Inuit hip hop is a contemporary form of storytelling that can be used by Inuit musicians to reclaim culture, nurture individual, communal, and cultural health, and well-being, and assert sovereignty. I begin by establishing some of the ways hip hop has cemented itself in Inuit culture. An interview with Thor Simonsen, co-founder of Hitmakerz (a Nunavut-based record label) and an examination of community-based hip hop projects provides insight into the popularity of hip hop amongst Inuit youth. I then use the film The Grizzlies, as an entry-point into the sound world of Inuit hip hop and explore how some of the hip hoppers featured on the soundtrack address issues that affect them, and their communities and the ways in which they assert sovereignty and nurture health and well-being. In so doing, this paper contributes to ethnomusicological studies about Indigenous hip hop.

ABSTRACT. Malaysia comprises of many indigenous groups, also referred as “Orang Asal/Asli” or Original People”, apart from the main ethnic groups such as the Malays, Chinese, Indians and groups from East Malaysia, Sabah and Sarawak. Among the many indigenous groups in Peninsular Malaysia, Mah Meri group has received the most attention. Known as the “sea people” in the early writings, they are now referred as the “forest people”. Mah Meri people have preserved many of their arts and cultural practices despite of the test of time, namely, the celebration of the annual “Hari Moyang” (Ancestral Worship Day), which falls sometime after the Chinese New Year, following the lunar calendar. This study will foreground two groups of Mah Meri, from the villages of Sungai Judah and Sungai Bumbun in Carey Island, which conducted celebrations to commemorate their ancestors. While the former conducted rituals and performances in the sea (during low tide), the latter performed these on the land. In both cases, rituals during the celebrations culminated in a performance of the traditional Tari Jo’oh (Jo’oh dance) accompanied by live music. These events drew a large group of onlookers from outside the community, particularly tourists. Tourists’ participations as witnesses and voluntary performers turned the communal celebration into a tourist spectacle. Dance simultaneously played a dual role, as an offering to the ancestors and as an indigenous tourism product. The community, meanwhile, stayed away but watched the spectacle from the margins of the performance space. This study finds that the tourist participation could bring efficacy to the community and not an act of mere “exoticization”. To examine the different layers of participation and gaze in relation to power and agency, this ethnographic study draws data from observations, recordings, and interviews from the fieldwork conducted from February - March 2024.

ABSTRACT. This paper examines the cultural dance at the Sarawak Cultural Village (SCV), which is hailed as the only living museum in the state. Situated in Kuching the capital city of Sarawak, this tourist site has become one of the most popular cultural spaces in the state. SCV claims itself as a living museum as it showcases and exhibits indigenous people and their cultural practices and artifacts to the spectators, namely tourists. During the first decade of its establishment in 1990 until 2000, SCV hosted “real” indigenous communities from the longhouses to exhibit their culture to the tourists. It was deemed as a way to promote cultural authenticity. However, the ecosystem slowly shifted and the engagement with the “real” longhouse communities declined. Today, SCV hires artistes from the urban city. SCV employs a conventional work arrangement that requires young performers to engage in multifaceted roles as dancers, musicians, and story-tellers while assuming ethnic identity of each ethnic house replicas that is on display. Dancers embody diverse ethnicity, be it the Iban, Penan, Bidayuh, Orang Ulu, or Melanau, on a rotational basis. They take on “diverse” identities not only in the exhibited ethnic houses but also during dance performances performed twice a day at the main auditorium. This study interrogates the concept of living museum when the indigenous ethnic groups are replaced and represented by young people from the urban city. It does not intend to argue that this practice is wrong but finds that mimicry becomes a crucial strategy for survival in the tourism industry, although some parties criticize the “ethnic disguise” as misleading. This ethnographic study engaged with dancers, choreographers, musicians, employees, tourist guides, and tourists at SCV to gather their perspectives about the phenomenon. This study offers a new take at the promotion of indigenous culture at tourism site.

ABSTRACT. This paper presents a study on the reconstruction of the Joget Gamelan Timang Inu, a traditional court dance, through the lens of ethnography and practice-led research. Utilizing archival materials such as manuscripts, lyrics, and illustrations, the research delves into the intricate process of reviving the dance form as it was performed in the early 20th century. The manuscript of Tengku Ampuan Mariam, a pivotal figure in the dance’s history, serves as a foundational reference, offering insights into the original movement structures and performance contexts. By employing ethnographic methods, the study captures the cultural nuances and the essence of the dance that are often lost in translation. Practice-led research further allows for an embodied understanding, bridging the gap between historical knowledge and contemporary practice. This interdisciplinary approach not only enriches the academic discourse on Joget Gamelan Timang Inu but also contributes to the sustainable preservation of intangible cultural heritage.

ABSTRACT. Among LGBT musicians in Central Thai traditional music, queer male musicians in the string ensemble are arguably the most representative. Not only is this ensemble a site where queer musicking bodies are enabled, seen, and tolerated, but it is also notorious for the possibility of an explosive speed of performance almost beyond perception. However, the explosive string ensemble is not without criticism, as several respected queer male musicians expressed their concerns over the loss of "authentic" musical values caused by the obsession with speed over precision. Some musicians attribute this musical style to the recent increase in tolerance for and relaxed self-censorship among queer male musicians.

My presentation examines the social meanings behind this trend of playing string instruments at an explosive speed, particularly among queer male musicians. Using ethnographic methods focusing on the musical and social lives of these musicians, I first historicize this style of performance, tracing its emergence to two notable female musicians from the Government's Public Relations Department during the 1970s. The fast-paced style of performance, I argue, challenged the feminized musical characters associated with the ensemble and later developed into a key performative as well as expressive aspect of queerness.

Drawing on the tension between the nostalgic yearning for the pre-capitalist queer past and contemporary queer formations, I then examine the sentiment of losing authentic musical and social values surrounding the fast-paced string ensemble performances. I argue that such bemoaning is not only nostalgic but also strategic, which in turn demonstrates the heterogeneous queer social formation within the musical tradition presumed to be immune to the impact of globalized LGBT discourse. My presentation calls for a nuanced understanding of the queer complicity-critique slippage and a mindful contemplation of the nostalgia that often arises when linking the LGBT discourse with changing queer culture.

ABSTRACT. In Mala, Mawie Ga (I Will Sing, I Will Speak Ga), a contemporary folk song by the Wulɔmɛi cultural music and troupe, the persona bemoans and resists the loss of a certain original Ga indigeneity and identity, specifically, of a distinct Ga historical memory and cultural identity. Through the song’s nostalgia poetics, the persona negotiates a symbolic dilemma about whether to sing and speak (in) Ga or Hausa, as well as determined resolve to return to and remain in said original indigenous Ga identity.

Having first established the histories of Ga people and their language in ethno-cultural politics in the then Gold Coast and in present-day Ghana, and given context from some Ga religious and other cultural traditions, this paper examines how the persona’s dilemma and determination may incite an interrogation of, and consequently, a possible reimagination of the peculiar nature of the originality of Ga indigeneity and identity. For example, as an invocation used in public prayers for the Ga people and their posterity, “Ablekuma abakuma wɔ” in the song is only one of many, albeit crucial evidence of the diverse peoples and histories that (continue to) constitute Ga cultural identity.

To this end, this paper suggests that Ga indigeneity might be a matter of essence, rather than a necessarily and originally purist and singular one, and perhaps, a cosmopolitan one. And so even though the persona’s dirge-dilemma resists cultural colonialisms of their imagination of an original indigenous Ga identity, this may be an indication of anxieties about the possible cosmopolitan personality of this indigeneity, as well as an indication of pride in the parts of the identity that will always remain, and will ensure the essence of it all – a certain integrity and peculiarity of Ga indigeneity and identity.

ABSTRACT. The study investigated indigenous songs in the teaching and learning of cultural and creative arts in primary schools in south east Nigeria. Music Education forms part of the Middle Basic Education Curriculum under the umbrella of cultural and creative arts, together with the other arts. Despite the inclusion of music in the curriculum, some schools do not teach music, complaining lack of instructional materials and resources as the main obstacle for not doing so. The main focus of this study is to investigate the possibility of using indigenous songs to facilitate the teaching of music at middle basic schools. The study employed a descriptive survey design. Two hundred and seven (Teachers and pupils) in six primary schools in South East Nigeria were used for the study. The instruments for data collection in this study are a checklist on Available Indigenous Songs for Teaching and Learning CCA in primary schools, Indigenous Songs and Teachers use in Teaching and Learning CCA in primary schools, and a questionnaire on Indigenous Songs for Teaching Cultural and Creative Arts. Three research questions were answered and two hypotheses were tested. The data were analyzed using frequency percent, mean and standard deviation, and Independent Samples t –test. The researchers recommend after various findings the traditional educational system and its methods will be reviewed further to unearth the principles and models that will take the educational system to a newer level, especially with regards to a culturally-conscious music education.

ABSTRACT. Over the years there has been a paucity of research on the indigenous art and choral music of the Setswana culture of South Africa. The limited number of works available for scientific research precipitates this paucity in researching works of this nature. This study identifies possible compositional resources that composers may employ in composing Tswana indigenous art music for vocal solos, ensembles, and choirs. Using a practice-led research inquiry, six pieces were selected as representative works to identify elements of Setswana tradition and influences that guided these compositions. Sankofa and the theory of creativity were used to frame this study. Through a qualitative research approach, autoethnography was used to solicit personal data that made these compositions exist. Analytical data was collected from six music practitioners who analyzed these pieces to determine elements of Tswana indigeneity that could be identified in the music. Based on the autobiography and the analysis of these pieces, a personal compositional technique on Setswana indigenous art music emerged.

ABSTRACT. The Chewa comprise one of the several ethnic groups of people who reside in Malawi. They possess a rich cultural heritage of orally transmitted song-dance traditions spanning from precolonial, through colonial to postcolonial Malawi. The continuity, resilience and permeability of these traditional practices can be attributed to the creativity and performance of the heritage owners’ indigenous knowledge genius embedded in peculiar musical structures, vocal and instrumental sound characters and dance choreographs movement qualities. As such, the Chewa song-dance creativity and performance is a composite thought system which enacts the interaction of humans with the immaterial world for endured spiritual security (Nzewi, 2006). This paper is informed by postcolonial theory, particularly Agawu’s (2003) postcolonial theory that designates African music as a potentiality that originates in specific African communities, and performed regularly as part of play, ritual and worship and circulates mostly orally/aurally, within and across languages, ethnic and cultural boundaries. Thus, this paper focuses on the nexus between Chewa humanity and their creative musical arts ability explicated as a science of the mind, the physical and spiritual well-being of the social actors. The ethnographic study for this paper employed an ethnomusicological approach aiming at understanding the nature of humans in their social, cultural, biological and artistic diversity (Rice, 2013). Essentially, the Chewa holistic traditional musical arts creativity and performance convention coerces everybody to share psychophysiological wellness through active and inclusive participation.

ABSTRACT. Bali, a vibrant hub of traditional music, grapples with unique challenges in preserving this rich heritage. Despite endemic corruption, an outdated education system, and environmental and neo-colonial pressures stemming from tourism, overdevelopment and pop culture, Balinese musicians demonstrate remarkable resilience and unwavering passion for their indigenous gamelan traditions. For centuries, knowledge about gamelan has been transmitted orally, creating a dynamic yet incomplete legacy. Local scholars in Bali have conducted limited academic research on gamelan that is often specific rather than general in nature, while most published comprehensive studies are by foreign scholars conducted a century ago or during relatively short stints in Bali, leading to literature that quickly become outdated and not in Indonesian.

Living and researching gamelan in Bali since 1997, I've witnessed musicians' preference for learning both visually and aurally. They excel at copying music taught by their gurus, demonstrating acute listening skills and precise replication. However, few demonstrate knowledge about the historical or sociological background of their traditions. Existing literary resources are often inaccessible, overly academic, and challenging for those outside the tertiary education system.

In response, I embarked on a mission to empower the Balinese community with easily accessible, egalitarian knowledge. Over the past four years, inspired by my supportive family, friends, guru, and generous informants, as well as the monotony of staying home during the COVID-19 pandemic, I’ve curated two online encyclopedias focused on Balinese gamelan ensembles and instruments.

These resources, in both Indonesian and English, are subscribable and updateable with links to multimedia that makes them come to life. Aside from encouraging Balinese to love and feel proud of their incredible musical heritage, these resources aim to enlighten youth, inspire further research, and ignite local revivals of lost repertoire, instruments, and even entire ensembles.

ABSTRACT. The Burgenland Roma, recognized as an autochthonous ethnic group in Austria since 1993, have endured centuries of discrimination and oppression since their migration to what is now the Austrian federal state of Burgenland in the 16th century. The most egregious persecution occurred during the 20th-century National Socialist genocide, which tragically decimated much of their oral cultural heritage (Matras 2015; Fings 2024). In the realm of music, only a scant number of traditional, primarily monophonic songs have been preserved (Halwachs 2000; see also Cech 2001 and Fennesz-Juhasz 2003). Despite various initiatives (Fennesz-Juhasz/Gärtner-Horvath 2013; Lugenbiehl 2021), their dissemination has remained minimal. The aim and essence of the presented concept is to elevate this music to a new level of prominence and visibility.

The following considerations are spurred by a forthcoming research focus at the Joseph Haydn Private College of Burgenland on the music of the Burgenland Roma. Through this concept, the academic focus will be broadened to encompass artistic dimensions, with the overarching goal of safeguarding Roma music from gradual obscurity.

This expansion primarily revolves around two key facets:

1. Creation of New Music: Through arrangement and composition, new music will be crafted to supplement and enrich the traditional song repertoire. By rendering the music more appealing and diverse, it aims to enhance accessibility to the general public through avenues such as concerts, lecture-concerts, workshops, and teacher training programs. An historical precedent for the success of such an approach can be found in the artistic reinterpretation of Hungarian songs by Béla Bártok and Zóltan Kodály.

2. Cultural Synergies: The close geographical and cultural ties between the minority groups of the Burgenland Roma, Burgenland Croats, Burgenland Jews, and Hungarian Roma suggest their inclusion in both research and artistic realization. This interdisciplinary approach enriches the field of Roma research, broadens the audience base, and provides further avenues for bringing traditional songs to contemporary audiences. To exemplify this artistic-scientific approach, the author presents recent arrangements of Klezmer music and demonstrates how the arrangements can be applied to Roma music.

[Supplements not submitted with this abstract: bibliography, discography, sheet music with arrangement analysis]

ABSTRACT. The online repository of the Old Church Slavonic Institute in Zagreb – Croatia contains an exceptionally rich and diverse collection of digitised sound recordings of Glagolitic chants. This collection consists of more than 3000 digitised units – liturgical and ritual chants in Croatian Church Slavonic and various Croatian vernacular languages, recorded in Istria, Dalmatia, the Dalmatian hinterland and the Neretva region in the period from 1954 to 2020. These valuable recordings are the result of generations of ethnomusicological field research and several institutional projects spanning more than half a century, aimed at recording and preserving this endangered and unique musical and spiritual tradition that has been transmitted for hundreds of years, mainly orally, by folk singers in local communities across the eastern Adriatic. In order to better preserve the collection and make it accessible to a wide range of interested parties – from local communities to professionals from cultural heritage institutions and academia – the Institute launched a new, updated web repository in 2022. The sound recordings were digitally processed and the repository metadata was formatted and added to each individual unit. Since January 2024, the Old Church Slavonic Institute has been carrying out the project Development of the Digital Infrastructure Model of the Old Church Slavonic Institute – DigiSTIN, the aim of which is to develop models for the development of the digital infrastructure of the Old Church Slavonic Institute that will be applied in practice – primarily the Institute's domain stin.hr. As part of the project, the repository of Glagolitic chant will be improved and further developed. In this presentation, we will introduce the Croatian Glagolitic chant, its online repository and explore the opportunities which new technologies and approaches offer for the preservation, interpretation and revitalisation of musical and spiritual heritage through stakeholder collaboration, innovative and sustainable management and communication practices.

ABSTRACT. What started as a random fieldwork project in 1994 has steadily grown into a large-scale institutionalized effort for the preservation of the unique cultural heritage of an entire region. Changing perceptions and approaches determined by modified conditions surrounding the tradition under study have led to a constant re-definition of research methodology and objectives. What began as a simple task of research and analysis transformed into an enormous interdisciplinary effort encompassing almost all branches of the humanities. What are the reasons behind this transformation? How come that straightforward analytical approaches were no more sufficient to bear justice to a given tradition, and what were the conditions that surrounded the tradition on a larger scale, resulting in all the changes and transformations? The present paper examines the circumstances that led to the shift of focus from research and analysis to documentation, preservation and dissemination. What happens when on the one hand, rapidly progressing technological development provides more and improved means of documentation, while on the other hand, the tradition being documented turns from a vivid, living entity into a vanishing art. Where does the scholar set his priorities in such a situation, and in what manner can academic research help to bring an endangered tradition back to life? The hypothesis is that preservation becomes imperative and acts as a prerequisite for research wherever a tradition is threatened by extinction. To support the argument, reference will be made to efforts in this direction reflected in the work of Vraja Kala Sanskriti Sansthana, Vrindaban.

ABSTRACT. As ethnomusicologist Keith Howard points out in a recent article in the International Journal of Cultural Property, "discourse about music as intangible cultural heritage frequently overlooks the importance of instruments in conserving traditions inherited from the past and making live performance possible." (Howard 2022:23) He concludes that "fusing our intangible heritage with our tangible heritage demands efforts to sustain the skills of crafting and maintaining instruments." (ibid: 41) Goong: Sound Through Fire addresses this neglected area of instrument making, focusing on Sukoharjo in Central Java, one of the few remaining centres of bronze gong forging in Indonesia. The film follows the creation of a large Sundanese gong (goong) in Sutarno's forge in Jatiteken, Sukoharjo, taking an immersive, sensory approach, elucidated by the occasional comments of Sutarno. The rich, multi-layered soundscape of the forge and the shifting colours and intensities of the fire guide the stages of making: the smashing and melting of the raw materials of copper and tin; the rhythmic pounding, shaping and firing of the emerging, red-hot bronze disc by a team of craftsmen; the voicing of the forged instrument, and finally the sounding of the goong by the gong-maker. Aside from the multi-sensory intricacies of the process and their connections to gamelan performance, the film raises broader questions about the role of film-making in ethnomusicological research. What particular kinds of knowledge and experience are revealed through taking a film-based approach to our research? And how might the prioritization of these kinds of knowledge and experience transform research project design?

ABSTRACT. The cantaram is a musical genre that forms an integral part of Goan local theatre. Each tiatr play has six to seven acts, interspersed with two to three songs named cantaram.

From the early 20th century to the present day, cantaram, often was considered the side-show of tiatr. This film argues that this sideshow has been the main show, capable of transcending the stage, reaching people's homes through records, airing on the radio, and expanding further through social media platforms. Furthermore, these cantaram are used as a powerful tool to raise awareness and foster political consciousness among audiences, to the extent that they have alarmed the government, which has been unable to enact laws to censor their lyrics.

Cantaram is always sung in Konkani, which has been the official language of Goa since 1987. Despite Konkani's lack of acceptance, having been overshadowed by the neighboring state language, Marathi, the very existence of this musical genre reaffirms the significance of a language that was neglected until 1987 and is now being gradually supplanted by English in Goa.

This documentary explores the roadmap forged by these Konkani songs and their enduring relevance today.

ABSTRACT. Displacement due to river erosion is a common incident in Tazumuddin, on the coastal island of Bhola in Bangladesh. Here, most of the displaced people are not only displaced once but several times in their entire lifetime, and as they become landless, they relocate themselves to another vulnerable area with the potential threat of displacement again. The research documentary film is aimed at exploring the resilience of these landless people after being displaced and how they confront the uncertain future by relocating to a new vulnerable place.

The film intends to unfold the complex interaction of culture, climate change, and human resilience through an observational documentary approach, following a character named Mohammad Monju, an artisanal fisherman, his family, and the people around him who were forced to be displaced due to river erosion and threatened with continuous relocation. Monju is relocated with his wife and a child, and he begins his fight to repay the loan he took for his new house with a tiny income by fishing with a small boat.

Their fight for a permanent home is an endless process that carries not only a whole lifetime but often through generations. The change in climate and commercial fishing reducing their income directly impacts their livelihood and cultural practices. With all shorts of trouble, these people have big smiles on their faces and songs on their lips that expose the remarkable human capacity to adapt and be optimistic even though the environment is changing and salty water is approaching their home.

ABSTRACT. The aim of this research paper to study the revival of divine music on screen to become part of inclusivity in Indigenous Peoples’ Music and Dance music. For this analysis I have taken into consideration my own two different songs belong to the mix genre of world and pop music those are “Yada Yada” produced in Mumbai and London and “I am virus” produced in Brisbane. An encrypted secret of divinity belongs to indigenous Indians are shown that might indicate end of civilization through present scenario of war and crisis in various fronts of the world if not understood and that may be relegated by orientalist to make it a part of inclusivity in the indigenous music. The music video of “Yada Yada” persuasively is crucial for making the visual aids relic for the awareness of audience or consumers. Lyrics of the song written mostly in English language and one verse is in Sanskrit borrowed from Indian indigenous epic Mahabharata. In this music video the sound effects and video are incorporated to add dimension to dramatize the video’s plot to improve the viewer's experience in the theatre. Whereas the record “I am Virus” having been anthropomorphic in nature unadulterated object of hybridity which is essentially opposing the ideas of purity and authenticity of origins. Such approach I presented in my songs which is oppositional to the authoritarianism and racialism that gains both colonial rationality and cultural essentialism and contributes for a pluralistic culture. This add a weightage to Indigenous Peoples’ Music.

ABSTRACT. Over the last two decades, North Indian classical music (NICM) has witnessed significant changes in areas of pedagogy and performance practices. These changes are primarily tied to technological advancements which have become ubiquitous to the extent that the way NICM is transmitted, performed, heard and composed has been altered. Furthermore, this advancement has led to easier accessibility for NICM training via online platforms, and online educational websites like Udemy, Udacity have popularized a shared platform for NICM fraternity including teachers, students and performing artists. In this presentation, I explore how and in what ways, these changes enhance and/or complicate the knowledge transmission and socio-cultural practices of NICM. This leads to some thought provoking questions in relation to aesthetic and musical decisions made by contemporary NICM teachers and performers, as they not only represent the Guru-shishya Parampara but are also now consumers and producers of an evolving pedagogical system. Some of the possible explanations to view the viability of NICM may be: a) NICM is too strong to be affected by deliberate or natural changes to create a globalized and accessible pedagogical framework b) NICM is too weak or are losing much ground to global ideologies that the only way to foster acceptance and popularity for NICM is to meet the young on their grounds. While the significance of NICM remains intact amid these changes, it is an open question whether the wider acceptance and popularity of evolving NICM performance and training practices will have any impact on the authenticity of this art form in the long run. Drawing on archival research and my auto-ethnography as a NICM teacher and student, I also focus on the scope of Indian ethnomusicological research to use the changing trend in NICM as a tool to further explore the mediatized performance of a “national” culture.

ABSTRACT. The paper will discuss the launch of the UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive’s Bake/Jairazbhoy Digital Archive of South Asian Traditional Music and Arts. Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy and Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy visited eight states in India, recording tribal, folk, devotional, and classical musics. Their research was designed to supplement and, in many cases, restudy Arnold Adriaan Bake’s pioneering 1930s surveys of music throughout the South Asian subcontinent. The Jairazbhoys’ audiovisual recordings, still images, and field notes representing fieldwork undertaken in 1963, 1984, 1991,and 1994, are now available online, open access, as the Bake/Jairazbhoy Digital Archive of South Asian Traditional Music and Arts. The Digital Archive also includes audio field recordings made by Bake in India on a Tefiphon (a machine that cuts grooves on loops of 35mm film) in 1938-1939. Open access of archival collections is an opportunity to decolonize the archive and showcases the power in connecting through the archive. It encourages new associations and interactions between the communities of origin and their recorded intangible cultural heritage. In creating the metadata for the project, the Ethnomusicology Archive, and its partner in hosting the Bake/Jairazbhoy collection, the UCLA Digital Library Program, worked with Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy, Indian scholars, and members of the communities of origin in a culturally sensitive manner to help make the accumulated knowledge in the Archive discoverable to those communities and to scholars and researchers. The Bake/Jairazbhoy Digital Archive will link audio recordings, moving images, still images, and field diaries organized by the event recorded. We believe this project to be the first-of-its-kind. The Bake/Jairazbhoy Digital Archive resonates both within and beyond the academy, focusing on equitably and ethically sharing soundscapes, opening the shared sounds to the archival multiverse, to community members, to scholars, and to those who simply want to learn more about the musics of the world.

ABSTRACT. This research study explores the potential of person-centered music and virtual reality (VR) to transform the lives of older adults living with dementia. This study, which is based on Person-Centered Care and Inclusive Art principles, seeks to create a replicable framework for involving those living with dementia in meaningful storytelling activities. Participants at an adult day club will explore topics like their childhoods, travel experiences, music, culture, and love, among other things, through VR sessions coupled with customized music tailored specifically for them. This study seeks to respond to major societal challenges posed by the increasing numbers of people suffering from dementia within an aging population. By providing a channel for personal expression together with social connection, this study aims to foster personhood among people living with dementia, thereby enhancing their overall quality of life. The research employs various qualitative data-gathering techniques, including immersive conversation, ethnographic interaction, video and audio recording, and reflective journaling. The results of this study hold implications for dementia caregiving practices, highlighting the importance of empathetic and individualized approaches. Through interdisciplinary collaborations and the use of new technologies, this research provides compassionate understanding and strategies to support the well-being of people living with dementia.

ABSTRACT. Bangladesh is a small but populous country of South Asia and there are 55 small ethnic groups including Chakma, Garo, Marma, Mro, Kheyang, Chak, Bawm, Lusai, Pankhoa, Tripura, Santal, Manipuri and some other tribes. They are constitutionally known as Small Ethnic Groups in the country and the Bengalis are the mainstream of the population. With a population of 16.5 million (0.99% of total) the indigenous peoples live in the remote and hilly areas of Chittagong, Mymensingh, Sylhet and Rajshahi divisions of the country. `Ethnic Minorities’ or `Indigenous Peoples’, whatever be the name, they are symbols of ethnic and cultural diversity of Bangladesh.

Each of the indigenous tribe has unique language and distinct cultural characteristics with brilliant music, excellent dance, multicolored dresses, festivals and agricultural methods. Some tribal languages have their own alphabets. Matriarchal societies and clan systems also exist in some of them. There are both similarities and dissimilarities in community structure, religious festivals, food habits, marriage ceremonies, social customs and judicial systems among different tribal societies. Sometimes some festivals, customs and events are comparable with those of the larger Bengali societies of Bangladesh.

There are some dissatisfactions among the cross sections of the indigenous peoples about their ethnicity and they have been demanding for their recognition as `Indigenous People’ of Bangladesh. Some of them are engaged in struggles and movements to develop their own land, language, culture and ethnicity.

My presentation documents the process, how the cultural aspirations and life styles of the indigenous peoples of Bangladesh are being translated into influence to strengthen their position in the power structure.

ABSTRACT. Kandoni Bishahari songs are well situated within specific anthropological structure of indigenous performance lore in Bangladesh. This unique way of performing Manasa Mangal verses in the form of Panchali (synthesis of song and dance) is a means of worshipping goddess Manasa, an act includes a complex set of meanings and significations. The reading of this musical and choreographic form of theatre offers interdisciplinary research while at the same time it contests a modernist-nationalist discourse that is born of indigeneity-worshipping. This paper seeks an emerging methodology to analyse the ephemeral form of theatrical performance that problematises the Euro-centric notion of colonial modernity through the critical notion of ‘epistemic violence’ of cultural imperialism. Hence, this research aims to negotiate the singular meaning of indigeneity as a contested term asking question whether the performance of Kandoni Bishahari brings any different semiotic possibility in a neoliberal location of homogeneity. This research critiques the unilinear notion of modernist indigeneity in relation to the contemporary performance of Manasa rite as a living phenomenon of pre-colonial theatrical heterogeneity. This research employs the subjective method of sensory data along with the objective approach of positivist field research observing this performance in its original topographic setting and cultural context.

ABSTRACT. This paper will examine and interpret the Luira Festival (seed-sowing festival) through an ethnographic and performative lens, to explore and understand the evolution of cultural identity, citizenship, and belonging among the indigenous Tangkhul Nagas of Manipur, India. Taking a festival as a site of study, I will explore the iterations of indigenous songs (Haolaa) and indigenous dances (Pheichak) taught, learned, and performed during the Luira festival in two diasporic sites—Delhi and Mumbai further drawing up a comparative analysis with Luira celebrations at Ukhrul (understood as 'hometown'). While a bulk of scholarship has assessed the political identity of Nagas vis-à-vis the Indian state in postcolonial politics, my research proposes to examine the contested and fractured patterns of indigenous ways of knowing, their cultural belonging, and the transformations induced by migration in a community where connection to their home land is at the crux of identity formation. Some pertinent questions addressed here are: how Luira celebrations construct a contemporary indigenous Tangkhul identity in an unfamiliar and often divided urban space where the community is often seen as a racial, cultural, or religious ‘Other’. What possibilities does Luira offer to a migrant community trying to rework their identity through cultural variables such as songs and dances? What is the nature of the contestation that occurs when indigenous songs and music, are transported from one site to another, from one kind of diasporic population to another? How is the idea of a community manufactured and maintained away from home? Through this research, I will attempt to situate indigenous songs and dances performed during traditional festivals in the urban space among the Tangkhul diaspora and the way they refashioned a new sense of cultural belonging and indigeneity.

ABSTRACT. The significance of embodying dance experience has gathered increased attention within both the practice and scholarly discourse on dance. Amidst the prevailing narrative-driven traditions dominating performance practices of dance worldwide, the question arises: where and how does the embodied experience of dance fit into the realm of performance? While the dancer’s lived experience is embodied and internal, how can we integrate it with the aesthetic experience of an external audience member? In this paper, I explore these questions in the context of traditional Indian dance adopting a multidisciplinary approach integrating theoretical frameworks with practical applications. In the Indian context, the use of abstract or non-representational dance, where no meaning is intended to be conveyed, is prevalent across the different classical dance traditions. The origin of abstract dance is in the ancient pan-Indian movement system of the marga-karaṇas from which all other regional dance traditions are believed to have evolved. By examining the inherent nature, cultural history, structure, usage and musical frameworks of these abstract dances, this paper argues that the presence and practice of such dances in the largely narrative-driven classical Indian dance genres is a means to an embodied experience of joy. Whether this experience is characterized as somatic, psychological, or metaphysical, the traditional Indian movement systems of abstract dance collectively converge towards the embodiment of joy. To substantiate this hypothesis, I use hermeneutic interpretations of ancient Indian treatises on aesthetics, movement, and performance, such as the Nāṭyaśāstra through which I examine and apply insights to the present-day traditional movement systems aiming to bridge the gap between the aesthetic principles of non-representational dance and their practice.

ABSTRACT. Africa remains rich in culture and tradition. Dance as an aspect of Nigerian culture serves the purposes of entertainment, healing, and identification. Proper organization and articulation of dance movements remains one of the unique characteristics of African dance. Ikorodo dance as a traditional dance of Nsukka indigene is characterized by several rhythmic dance movements that articulate and communicate ethics, values and cultural identity. Primarily, Ikorodo dance involves the movement of the stomach, shoulders and legs. As such, this performance research aims to explore the incorporation of African popular dance styles/steps into the existing dance repertoire of the Ikorodo dance ensemble. This research employed rich description, empirical with experimental research design. In addition to adding to the existing body of literature, this performance research will explore how tradition itself lives and grows in dialogue with contemporary practice. My work attempts to revive and reincorporate the importance of Ikorodo dance practice in contemporary society by infusing the Afro pop dance steps. As a result, this study will present the infused dance steps to Ikorodo dance. The study also aims to make Ikorodo dance a trending dance in contemporary African society.

ABSTRACT. This presentation describes “establishing the authenticity” of Japanese folk song by scholars of Ethnomusicology, Japanese Folklore and Japanese literature in 19-20th century. Until pre-modern times in Japan, the “song” that people sang had various names. But since 1890s, the term “Min-yo,” gained prominence as a label for folk songs by scholars. Scholars of Japanese literature defined “Min-yo” at first, then followed by folklorists and ethnomusicologists. Kunio Yanagita, often regarded as the father of Japanese folklore, played a crucial role in shaping the definition and classification of Min-yo. In the 1940s, He proposed a simple and limited definition: Min-yo are songs created by people for themselves, with no known authorship. He also classified folk songs based on where and for what they were sung. For instance: Work Songs: These were sung during labor-intensive tasks, such as planting rice or weaving. Festival Songs: Sung during local festivals and celebrations. Children’s Songs: Children’s playing songs and lullabies.

Yanagita emphasized that the core of the folk song lay in work songs. His definition and classification have left a lasting impact on subsequent scholarship. Japanese ethnomusicologists have categorized folk songs according to Yanagita’s classification of songs. However, this approach faced challenges as mass media and modern stages transformed folk songs. Folk songs were taken out of their original contexts, and their original purposes shifted. The “authentic” folk songs, as defined by Yanagita and his contemporaries, gradually faded. The very notion of “authenticity” became complex. Japanese ethnomusicologists continued to categorize folk songs based on Yanagita’s framework, but tensions arose more and more. How could they maintain authenticity when folk songs were now performed on modern stages, recorded in studios, and disseminated through radio and television? This presentation will explore how Japanese scholars tried to grapple with authenticity from the late 19th to the 20th century.

ABSTRACT. Mexican Regional Music’s rise in popularity has caught the attention of the major music labels in the United States. Banda, norteño, and mariachi are the three main genres that encompass the Mexican Regional Music boom. All three genres have roots in the 19th century in rural and working-class communities in Mexico. Today, their popularity in the United States can be traced to the ever-growing Mexican diaspora in the Southwestern United States. Artists in both Mexico and the United States are blending these traditional styles with hip-hop, rap, rock, and jazz, while others prefer to keep to their traditional folk roots. These three styles are also going through a process of institutionalization within academic music programs along the US/ Mexican border region. Within the academic context, these music programs focus on three traditional genres and serve as a reclamation of culture for the Mexican American youth who participate in them. In this paper, I explore the intricate politics of representation of these genres in their new contexts in terms of education and the music industry at large. Of particular interest will be issues of commercialization, accountability, musician agency, the inclusion of other genres, and the ramifications for the banda, norteño and mariachi traditions within the United States, Mexico, Latin America, and beyond.

ABSTRACT. Fandom: The state of being a fan of somebody or something. Engaging with fan culture through a creative performance practice may be underestimated in scholarly research, yet it is well-known to be profoundly formative in shaping individual and collective identities. The research involves six tertiary/dance performers from diverse backgrounds. We engage in a FanZoning methodology that has been influenced by Deleuze and Guattari’s (1987) notion of the rhizome methodology. I have also considered these through conceptual approaches such as simulation (Baudrillard, 1994) and testing (Ronell, 2005), using dance and choreography in the expanded field (Harvey, 2011), as a way to explore and share its significance in both artistic expression and pedagogical discourse.

The emergence and development of this research delve into the performance aspect of fan culture, where participants and dancers engage in my creative practice and material fandom. Our material exploration varies, from personalised keychains to elaborate artistic tributes, fans participate in acts of creative expression.

This research also critically examines the pedagogical implications of fan culture. Through an artistic research lens, I explore how engagement with fan culture and fan community fosters expanded literacy skills, encompassing traditional forms of reading, writing, creative practices, and material culture. This expanded literacy, rooted in fan participation, holds significant implications for pedagogical teaching and public education, offering new avenues for cultivating critical thinking and cultural awareness. Furthermore, I consider the role of studio teaching in harnessing the creative potential of fan culture within educational settings, providing opportunities for students to explore themes of identity, community, and artistic expression through the lens of fandom.

Through this interdisciplinary inquiry, this research intends to contribute to a deeper understanding of fan culture as a dynamic and influential force in contemporary society, with implications for both artistic practice and educational discourse.

ABSTRACT. In order to gain an idea of the importance of dance ensembles in Burundi, it was necessary to conduct at least three field studies, each lasting one month in 2023 and 2024. Civil wars, political instability, an autocratic regime and refugee flows in several directions have weakened the country for decades. 85% of Burundians live in rural areas, agriculture barely ensures survival. In addition to the welcome change of pace provided by attending Sunday mass followed by a beer, their dances are often the only light-hearted diversion in their daily struggle against poverty and hunger. There is hardly a hill without a group that can turn their festivals into an event, fights for peace, strengthens their cohesion and reminds them of their traditions. Out of 38 groups, especially the women's ensembles (23 groups) showed an almost standardized choreography. State-organized competitions and performances in the name of the party obviously encourage a certain standardization. Our visit to them on the hills, however, and a trust that grew as we worked together, brought to light almost different movements, gestures and arrangements, coupled with greater joy and freer dance expression. The different design and expression of the Burundian dances seems to be due to the different "patrons". A people under pressure seems ready to "adapt" traditions in one way and to continue them authentically in another.

ABSTRACT. The indigenous Vedda people of Sri Lanka have a rich musical tradition, including hunting songs, honey gathering songs, lullabies, occasion, and ritual songs. This diversity can partly be attributed to their deep connection with the natural environment, which has inspired a range of musical expressions reflecting their interactions with the forest, wildlife, and spiritual beliefs. The aim of this research is to explore the rich musical traditions of the indigenous Vedda people in Sri Lanka across different time periods. Drawing on historical recordings and contemporary fieldwork, the study explores the evolution and preservation of Vedda music. In this research, I refer to early recordings dating back to 1938 by Arnold Bake, the 1960’s by W. B. Makulloluwa, the 1970’s by C. de S. Kulatillake, and contemporary recordings conducted by the researcher. As part of the community engagement process, historical Vedda’s music recordings were shared with the Dabana, Hennanigala, and Pollebedda villages Veddas, followed by interviews were conducted to investigate the evolving nature of their musical traditions. The study identified that interactions with other communities, forced geographical relocation due to government projects, formal education, deviating from indigenous systems of transmission, as well as intermarriage, have contributed to the diversity of music cultures.

ABSTRACT. The release of Davido’s song ‘Assurance,’ dedicated to his ‘girlfriend’ Chioma, sparked widespread excitement. Amid rumors of infidelity, the lyrics, resonating with Chioma’s name, assured her of Davido’s commitment to their relationship. The groovy tempo, blending Highlife and pop, captivated diverse age groups across Nigeria and the diaspora. Notably, younger women named Chioma expressed enthusiasm, envisioning the song at their weddings. Similarly, Flavour’s song, ‘Chimamanda,’ had a profound impact, popularizing the name influenced by the literary icon Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Igbo mothers bestowed ‘Chimamanda’ for its meaning, symbolizing a mother’s prayer for a happy home and the children’s success. This article explores the role of women’s names in Nigerian songs, addressing their cultural, emotional, and artistic significance, influencing identities and relationships while contributing to the dynamic Nigerian musical landscape. It contributes a new perspective to the growing onomastic literature with its timely focus on the intersection of music and naming.

ABSTRACT. Throughout history, Iranian Jews have played a significant role in the development and transmission of Persian classical and folk music, and of distinct regional para-liturgical repertoires. The Jewish community of Esfahan was particularly prolific, creating a large repertoire of songs and blessings known as "shira". The repertoire of Esfahani shira, subject of scant academic attention, is kept alive today by only a handful of musicians and singers, endangering its place in collective memory. This gap in the literature represents a cultural loss for the Jewish communities of Iran and its diaspora, and a lost occasion to examine the importance of local practices within the intersections between Jewish and Iranian culture. This paper aims to redress this knowledge gap by presenting an overview of the musical and thematic characters of the shira repertoire as it survives today in Israel, and by clarifying the socio-cultural dynamics that brought it to the brink of extinction. Examining ethnographic recordings, transcriptions and musical analysis collected through interviews and lessons with Esfahani singers and musicians in Jerusalem and Tel Aviv in 2023, I argue that this repertoire facilitates the expression, transmission, and re-contextualisation of diasporic memory and identity. Focusing on songs sung in a mixture of Persian and Hebrew, including blessings for weddings and circumcisions, Shabbat, and songs expressing nostalgia towards Israel, I will demonstrate that musically this repertoire draws from modal and melodic materials of Persian music, but employs them in unique ways to support the texts and their messages. Thematically, it is rooted in Jewish religion and tradition, but reinterpreted through the lenses of local culture. In the process, I argue that the intersections between Jewish, Iranian and Esfahani culture, and the discourses surrounding the them provide seemingly-hidden insights into the multi-cultural identity of Iranian Jews in Israel.

ABSTRACT. In the early decades of the socialist revolution, Fidel Castro declared Cuba an Afro-Latin nation to the dismay of those who readily embraced a White identity, via Spain, and at the same time obfuscating the cultural inheritance of minority groups, such as Cubans of Chinese descent. Further, the attempt to construct a homogenous national identity, expressed through voguish food metaphors—for instance, that of the Cuban ajiaco, a concoction that fuses a multitude of ingredients into one unique native flavor—has left very little room for local exploration or discursive expression of identities that fall outside the official narrative, which suggests, promotes, and naturalizes the idea and logic of a perceived universal Cubanness. In this paper, I explore the role music plays in the creation of alternative spaces of being and belonging. I observe that the practice of lion dance embeds and is embedded with forms of knowledge that signal a less visible Cuban identity, and comments on the relevance of the White and Black binary upon which Cuban national identity is predicated. Such a claim for an alternative definition of who is Cuban is constructed and reenacted through rituals of movement, sound, and visual displays. I argue that the symbolic power of the Cuban lion-dance performance provides practitioners and community members with a form of non-textual discourse that needs neither to align, nor contest official narratives. Instead it allows to signal an alternative Cuban identity registered in the body through the performative process. My work is based on field research conducted in Cuba since 2016 and constitutes an effort to give visibility to a less known but significant element of Cuban culture.

ABSTRACT. Mappila Kolkkali (Stick dance) is a group performing art with sticks practiced mainly by the Mappila community. Among the Mappila art forms, Kolkkali belongs to a special category, it is a mixture of music, movement, physical strength and emotional stability. More resemblance to the martial art kalarippayattu. The first part beginning with Mappilappattu and a simple body movement known as ‘marinjadi minkkali’ and ended with an intricate step ‘ozichil mutt’. The pattern of body movements varied in accordance with the rhythm of Mappila songs and oral commands (vayitari). There are two body movements, first one is slow known as Chayal and fast movement is called as Murukkam. Talakali kolkkali is prevalent among the fisherman community of Malabar and Kurrikalum kuttikalum is popular in interior parts of Malabar. Generally the band consists of twelve members. They divided into two groups to form an inner circle (Agam) and an outer circle (puram). In order to demarcate the inner and outer circle generally the band wear different colors of costume and belt either in green or black in color. Kolkkali was a source of inspiration in the anti-colonial struggle and played a key role in the socialization process of Mappila community. This is an attempt to understand the link between Mappila song, body movement, and emotional stability within the Indian Ocean framework. This paper also looks into the tradition and changes that happened in Kolkkali by analyzing its different steps, styles, and costumes which are recorded by Dutch ethnomusicologist, Arnold Adriaan Bake in 1938. Through this musical voyage, connecting different historical phases in the light of Bake recordings of 1938 and restudy conducted by Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy and Amy Catlin Jairazbhoy in 1991, I hope my paper provides wider dimensions into Ethnomusicology and Ethnochoreology.

ABSTRACT. The Japanese kabuki accompaniment ensemble, known as nagauta-bayashi, exhibits a number of unique features in terms of ensemble coordination and synchronisation. One of these is that, although there is no 'conductor' at the front and the performers cannot necessarily see each other, a total of more than ten performers in different parts (voice, three-stringed lute shamisen, Japanese flute and three types of drums) can co-ordinate by precisely matching their timing or, conversely, by deliberately shifting their timing. This presentation aims to explore the nature of nagauta-bayashi music from both empirical and ethnographic perspectives, analysing the audiovisual and physiological data of two performance takes of the representative dance piece 'Musume Dōjoji' recorded on 9 December 2023. Our empirical analysis employs sound information from multitrack audio, as well as information from accelerometers worn by the performers, to examine the onset timing of each part and the bodily movements of the performers before and after. By contrasting the data with the results of semi-structured interviews with the participating musicians, we consider their attitudes towards time organisation and coordination from multiple perspectives. Of particular interest is their emphasis on internal body control rather than visually large movements, and the high importance given to respiration not only in singing but also in the shamisen and percussion parts. Previous multi-part analysis studies have been based on traditional notation, stave transcription and interviews with performers (Malm 1963, Gamo 2000, Haikawa 2016, etc.). Yet the performances themselves have not been analysed. Close examination suggests that each part rather gives cues to the others through subtle performance conventions that are not immediately apparent to the first-time audience. By empirically capturing performance expression and communication, which have been challenging to articulate, we provide new insights into the reality of temporal organisation and coordination in this ensemble music.

ABSTRACT. This paper analyzes three traditional dances—Chapsuz, Doraqi, and Mailis—along with the accompanying dance music in Chinese Tajik weddings, drawing from the author's fieldwork in Tashkurgan Autonomous County, Xinjiang, in 2023. Through an examination of dance practices, this study delves into the social dynamics and the status of women in Tajik Chinese society. Chinese Tajiks associate the eagle with national identity, symbolizing freedom and bravery, traits reflected in their music and dance. Known collectively as "eagle dances," these performances embody reverence for nature. Within Chinese Tajik wedding traditions, dance serves both celebratory and courtship functions, characterized by distinct norms and movements for each gender. Traditionally, the Chinese Tajik wedding band comprised solely of local folk instruments, such as the eagle flute nai, tambourine dap, and rewap. However, in contemporary Chinese Tajik weddings, significant changes have occurred in the accompanying music. Alongside the traditional folk instruments, electronic keyboards and sound equipment have been introduced, leading to the replacement of the dap—the sole female musician in the band. This shift has fundamentally altered the relationship between music and dance. Previously, dancers dictated changes in tempo and repertoire, with the band following suit. However, in modern weddings, the wedding band now dictates tempo changes, marking a departure from the traditional dynamic. It explores the perspectives of dancers，band and audiences, shedding light on the interaction among them during dance performances.

ABSTRACT. This presentation will discuss changes of dance and accompanying music of chigo-bugaku in relation to the imperial bugaku tradition. The term bugaku indicates the dance repertoire of imperial court music gagaku, while chigo-bugaku the folk dance genre performed by chigo or ‘children of festivity’ in the festivals of local temples or shrines. Currently chigo-bugaku tradition can be found in Yamagata, Toyama, Shimane, and Shizuoka prefectures. Chigo-bugaku is believed to be a descendant of court bugaku tradition introduced at some point in time to the provinces by the court musicians, but it transformed into different styles in each region in the process of being passed down over hundreds of years. As a result, similarities with the court bugaku are found only in titles of music and costumes of dancers today. Among the chigo-bugaku traditions, the example of Shizuoka-sengen-jinja deserves special attention. They had lost the relationship with the court musicians for several hundreds of years but regained it when five former gagaku musicians migrated into Shizuoka at the beginning of the Meiji period (around 1869). The contact with professional gagaku musicians caused a ‘correction’ of the style of chigo-bugaku to the authentic imperial one. ‘Corrections’ were made several times since the Meiji era and has eventually made today’s chigo-bugaku an amalgam of local and authentic imperial styles in terms of music, dance, and religious connotations of gestures. This presentation will examine the process of ‘corrections’ and clarify the reality of mixing different styles in the chigo-bugaku of Shizuoka sengen-jinja.

ABSTRACT. In the Black community in South Africa choral music is practiced as a popular, amateur, extra- curricular social activity. An offshoot of missionary institutions that thrived in the Eastern Cape and Natal from the mid to late 19th century, this cultural pursuit has largely grown and has been sustained through competitions modelled on colonial and currently international choral eisteddfods. Competitions are thus frequently held events associated with prestige, decorum and presumably objectivity and ethical practices by all participants. At the center of competitions are adjudicators assumed to be musically astute and morally upright to ensure ethical conduct and fair results.

Despite popularity, choral competitions have largely been self-contained and in circulation within limited networks of participants and interested audience, very marginal in mainstream media. More recently, however, with the advent of social media networks like Facebook and YouTube, choral competitions are receiving a wider media presence and circulation. Incidentally, fandom has emerged quite strongly. Pertinent discursive practices in which fans and participants engage in order to discuss aspects of the competition such as the prescribed music, (de)merits of upcoming and previous competitions and or predictions for who deserves top honours proliferate. Increasing tensions among fan groups result in waging of contests on and off stage. Possibly these contestations might yield subtle, yet powerful influence on the eventual outcome of staged performances during the competition event.

Through this research and presentation, I seek to problematize the presumed neutrality of the adjudication process, yet I also ask to what extent might growing fan groups, choir pages, YouTube posts have changed the face of choral competitions among Black choirs (amakhwaya/iikwayala) in South Africa? I also explore the manner and extent to which social networks not only influence competitions in performance, but further extend the notion of competition to include public visibility and popularity of some choirs. I argue that social networks provide a broad array of advantages for choirs such as gaining entry into the commercial world of government and private gigs for further sustenance within an industry that often has minimal economic returns. By galvanizing social network support, choirs are changing the terrain of choral competitions in quite varied and productive ways that are worthy of further scholarly investigation.

ABSTRACT. Tangshan shadow play is an important traditional musical genre in Chinese musics. This paper is based on “participation observation” fieldwork, combined with historical literature，aims to write an ethnography of “interactive” performance in Tangshan shadow play, focusing on the phenomenon of interactions between performers during real-time performance, especially the “stable” and “unstable” elements, to describe and analyze musical relationships amongst three subjects in the shadow play performance. Taking the performance process of Tangshan shadow play as the entry point of the study, the article reveals the internal logic between the concept of performance and the results of performance generation within the bureau from the experience of the researched as well as the researcher himself. Through the writing of the ethnography, the research perspectives and positions are constantly shifted, and the method of descriptive notation is used in an attempt to present a panorama of performances, thus assisting the writing of the ethnography, and shedding light on the interactions and historical connotations embedded in the results of shadow play performances.

ABSTRACT. For the Thai, Lao, and Cambodian diaspora communities of Denver, Colorado, performing arts ensembles serve as conduits of cultural identity, providing community members with a space for group expression as well as a metaphysical link to their homeland cultures. What happens when these conduits undergo structural shifts? In the few years since the COVID pandemic, the community arts ensembles of Denver’s Thai, Lao, and Cambodian communities have each experienced their own crisis of change. These include situations such as multiyear gaps in community activity, severe loss of ensemble membership, and splintering of leadership. Despite these structural crises, the Thai performing arts ensemble of Wat Buddhawararam, dance troupe of Wat Lao Sidaounaram, and dance troupe of Spirit of Cambodia Cultural Alliance have each persisted by seeking partnership and assistance from the city’s other Southeast Asian diaspora communities. This paper explores this phenomenon of intercultural collaboration occurring between Denver’s Southeast Asian arts ensembles. Through a discussion of my ethnographic research, I address how generational shifts in community leadership during and after the COVID pandemic have led to a social setting in which intercultural collaboration is encouraged more so than in the immediate past. In addition, I discuss my own positionality as a scholar-practitioner and cultural intermediary, being the music director of the Thai community’s ensemble with an academic foot in multiple Southeast Asian communities of Colorado.

ABSTRACT. Voice education extensively employs metaphors to facilitate students' access to essential aspects of vocal production and perception. These metaphors serve to address vocal habits developed over time or to ease the integration of novel vocalizing techniques. Remarkably, a single metaphor can significantly reshape the lived body. Yet, paradoxically, in seeking a shared embodied understanding, students and teachers often navigate a predominantly disembodied and semantic domain. Consequently, students may struggle to integrate or deconstruct certain vocal practices veiled by metaphorical language. This raises questions regarding the situated knowledge beneath vocal metaphors: Do they perpetuate the mind/body dichotomy or foster body-mind integration? Employing the “wicked problem” lens (Sediri et al., 2020; Termeer, Dewulf, and Biesbroek, 2019) alongside the “transformative learning” theory (Mezirow, 1978; Argyris and Schön, 1978; O’Toole and Dunn, 2002), this paper examines voice education as a learning environment fraught with unique challenges, indeterminate solutions, and issues of access. It delves into the notion of transformability, advocating for a paradigm shift towards transformative learning in vocal pedagogy (Cook, 2015; Carey, 2009), and questions the traditional perception of this field as an “abstract education” (Kar, 2021). Ultimately, it underscores the pivotal role of voice education in shaping identity and community, promoting accessible, transformative approaches that appreciate the multifaceted nature of voice education as both a niche market and a universal, inclusive practice.

ABSTRACT. This study examined the role of rhymes in building social inclusion among pre-schoolers in the Kwale Education Zone of Delta State, Nigeria. The early introduction of rhymes helps to improve child communication (language) and cognitive (social, emotional, intellectual and personality) development. Social inclusion aims to ensure that all young children have fair and equal access to resources, services and facilities conducive to their growth and well-being. This paper tolls the Chinese famous proverb “you easily forget what you read at times and hardly forget what you sing”. Three research questions were raised to guide the study. The study employed a descriptive survey method of expost facto. The study population consisted of 176 public nursery school teachers in Kwale Education zone of Delta State. A sample size of 87 teachers were selected through a simple random sampling technique. The instrument used for the study is the questionnaire; the questionnaire had two sections, A and B. Section A elicited information on respondents' bio-data while section B contained the items on a 4 4-point scale of strongly agree, Agree, Disagree and strongly agree. Two experts in Early childhood Education validated the instrument. The instrument's reliability was determined using the Cronbach alpha reliability method, and a correlation coefficient of 0.82 was obtained to measure internal consistency. The instrument was administered to the respondent by the researcher and two research assistants. The descriptive mean and standard deviation statistics were used to answer research questions. In contrast, inferential statistics of independent t-test was used to test the null hypotheses at 0.05 alpha level. The findings of the study revealed that the importance of social inclusion to the development of pre-schoolers includes representing the vision of a “society for all”, a feeling of belonging among every child, reduction of discrimination and increased participation of children in social activities, that teachers can promote social inclusion among pre-schoolers by using creative activities in the class which helps pupils to interact positively and making children aware about educational issues. The finding also revealed that rhymes contribute to social inclusion among pre-schoolers to a high extent and in several ways. Based on these findings, it was recommended that teachers create and sustain social inclusion in the classroom.

ABSTRACT. The Musical Knowledge Exchange project aims to provide a space for the exchange of knowledge in an intercultural context, through workshops and lectures given by invited masters and mistresses by the Ethnomusicology Laboratory of Federal University of Pará (UFPA), as well as individual guidance actions and collective knowledge construction about music, in intercultural dialogue with students of the Bachelor's Degree in Music Education at the UFPA School of Music. The project is based on the perspective of the Encounter of Knowledge Program, developed by the University of Brasília, which had an edition held at the UFPA School of Music, through a partnership with LabEtno, in 2015. The aim is to ensure the plurality of knowledge about music in the Bachelor's Degree in Music Education, as well as to offer a space for collective creation of concepts and practices about musicalities among the peoples of the forest. Concrete results include lectures, workshops, the production of documentaries, musical performances, and the creation of didactic materials constructed by the masters and mistresses and incorporated into the mandatory curriculum of the Introduction to Ethnomusicology and Sociology of Music courses. It is considered that the actions of this project constitute decolonial interventions, as they include non-hegemonic knowledge in the school curriculum, expanding the possibilities of musical conceptualization and practice. In dialogue with José Jorge de Carvalho regarding pluriepistemic encounters, and Paulo Freire, with inclusive, popular, and life-integrated education, the project is based on discussions aimed at the decolonization of traditional music education, the musical diversity to be implemented in Eurocentric curricula, and the valorization of the knowledge of masters and mistresses of Brazilian popular and traditional culture.

ABSTRACT. Developing highly trained physical performance techniques–the motor sequencing we use to execute particular actions–is essential for dancers and musicians. Techniques such as violin vibrato are challenging to master, requiring intricate coordination and fine control over simultaneous movements of multiple body parts in tandem. Practice is key, but personal practice is often hampered by difficulty of self-monitoring all these simultaneous movements.

This work focuses on violin vibrato: a nuanced expressive left-hand technique of pitch oscillation. Physically, vibrato impetus may emanate from finger, hand, wrist, arm or some combination, and varies in speed, width and shape, depending on the intended musical expression. Vibrato may be performed with any finger on any note of any duration, while simultaneously bowing with the right hand.

This work adopts a computer vision approach to develop a feedback system for personal practice. Using recent advances in AI pose recognition, I replace the traditional calibrated multi-camera marker-based 3D motion capture approach with smartphone single-camera input.

Vibrato video is processed with MediaPipe to estimate 3D coordinates of joints across time, and then analyzed to compare the inferred trainee’s movements to a prerecorded expert reference. The key innovation lies in the hierarchical comparison method: I compute 3D spatial alignments based on translation of key anchor points followed by translations/rotations of secondary points and tertiary structures (eg. finger arcs) that minimize distance between trainee and reference. Temporal alignment is based on best-fit spatial alignment of trainee data across time to reference key frames.

This method not only allows the violinist to visualize components of motion requiring adjustment compared to the expert reference, but also allows for greater specificity in movement range and timing. It can be generalized to other body motions to improve the fine details of motion across music or dance performance–wherever physical technique mastery is pursued.

ABSTRACT. Traditional dances and music are reservoirs indigenous knowledge about a society, its history and identity. The traditional dance and music of the Kavangos in Namibia, is performed in the context of the horseplay Ukambe dance and the use of the body Marutu.

The workshop’s goal is to demonstrate and train participants to perform Ukambe and Marutu in an applied workshop setting.

The workshop will begin by introducing myself as the facilitator. A brief discussion will follow on the Kavango people's beliefs, the context of the Ukambe and Marutu, and the meaning of the song and drum that accompany the dance.

The workshop will then begin with a warm-up to help participants prepare physically and mentally for the dance they will be learning. After the warm-up, participants will learn the basic steps and movements of Ukambe and Marutu accompanied by the song.

I will demonstrate and explain each step, and participants will have the opportunity to practice the movements while receiving feedback from me.

After learning the basic steps, participants will start learning a choreographed routine. I will teach the routine step by step, breaking it down into manageable parts. The choreography instruction will continue until the entire routine is learned during that time period, at which point the participants will demonstrate the choreography.

Throughout the workshop, I will observe and evaluate each participant's performance, offering feedback on technique, posture, rhythm, and overall dance and music ability.

The workshop will conclude with cool-down exercises to help participants relax and stretch their muscles following physical activity.

Following the session, participants will provide oral feedback and complete an evaluation form created by me, which will be used to improve the workshop and refine the teaching approach

ABSTRACT. This workshop offers an immersive journey into the rich musical heritage of diverse indigenous peoples from various regions across Brazil, including the Krenak, Paiter Surui, Ikolen-Gavião, Guarani, and Yudjá communities. Through this exploration, participants will gain insight into a small fraction of the vast cultural and sonic diversity thriving within indigenous societies.

Designed to provide a glimpse of the immense diversity among the 306 indigenous peoples in Brazil, the workshop offers a dynamic range of activities. Participants will engage in active listening to the captivating sounds of these communities and participate in hands-on musical practices, learning and performing indigenous songs.

Moreover, the session delves into indigenous cosmology through captivating mythical narratives, offering a deeper understanding of the spiritual and cultural elements embedded within their traditions. Through creative games and activities, educators will be equipped with playful and engaging tools rooted in indigenous repertoires, enhancing their ability to effectively incorporate indigenous themes into classroom settings. Objectives

Explore the use of Indigenous languages, instruments, and vocal techniques. Emphasize rhythm, melody, and movement activities to engage students. Address cultural sensitivity and ethical considerations when teaching Indigenous music. Explore the importance of representing diverse musical traditions in the classroom. Encourage participants to develop action plans for implementing Indigenous music into their school’s music program. Discuss ways to collaborate with Indigenous communities respectfully.

ABSTRACT. The song “Nancher dan fi” (Carry water from under the south bridge) tells of the bitter destiny of a young woman married to a ten year-old boy (something that wasn’t unusual during feudal times). She suffers the fate of a domestic slave, taking care of her husband’s aging parents. The girl sings about how she lives in her husband's family and compares this to life in her own home. Ancient Dungan songs (сhuzy) depict the life of this ethnic group in feudal China. The lyrical songs were mostly composed by women, although they were often sung by men, due to religious restrictions on women singing. These songs clearly expressed resentment of the feudal system and the harsh life suffered by women in China during ancient times. The Dungans, a Chinese Hui Muslim minority, migrated to Central Asia from the provinces of Gansu and Shaanxi in China at the end of the 19th century. During the Soviet era, Dungan songs appeared reflecting Soviet realism, glorifying the Communist Party, Lenin and Stalin, and collective farms. However, women's songs continued to be popular and helped the Dungan women express their suffering in the early years of settlement in Central Asia. In this study, I aim to shed light on the topic through research conducted in Kyrgyzstan. I will review articles by Russian and Central Asian scholars, focusing on their analysis of Dungan women’s songs. In addition, I will analyze the Dungan songs found in the archives of Kyrgyz National radio. This review will provide a deeper understanding of a rich musical tradition and will help to fill a gap in the study of the Dungan music of Central Asia.

ABSTRACT. In my presentation I would like to discuss the situation of female singing of Iranian traditional music within Iran since the 1979 revolution. Since coming to power, the ruling regime has banned women from singing, especially as soloists. Nevertheless, attempts to completely eliminate female singing have not been successful. Research questions: 1) What is the status of women's singing of Iranian traditional music in Iran ruled by the Islamic regime? 2) What point(s) of conflict could there be in Iran between female singers of Iranian traditional music and the regime? Participatory field research served as the fundamental method for this study. Research partners contributed interviews and shared opinions. The project Forbidden Voice: a Multimedia Tribute to Women’s Singing in Iran (premiered in Vienna in 2024), in which I collaborated as organizer, composer and santur player with artists from Iran and Austria, additionally provided a wealth of information. A literature review was carried out to clarify historical and social backgrounds. Wherever relevant, reflections on my personal experiences as an Iranian musician were included. My interest in Iranian traditional music, which I have practiced since childhood in post-revolution Iran, prompted me to conduct this research in conjunction with my ongoing dissertation on santur. After the 1979 revolution, female singers in Iran experienced one of the first waves of music censorship, which still continues. Nevertheless, they made notable contributions mainly through unofficial activities. In this presentation the oeuvres of those singers are explored within the context of Iranian society. I utilize extensive citations of female singers to reflect on the topic. The matter of censorship and associated gender positionalities contribute to theoretical approaches. A key aspect of the presentation is addressing the discourse of conflict and peacemaking through music.

ABSTRACT. Dinah Asamoah, a female Ghanaian gospel musician in the gospel performance space, has employed her soulful voice and fashion sense to leave a mark on the gospel scene in the country over the last decade. With a deep Christian background that exalts the notion of suffering for Christ, Dinah found herself at the crossroads of remaining true to her religious convictions against building and maintaining a musical brand where fashion plays an important role. It is against the backdrop of a period in the gospel music industry in Ghana where females who dared to embrace fashion choices similar to their secular counterparts were criticized. Amidst such expectations and perceptions, Dinah's journey serves as context to understand the changing dynamics of Ghanaian gospel music. Crucial to her transformation is a change in her fashion sense, epitomized by the emergence of the catchphrase "slaying for Christ," which became synonymous with her artistic persona. Since then, this phrase has become the theme of her annual concert, which reflects an intentional alignment of her faith and fashion choices. My paper explores how she uses fashion as a performative tool in redefining the conventional notions of spirituality and style within the gospel performance space in Ghana by challenging stereotypes and accepted norms.

ABSTRACT. The female element in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church cuts a wide swath but is seemingly invisible to the male gaze. The gendered principle of male and female defines broadly, access to the sacred. Energetic formulations of female orthodox piety and religiosity are cloistered and hidden from view because of the principle of gender segregation. Women from the menarche to the menopause are limited in their access to the holy Eucharist. Through the performative mode, this paper shows how religiosity, in musical formulation, contradicts any expectation of women being denied access to the sacred. This paper addresses the marginalia of female praise songs, situating it within a wider context of musical and other euphonies, within an oral tradition of biblical reading and recitation. Sacred vocal praises include extemporised poetry, and oral praise in the Ethiopian orthodox tradition can be accompanied by rhythmic devices. Drum beating, blowing horns (trumba), shaking timbrels (sistra), percussive prayer staffs, hand clapping, and women’s declaratory ululations (ellelta) as halleluiahs combine in noise making (hota). A cacophony at times, it is all undertaken by congregants, who produce a soundscape, a performative sacred force that enjoins with the liturgical anaphora. Call and response praise song is performed outside churches, eccentric to the liturgy within the church. Yet in the circle of the dance, there is a space for unbridled female religiosity. While female space is defined by their menstrual periods, as defiling to the sacramental relationship with the sacred, in fact their fertility is a powerful force that links them to the orthodox conception of womanhood: Mary as Theotokos. In veneration, their performativity - a sonic force - brings them closer in spirit to the divine. The paper will present in translation some invocations of female power, through the idiom of drumbeats, and poetic biblical allusion.

ABSTRACT. New Era, New Traditions: Case Analysis of Sustainable Development of Traditional Chinese Music Culture in Current Social Environment The evolution of traditional music culture relies on the specific social environment of different historical periods. During this process, the styles presented by traditional music, as well as its modes of dissemination, development, and inheritance, will inevitably undergo corresponding changes, even radiating to neighboring countries and regions.

In the current Chinese traditional music culture, although still deeply influenced by Western classical music and popular music, under the adjustment and promotion of national cultural policies, many composers have already infused new vitality into Chinese traditional music through innovative composition techniques, endowing it with new connotations. On the other hand, neighboring countries such as Japan and South Korea, representing the enthusiasm for Chinese traditional music culture, continue to maintain their interest and strive for localized development. At the same time, many creators also attempt to break through national boundaries and create music with an "Eastern flavor." Against this background, our group combines relevant cases to discuss issues related to the sustainable development of Chinese traditional music culture.

The 1st paper focuses on professional music works composed by Chinese composers in the past half-century as the research object, exploring the changes in compositional styles and the phenomenon of interchange between Chinese and Western styles based on different historical backgrounds； The 2nd paper discusses the dissemination of the representative traditional Chinese instrument "erhu" in Japan at various stages and its localization evolution；The 3rd paper takes the recent popularity of "national style music" in China as the research object, analyzing its development process under the background of cultural confidence policy, music technology development, and internet technology progress, exploring the influence of external environment on the creation of "national style music" and the integration and innovation of traditional music culture within it.

Paper 1： The phenomenon of interchange of external style and internal style in professional music composition in modern China.

Chinese traditional music culture is dominated by the pentatonic melody and monophonic musical texture; in contrast, Western art music is based on a muti-voice structure tonal functional harmony of major and minor key. Since the introduction of Western art music to China, many Chinese composers with overseas backgrounds have begun to try to use Western music forms to create music works in the traditional Chinese music style, including instrumental solo works, chamber music works, and art songs. In creating these multi-voice music works, an inevitable problem is how to deal with the stylistic differences between Chinese and Western music traditions, such as the conflict between the pentatonic scale and tonal harmony system. In the early stage of professional music composition in China, composers drew heavily on the compositional theory of Western art music in external factors such as the genre of the work and the form of the music. However, in term of internal compositional factors, they tried hard to avoid the harmonic function of Western major and minor keys as much as possible, and established a series of compositional principle of Chinese pentatonic harmony. Surprisingly, in recent Chinese professional music composition, those principles of pentatonic harmony have gradually been abandoned. Although external factors such as genre, structure and narrative theme often have strong Chinese national attributes, the use of harmony no longer deliberately avoid western tonal functions, instead by using typical chords from tonal harmony of major and minor keys.

This study focuses on the stylistic changes in Chinese music composition over the past half century. The discussion includes multiple perspectives such as national policy changes, public aesthetic, and important historical events, to explore the phenomenon of the exchange of external and internal style of professional music composition in modern China.

Paper 2: The Current Dissemination Status and Localization Study of the Erhu in Japan

The long-standing cultural exchange between China and Japan, evident not only in literature and art but also deeply influencing both countries' musical cultures, underscores the significance of the erhu. As a representative of traditional Chinese instruments, its unique timbre and playing techniques hold great appeal for the Japanese populace, playing a pivotal role in Sino-Japanese musical exchanges and representing one of the emblematic musical instruments fostering the dissemination, sedimentation, and development of Chinese music in Japan.

Originating from the Tang Dynasty's xiqin and later evolving into the huqin, the transmission of the erhu to Japan can be roughly divided into three stages. Initially recorded in Japan's "Shikisho," citing "Yueqi Mingwu," which documented the introduction of the xiqin to Japan, the second stage occurred during Japan's Heian period, coinciding with the introduction of Chinese Ming and Qing music alongside Ryukyu court music. The third stage, since the 1980s, witnessed numerous erhu performers traveling to Japan to perform, study, and reside, bringing modern erhu music culture to Japan.

These erhu performers in Japan are not only engaged in performances but also in erhu music education, establishing professional erhu music classrooms, creating erhu teaching materials suitable for Japanese learners, producing audio and video products, and organizing erhu music competitions. These endeavors have fostered the localization, integration, and development of the erhu in Japan, garnering increased attention and affection from the Japanese populace. Presently, there are nearly 600 erhu classrooms across various prefectures in Japan, along with the establishment of the Erhu Revival Association and numerous city-based erhu orchestras. Some universities even offer erhu majors, contributing to the phenomenon known as the "erhu wave" in Japan.

This paper will depart from the theoretical perspective of ethnomusicology, utilizing field research to analyze the current dissemination status of the erhu in Japan, delve into its causes, and examine how erhu music integrates and evolves within the Japanese context.

Paper3: Impact of External Environment on Music Creation from the Development Process of "National Style Music"

As a popular music form with distinct Chinese traditional cultural characteristics, "national style music" has been enthusiastically pursued by a large audience in recent years, with its popularity continuing to rise. After more than a decade of development from early imitations of Japanese and Taiwanese popular music to original compositions, national style music now has the following characteristics:

1. It closely follows mainstream popular music creation techniques, not being confined to the traditional pentatonic scale system, being flexible and versatile, retaining the essence of "Eastern flavor," and making it more in line with modern aesthetic demands; 2. The orchestration tends to use symphony orchestras combined with traditional instruments, emphasizing emotional expression and scene creation. Because a considerable portion of music works are used in games and film and television scores, the music pieces have a strong visual sense, and during the recording process, well-known foreign orchestras are invited to participate; 3. The performance environment has shifted from early virtual spaces on the internet to offline physical performances, from virtual sound software to live instrument performances, and in stage design, a large amount of Chinese traditional culture, such as calligraphy, costumes, etc., is showcased. This diversified performance environment brings a new visual and auditory experience to the audience and provides a broader creative space for creators of national style music.

Through analysis, it is found that the development of national style music is deeply influenced by the external environment and closely related to national cultural policy promotion and scientific and technological development. As a popular music culture, it endows traditional music culture with new connotations, making positive contributions to the inheritance and promotion of traditional culture.

ABSTRACT. PANEL ABSTRACT

Inclusive dance challenges conventional notions of dance and the experiences of individuals identified as having diverse bodies and abilities, who often encounter barriers in participation, professional development, training, and recognition of artistic excellence within the field. This panel critically examines the conceptual underpinnings of inclusive dance and its implications for therapeutic and educational contexts, as well as professional training trajectories. This panel aim to explore the interplay between conceptual understandings of dance, disability, vulnerability, and their impact on dance. The presentations will underscore the intersection of dance, participation, disability inclusion, theoretical frameworks, highlighting the transformative potential inherent in inclusive dance practices. The first presentation challenges traditional notions of dance by examining the concept of inclusive dance and its impact on individuals with diverse bodies and abilities. provides a conceptual review of inclusive dance, through a narrative literature review. The third presentation explores the role of dance, specifically ballet, in addressing vulnerability and exclusion. The panel discussion will further explore these themes and their implications for practice, education, and advocacy in the dance community.

PRESENTATIONS ABSTRACTS

1 A conceptual review of Inclusive Dance

The concept of inclusive dance in the late 60s, first concerned with the promotion of participation of individuals with disabilities. In Portugal, this concept emerged in the 80s, associated with educational dance activities as well with inclusive dance companies opening the field of dance as well as questioning the professional development and training opportunities in dance for individuals with disabilities.Thus questions may be concerned with how does inclusive dance has been described from a scientific, cultural and artistic view. This research aimed at conducting a narrative literature review examining the conceptual definition of inclusive dance as well as to identify the barriers and opportunities ispecialized artistic training face Methodology: a comprehensive search using online databases, B-on (Online Knowledge Library), ScienceDirect, Google Scholar, Web of Science and Grey literature was conducted, using the keywords Inclusive, Dance, Integrated, Inclusion, Disability between 2011-2023. Preliminary results suggest that a reduced number of dance students with disabilities are elective and enrolled in specialized dance training. We hope to bring fresh insights and questions about how we critically engage with and value inclusive dance at a training level.

2 Outcomes framework in dance Interventions when facing vulnerability and exclusion

This paper explores the value of the arts within mental health promotion guided by principles of community mental health, artivism, dance movement therapy and inclusive arts. We aim to highlight the pivotal role of the arts, and particularly of Dance to build social support networks, enhance quality of life and well-being for individuals facing vulnerability and exclusion. Furthermore a reflection on the value of dance under a conceptual framework in Dance, firstly developed in the Dance Movement Therapy area, Dunphy Outcomes Framework (DOF), as well as kits related Movement and Assessment reporting app, which blends physical, cultural, emotional, cognitive social and integration domains. Under this theoretical framework, we aim to explore the value of Dance in the deconstruction of mental health stigma, as well as mental health promotion in diverse contexts (schools, centers for individuals with physical and intellectual disabilities, community centers supporting individuals with mental illness). A retrospective analysis aims at describing previous collaborative research studies developed across the last 10 years in order to bring insights towards the effectiveness and value of dance-based interventions for individuals with disabilities and mental health problems.

3. Ballet Teaching and Practice: Bridging Academia and Inclusion Post-Stroke

The with companies such as Berlin Opera Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Rothlisberger Tanz Co., in Germany, the United States, and Switzerland, respectively." author presents her trajectory in dance with companies such as Berlin Opera Ballet, Pennsylvania Ballet, and Rothlisberger Tanz Co., in Germany, the United States, and Switzerland, respectively and the transformations that occurred after having a stroke. While approaching her academic experience since her PhD until joining the higher education as a dance professor she brings relations among dance, disability, somatic education and creation. In addition to her academic experience, also approaches her return back to scenic dance and how she ended up finding relations among the stroke, disability studies and inclusive ballet teaching possibilities within contemporary crossings. Through this narrative, gets to an exposition of what she denominates Possible Ballet, the center of her current research.

ABSTRACT. Ethnomusicologists routinely report on rehearsals as part of research, but few theorize rehearsals for their own sake. While the field of rehearsal studies arose from theatre in reference to sessions that prepare for a staged performance, much of the literature on Western classical music rehearsals emanates from music education and is mostly concerned with pedagogy. That said, some ethnomusicologists and historical musicologists have examined rehearsals for different genres as crucial for composer-performer transmission, extramusical pedagogy, group composition, and socialization (e.g., Bayley 2011, Dueck 2013, Odria 2017, Morabito 2020). This panel centers rehearsals as generative social spaces and processes of becoming in which some conventions structure roles, but the actual practice of music provides participants opportunities for creativity and even temporary social inversions. Rather than merely cultural fields that delimit roles, we argue that music rehearsals are places where a variety of social affordances can be actualized through sound practice. Thus, while rehearsals seem mundane in comparison with presentational performances, we show how rehearsals are special types of performance through and in which participants negotiate the intersection of micro and macro socio-political forces.

Our papers concentrate on rehearsals characterized by liveness and co-presence. The first paper celebrates the imperfections that in some ways define rehearsals as activators of sonic intimacy in a Filipino American community rondalla. The second traces the reconfiguration of traditional positions and relationships in taiko and care work within rehearsal spaces in Japan and the US. The third establishes a model of networked sonic and social interactions to explain the overlapping mediating practices of artists and audio engineers as they rehearse sound for an imagined and eventual audience. Altogether, we hope to further ethnomusicological studies in rehearsals, not only as fieldsites but, more importantly, as social phenomena with their own revelatory and distinguishing qualities.

Paper 1 Rehearsing Imperfection, Intimacy, and Inversion in a Filipino American Community Rondalla

While theorizing social formation in music rehearsals (McIntosh 2018), it is tempting to overlook imperfect musical sounds as by-products. Relatedly, a model that casts conviviality as in tension with musical goals in community music (Dubois 2018) does not capture the nuances of sound and sociality intertwined. This paper suggests that the work of attachment and intimacy also happens through the mundane experience of musical foibles in rehearsals, which are understood as generative social spaces. Mistakes may spur moments of merriment through facial expressions, jokes, and laughter, while praise may be met with humble silence – responses that parallel idealized social interactions within the community. Through playing several decades with a Filipino American rondalla (plucked string ensemble), I have come to experience the sounds of unreliable intonation, wayward fingerings, and mistimed rhythms as contouring an aesthetics of intimacy (Berlant 1998).

Mistakes accompany the excitement of new pieces, sight-reading challenges, and fatigue, and cannot be subsumed under a single category of undesirable sounds. Indeed, flaws tell the story of poorly constructed or failing instruments, a narrative that is inextricable from migration and local economies. They highlight inexperience and inattention, but also the differing needs of people participating in an ethnicity-based school within a multicultural society. Not incidentally, in this intergenerational group, it is often elders with the least musical experience making the most mistakes. Because of this, the phenomenology of accidental soundings may include a temporary role inversion between teenagers and their parents that Tan describes as a kind of equality in his democratic model for instrumental practice (2014). While it is arguable whether mistakes are the point of rehearsal, I show how familiarity with sounded imperfections can build intimacy and strengthen a sense of community.

Paper 2 Rendering Interdependency: Mediating Power Dynamics between Disabled Taiko Musicians and their Caregivers in Rehearsal

Disabled taiko ensembles have been active for over half of the history of kumi-daiko, or group drumming, and is a popular activity in welfare associations for the intellectually and developmentally disabled (IDD) throughout Japan. Taiko has received thorough scholarly treatment in its exploration of race and gender (Wong; Ahlgren; Bender; Yoon), but disability has not been examined outside of music therapy and education. The role of women has been the subject of much discourse within the transnational taiko community, where women make up the majority of members but lack representation in leadership roles. IDD taiko ensembles almost always feature women in positions of authority due to their prevalence in care work. Nondisabled women generally participate as music therapists, caregivers, or simply taiko instructors interested in working with disabled musicians. By utilizing Bourdieu’s (1993) concept of cultural fields and Kittay’s (2011) work on the ethics of care and interdependence, I examine how traditional positions and relationships in both taiko and care work are reconfigured within rehearsal spaces in Japan and the US. While the disabled taiko players are ostensibly presented as the lead musicians in performances, observing rehearsals unveils a more complex negotiation of power dynamics between the disabled musicians and their nondisabled caregivers who often perform with them. Rehearsal constitutes a process through which these performers must depend on each other while alternating roles and shifting textures as they produce sounds together. The oscillation of musical roles throughout taiko rehearsals constructs a space for reclaiming agency through interdependent relationships.

Paper 3 Anticipating the Audience: Soundchecks as the Last Rehearsal for Artist and Engineer

To audiences of technologically mediated live performance, the show starts with the strike of the first chord or pound of the kick drum. In actuality, the perfect moment emerges a few hours earlier during the soundcheck, or the final rehearsal that takes place onstage. In this in-between time, the artist and the audio engineer do a delicate dance of decision-making that anticipates the experience of the expected audience. As a performer, sound engineer, and ethnographer, I understand soundchecks before live performances as a special kind of rehearsal. Instead of artists practicing musical accuracy and togetherness, soundchecks rehearse technological aspects of performance like pitch/frequency balance and the ability to hear one another on stage.

Building off of Simon Frith’s definition of the popular music authenticity paradigm (1996) and Barry Blesser and Linda-Ruth Salter’s discussion on the chaotic nature of sound in space (2007), I theorize the audience during the soundcheck as an imagined, yet powerful entity. Regardless of the “realness” of a musical narrative, for the audience, the inner workings of a musician's personality and life journey is only accessible via their music. With these audience expectations in mind, artists often instruct audio engineers during the soundcheck to mix a musical experience following the constructed imaginations of the eventual audience. Additionally, the audience, as human body objects, absorb, reflect, and make sound. Because the audience is not present during soundcheck, the audio engineer in tandem with the artist must construct an optimal auditory mix that anticipates the aural nature of “bass-trapping” and chatting audience bodies. Through the authenticity paradigm and bodies in space, the imagined audience maintains control throughout the soundcheck. In order to appease the not-yet-present audience, during the soundcheck, both audio engineer and artist scramble to build trust in pursuit of the audience’s eventual flawless experience of liveness.

ABSTRACT. Displaced populations including refugees, migrants, and indigenous people, form minority groups precariously settled on provisional or contested territories. The mores and cultural identities and practices of these groups, which often differ from those of the dominant populations around them, as well as the prejudices attached to them, can exacerbate their isolation, hindering contributions to and engagement with wider society. This roundtable will present minority groups with disparate histories and environments who ascertain their place in society through musical arts, building confidence that enriches civic participation and a cohesive, inclusive social fabric.

Presenter #1's opening contribution will extend on recent books he has developed, to elucidate foundational concepts, such as empowerment and envoicement, and explore ethical and legal aspects of music as a form of cultural diplomacy in intercultural performance contexts.

Presenter #2 will discuss efforts in the Nordic countries to sustain Indigenous Sámi singing traditions through online learning and performance communities. The presentation will highlight issues related to sharing intangible cultural heritage as a means of giving voice to minority peoples and building cultural understanding.

Presenter #3 will explore the Syrian music scene that has emerged in Vienna since 2015 as a result of the refugee movement. The presentation will focus on the NAI Oriental Orchestra, its peace- and community-building role, and its challenges representing and empowering people whose musical and linguistic practices differ from those that dominate locally.

Presenter #4 will discuss the interplay between Singapore's cultural dynamics and Tamil Hindu identity by examining the uṟumi mēḷam Tamil folk drumming ensemble during Thaipusam, a major Hindu festival, highlighting how uṟumi mēḷam practitioners leveraged community outreach programs to challenge the 2015 ban on their music at the festival, and its 2024 reinstatement.

Presenter #5 will describe music initiatives welding Aotearoa Pasifika communities impacted by colonial legacies and global warming in their island territories. These include Samoan King Kapisi’s hop-hop movement, which provides a cultural anchorage for disenfranchised urban youth, and the Porirua-based Virtuoso Strings orchestral group.

ABSTRACT. This artistic intervention has been developed by five early career artists and researchers who grew up in the cultural traditions of Cornish performing arts. It targets the systems and pathways that sustain Cornish music and dance (M&D) as living heritage and recontextualizes a traditional practice. It aims to raise the profile of and gain recognition for an underrepresented minority people beyond the core communities of practice. Questions it asks are; “What does being Cornish sound like?” “What does being Cornish move like?” And, “how do these notions interact with existing traditions of M&D in the area and EDM?”

Aspects of Cornish M&D have undergone a resurgence, and yet the future feels uncertain considering the top-down approach the UK Government is displaying with its ratification of UNESCO’s ICH convention. Questions have been raised around how its implementation will intertwine with the recognition of Kernewek under the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages (2002) and Cornish people under the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities (2014). Concerns from Cornish culture bearers are that without voice in the decision making process aspects of Cornish culture risk becoming homogenised with dominant cultural narratives in the UK. This practice-based research poses a rejection to homogenization with a view to celebrate the diversity of practice embedded in rural communities displaying multiple heritages.

Continuing the Participatory Action Research methodology this project utilises we propose four presentations and discussions as part of this roundtable:

The Cornish M&D Ecosystem – framing the intervention in the historical and contemporary perspectives on Cornish M&D.

The Performance Design – The collaborative process of conceptual and artistic design. Including “augmented” instruments and props.

Shared Perspectives – Reflections on the process highlighting moments of knowledge generation and their personal impact.

Outcomes and Impact – Intended, and the unexpected.

ABSTRACT. Chinese and Western artists have mutually inspired each other for centuries. The recent production of Giacomo Puccini’s last opera, the uncompleted Turandot (1926) in China tells a story of what this interchange transpires. For decades, Turandot was not accepted in China because of its racist overtone. But the Sichuan Opera adaptation of Chinese Princess Turandot by Minglun Wei in 1995 and subsequent premiere of Turandot in Beijing produced by the famous movie director Yimou Zhang in 1998 creatively resolved this racialized divide in their respective production.

This paper explores the orientalization of the characters in Turandot and reveals the formation of European’s perceptions on gender role and national stereotype towards Asians, using the plot and harmonic structure on Puccini’s compositional style for the portrayal of the female protagonists as a background. The contrast between Liù’s character as self-sacrificing while Turandot as imperious and malicious are simplified and generalized representations of the Europeans in meeting their imaginations on the East. Through integrating Western tonality with the Chinese pentatonic system, Puccini illustrates the European’s perception on the possession of Chinese ancestors towards their daughter. This paper further explores Turandot’s transformation and reception in China by analyzing the cultural adaptions of the homecoming version by Wei in 1995. Through comparing the plot, the music and the reception, I distinguish the issues of identities and orientalism by showing how the version was made and perceived. Eventually Turandot is no longer recognized merely as an “orientalist” Asian woman but an “authentic” princess with Chinese values. (250 words)

ABSTRACT. Belo Horizonte is a Brazilian city created in 1889 to be the new capital of the State of Minas Gerais. It was the first planned capital city in Brazil and intended to bring some “new” concepts of modernity and progress in its urban and architectural plan. The general plan of the city foresaw three different areas: urban, suburban and ranches, and historically that division created a segregated space, which has a strong racial feature. Analysing samba culture, that is one of the diaspora culture of the segregated people, it is interesting to note that many of samba compositions bring in their lyrics many different aspects of that segregation. We aim to analyse the issues of space and culture segregation present in those songs. First we aim to analyse how the “sambistas” see their environment, how they portrait the place where they live, the suburban area. Than we will analyse some lyrics which characterize this city division, showing that to the samba culture rests the suburban area, and the urban area is for the “dominant European culture”, pointing to a spatial and a cultural division of the city. We rely on the concept of structural racism to develop the argument. The study shows how racism is part of the structure of the city, and creates a central area that is structurally and culturally more “fixed”, and in the other hand it is possible to see the suburbia that is in constant changes.

ABSTRACT. Chilean singer-songwriters throughout the twenty-first century frequently align themselves within lineages of folk music icons to connect themselves with both legitimizing musical figures and national patrimony. Scholars have focused on how artists who passed away decades before—most prominently, Violeta Parra and Víctor Jara—influence musical canons and creation today (Valdebenito 2017, 2018; Party 2023). In contrast, this paper explores how popular singer-songwriters who studied with nationally-renowned folklorist Margot Loyola in the final years of her life have attached their musical practices to the Chilean traditions that Loyola researched while combining their music with popular music styles. Extending theorizations about folkloric fusion music (González 2011; Tucker 2011), I introduce the metaphor of "grafting" into ethnomusicological discourse to inspect how Margot’s students have performed música de raíz, or roots music, from 1996 to the present. Specifically, I contend that the interpersonal relationships forged between Margot and her students has enabled new artists to compose and perform music that revives collected folk song genres from the twentieth century in ways that appealed to younger Chilean audiences. Supported by interviews and participant observation with musicians Gepe, Claudia Mena, Natalia Contesse, and Andrea Andreu, conducted in Chile from 2022-2024, I argue that the musicians’ identification with Margot provides them authenticity as performers and experts of Chilean traditional music while simultaneously offering space for creativity and experimentation. This paper contributes to continued ethnomusicological conversations surrounding transnational musical movement, musical transmission and innovation, and the canonization of folk music for future generations.

ABSTRACT. The Lahu group in China is mainly divided into Lahu Na and Lahu Xi, and the creator god “Esha” is the most primitive belief people adhere to. During most festivals and sacrificial rituals of Lahu Xi, people worship “Esha” through their body and sound, which is called “O Li” (ritual). In their yearly practices since thirteenth century, “O Li” has become the way of those Lahu people to perceive their own existence. If people are not able to do “O Li”, it can lead to the collapse of their social structure and spiritual connection, prompting them to escape to another place.

To delve into this unique cultural phenomenon, I have conducted fieldwork in the Longzhupeng village, Lancang county of Yunnan province, where traditional Lahu Xi sacrificial rituals were completely preserved. My fieldwork reveals that this community, which turned out to be Lahu Xi’s central settlement, had experienced two large-scale cross-border escapes between the 1960s and 1980s. James C. Scott (2009) emphasized the initiative of a marginalized community in the course of history and their resistance against state rules. He summarized the exoduses as “Zomia”. However, the two exoduses of the Lahu Xi were not due to the agrarian economy, as Scott suggests, but rather were a result of threats to their cosmologically rooted “O Li” system.

Based on my fieldwork and analysis, this research explores Lahu Xi sacrificial rituals, arguing that the body and sound function as instruments of social interaction, thereby establishing a sense of belonging among the Lahu Xi people. Furthermore, this research decodes the relationship between the inherent social system and the logic in their cosmology. It elucidates how “O Li” serves as the emotional bond between human and their surroundings to keep a harmonious order.

ABSTRACT. The foliada is a collective gathering of a festive nature based on the community practice of traditional music and dance, which currently has a significant social impact and territorial reach in Galicia (NW Iberian Peninsula). On March 16, 2018, the Galician government published in its Official Gazette a resolution initiating the process to declare the foliada as a Cultural Asset of Interest (the highest level of heritage protection in Spain). This initiation process sparked a profound debate within the community about the definition of traditional music and dance in modern times and the legitimacy of folklorism as institutions representing the community. This moment of ontological agitation resulted in the submission of numerous objections to the initiation process and, ultimately, its dismissal. However, this event – in Deleuzian terms – aroused my research interest in a series of critical and dynamic voices of resistance gathered in the foliadas that take place in the city of Santiago de Compostela.

In this communication, I will analyze how certain critical groups linked to associationism, ecology, feminism, and Galician nationalism have appropriated the foliadas and their cultural, community, and economic implications as spaces of dissent where they reflect on alternative ways of life to neoliberal state logics, allowing them to envision other possible futures generated from local heritage. To do this, I will start with a work of participant observation in more than twenty foliadas that take place in the city of Santiago de Compostela, multiple ethnographic interviews, and the analysis of the dynamics of transmission of traditional music and dance in the context of structured and informal teaching through attendance at dance and tambourine classes at the Gentalha do Pichel association.

ABSTRACT. The bulk of published scholarship on Balinese music focuses on topics related to gamelan, the well-known instrumental ensembles made up primarily of tuned metallophones, gongs, drums, and bamboo flutes. Many of these scholarly works examine historical developments in, musical structures of, and cultural contexts for performance within the characteristically male-dominated instrumental tradition. By contrast, studies related to Balinese vocal music – an artistic realm where women feature prominently – are relatively scarce. With a few exceptions (e.g. Herbst 1997, Reisnour 2018, Collier 2022), this small body of scholarship attends carefully to the historical and cultural associations, poetic structures, and performance contexts of vocal music, but bypasses consideration of the embodied nature of its practice and the processes by which it is learned.

Based on new ethnographic research (2023 – 2024) and informed by scholarly work on gender, the voice, and embodiment, this paper articulates a concept of intimacy in Balinese performance, particularly as connected to the study of gesture and vocal music learning among young students of Balinese arja (an operatic type of dance drama). This research highlights pedagogy as both a private space and a shared experience, showing how the processes that precede, inform, and generate performance prompt students to interact mutably with their bodies and voices. Attending to the embodied nature of learning and practice in Balinese vocal music broadens the discourse on the important role of female artists in Bali, and points to intimacy as a creative, generative, and stabilizing force within Balinese arts.

ABSTRACT. Since Mantle Hood coined the term bi-musicality in his most cited essay in the 1960s, the famous ethnomusicological method has been used in various research and teaching contexts. Drawing on my long-term personal involvement in the autochthonous music scene in La Paz city, Bolivia, and my Andean music teaching sessions and classes at various cultural centers and universities between Bolivia and Germany, I revisit the ethnomusicological method of bi-musicality and related terms and concepts under recent disciplinary developments and anticolonial standpoints. I argue that in early definitions various crucial differences between “insider” and “outsider” were sidestepped in favor of a controversial idea of a researcher wanting to study foreign music from the inside. This is hardly ever possible when considering the different positionalities at play. With the acquirement and learning of musical knowledge from a different cultural context arises the responsibility to ask what we can do with this knowledge and our privileges as ethnomusicologists in different local and global political contexts. In order to develop an anticolonial approach to bi-musicality, I go beyond the academic idea of increasing knowledge production about a musical practice and advocate for using this acquired knowledge in applied contexts where it can make meaningful differences.

ABSTRACT. In her essay ‘Poetry Is Not a Luxury’, Audre Lorde (1984) describes poetry – a form of storytelling – as illumination and an accessible means to birth and give name to ideas and experiences that are felt. This description offers multiple invitations, and the one that resonates most with me is about the role of storytelling as a method that enables the recording of lived experiences, and how this can contribute to the development of theory. This is embodied theorization, something the African tradition of storytelling enables. The African tradition of storytelling is rooted in the knowledge generated and exchanged based on the experiences of people of African descent. It is a framework grounded in African worldviews that influence and inform the norms of Africans on the continent and in the diaspora (Montgomery et al., 1990, Tuwe, 2016., & Tuwe, 2018). African worldviews are made up of interacting forces including cosmological and metaphysical ones that are narrativized into folktales, proverbs, and songs (Rwafa, 2015). For instance, scholars such as Nyamnjoh (2021) propose that proverbs should be considered conceptual frameworks as they are “the embodiment of the wisdom and epistemological uniqueness of cultures in Africa” (p.431).

This presentation will share how I, a Zimbabwean born, and New Zealand raised femme applied the African tradition of storytelling through the Sesa Mathlo methodology, a methodology that I specifically designed for my PhD research project. The Sesa Mathlo methodology is an inter-disciplinary practice-led framework that draws upon African griot traditions of speech making, storytelling and poetic song chant to make sense of experiences and to produce knowledge stemming from those experiences. The methodology is also informed by Queer African Studies, intersectionality, and Black Feminist Thought and Practice. Sesa Mathlo loosely translates to “open your eyes” in Sesotho and utilizes the notion of opening or cleaning one’s eyes as a metaphor for witnessing the interlocking oppressions around us. It is also an invitation to “open up” to new pathways, frameworks and possibilities of knowledge gathering and sharing. The aim of the presentation is to illustrate how practice-led research can be a catalyst to imagine, theorize and action creative practices that honour varying modes of knowledge production. Utilising a storytelling tradition, the presentation will articulate and share the ways in which alternative approaches and methods to research, education, and knowledge dissemination create space for transformative possibilities and futures.

ABSTRACT. The central element of Iranian classical music lies within the dastgah-ha (s. dastgah), comprising 12 sets of brief melodies known as gushe-ha (s. gushe). Various authors have described the modal features of these gushe-ha, referred to as maye, which establish the theoretical framework of this music tradition. Nevertheless, certain aspects of these theoretical formulations either fail to encompass the diverse range of performance practices or conflict with the implicit knowledge held by performers. With the goal of expanding and increasing the flexibility of Iranian dastgahi music theory, we propose a mixed methodology that combines computer-aided, corpus-driven approach and ethnographic work with expert performers of this tradition. To that aim, we are creating the KUG Dastgahi Corpus (KDC), containing new recordings of solo instruments and voice from our collaborator expert musicians. We also invited some of the musicians to annotate the recordings, at this stage mostly in terms of melodic patterns. The data, metadata and annotations of the KDC are published under open licenses. In this paper we will present the motivation and objectives of our research, as well as an overview of the current status of the KDC. Furthermore, we will present our first steps towards the analysis of melodic patterns. Both theoretical literature and common knowledge among performance agree that these patterns are fundamental for defining the identity of each gushe. However, a comprehensive study of this aspect is still missing, with only few publications focused on one particular dastgah published. In this first stage of the research, we have asked several of our collaborators to annotate the first gushe of all 12 dastga-ha, known as daramad. We have performed an inter-annotator agreement analysis, followed by a discussion with the annotators to understand the reasons of agreements and disagreements. The outcome of this analysis will the be basis for the evaluation of future computational pattern analyses.

ABSTRACT. Born and raised amidst the culture of samba, individuals who experience the spaces, the festivities, the social environments, and who share worldviews guided by samba, could question their condition as "sambistas"? In common parlance, it would be possible to define certain musicians belonging to a community on the outskirts of Belo Horizonte, Brazil as "sambistas". They are people who practice the so-called "samba", singing, dancing, composing, and living that cultural expression. However, when directly questioned about being "sambistas" or not, there was a certain reluctance to accept such identity. The aforementioned question arose during a master's research conducted between 2020 and 2022. The research data shows that the identity of "sambista" would be something much more diffuse than just been involved with the practice, comprising various symbolic representations permeated by shared values and temporalities. Understanding oneself as a "sambista" or not can have various individual meanings, which, as we will seek to demonstrate, are linked to representations, which, in turn, are directly related to the practice and the symbolic systems that pervade a collective context. Thus, to be a "sambista" seems to require more than just being black, singing samba, composing samba, playing samba, participating in a samba group, working with samba, studying samba, or even having a life entirely dedicated to samba. The ideal of "sambista", for my interlocutors, seems to pass through a conception that, in many points, is far from concreteness and closer to something desired, to be pursued. Thus, it is possible to observe that the practice of samba within the referred community, indeed, shapes the identities present there by giving meaning to the experience, enabling a specific mode of subjectivity, determined not only by choice but by social relationships and the systems of representations derived from them.

ABSTRACT. This paper documents, classifies and analyses the engagement, involvement, and interaction of Slovene residents with Indian cultural practises, with particular focus on music and dance. Contemporary scholarship on India’s cultural flows commonly uses frameworks of post-colonialism, postmodernism, globalisation, and emigration/diaspora, to deal with these dynamics. Slovenia, a small central-European country without an internally organized Indian diaspora, provides for a novel environment for consideration and evaluation of this literature. Slovenia’s socio-cultural landscape provides specific and elaborate narratives of the modes of contact of individuals and communities with India and its culture, resulting in vibrant processes and forms of traditional and modern artistic expressions.

Drawing on ethnographic research, interviews, case studies and participant observation, this paper examines the dynamics of participation and propagation of Indian music and dance, including formal trainings, cultural events, and grassroots initiatives, thereby shedding light on the motivations, practises and implications that belie the manifestation of Indian music and dance practices in the Slovenian sociocultural landscape. Amartya Sen’s (1997) classification of Western approaches to Indian traditions serves as a useful model to commence inquiry into the bases of cultural intercourse, while Baumann’s framework of multiculturalism (1995), Pettan’s research models (2019), and Schippers’ continuum transmission model (2004, 2009) provide additional tools to define and analyse the key issues of the paper.

This paper is part of a broader research on the transcultural dynamics of Indian music and dance in Slovenia and aims to contribute to the ongoing discourse on identity, representation, appropriation, cultural hybridity, intercultural opportunities, cultural sustainability, and issues related to knowledge production and dissemination. It considers the realms of all music and dance expressions, including spiritual practices, classical traditions, and popular and film music. specific methods that can be applied in disparate contexts.

ABSTRACT. The purpose of this research was to explore and identify primary elements within Xhosa traditional music and culture that may influence the modern South African jazz sound and approach. The narratives of six South African jazz artists on their lives, practices, and works served as cases. The study also sought to investigate how the upbringing and cultural traditions of these selected musicians have possibly contributed to their unique sound, by investigating their backgrounds, compositional techniques, stylistic interpretation, and improvisational approach in their output.

A collective case study design was used using in-depth semi-structured interviews. The findings of the inductive analysis revealed three main themes, namely: 1) Early recollections; 2) music learning processes; and 3) sounding home within South African jazz. The first theme addresses the early experiences, the environment and the impact of family for musicians. The second main covers the various forms of music learning of the participants, and the final theme focusses on the thought and compositional processes of musicians, their primary and cultural influences, and the incorporation of traditional music into their works.

The findings suggest that there are significant influences of traditional elements of Xhosa music within the works of selected jazz musicians and in the South African jazz repertoire. These are rooted in sounding childhood encounters and the music heard in their surroundings and ceremonies. Furthermore, the majority of their styles encompass not only a conscious and subconscious borrowing from Xhosa folk songs, but a modernisation thereof. Rhythmic feels, singing practices, and melodic and harmonic practices of the Xhosa folklore are juxtaposed with prominent elements of modern jazz practices. The sounds of these musicians also reflect a genealogy, rooted in the style of elder Xhosa jazz musicians.

ABSTRACT. Minangkabau, West Sumatra, is one of the cultural regions in Indonesia, where talempong music (either a row of small gong-pots, or gongs hand-held in pairs) are considered to be a local pusako (a family inheritance) (Kartomi 2012; Fraser, 2015). Contextually, this music is attached especially to traditional ceremonies of Minangkabau social organisation, namely the inauguration of a penghulu suku (clan leader), at which the revered talempong must be performed, as noted in one of our pepatah (proverbs), baaguang, batalempong, bagandang saliguri (with gong, talempong and the drum called saliguri). As bronze musical instruments of the locality, talempong have remained important to Minangkabau people through the ages, handed down via the matriliny, as our belief systems have changed from broadly animisme (indigenous animism), through to the influence of the global religions of Hindu-Buddhism ( 2nd CE) and now currently Islam Shafi’i sect - mazhab (circa 15th century). Through the lens of pusako, and as an indigenous performer and researcher of talempong music, in my paper, I will look at the belief systems through which talempong have historically travelled, with us. I discuss in particular, possible influences from the Hindu-Buddhist era with regard to inherited talempong performed in processions. This is an adat (customary) process, observed at penghulu inaugurations, and which remains important to Minangkabau people today as an aspect of local culture, although the belief system is Islam.

ABSTRACT. This paper presents new research on the instrument known as talempong from West Sumatra province in Indonesia (Kartomi 2012, Ediwar 2016). The small bronze gong pots, which make up a full talempong set and number from 5 to 6 pots, are made by the father of one of the authors. His workshop is in the nagari (Minangkabau specific polity/village) of Sungai Puah, Agam district. Sungai Puar is well-known for its metallurgy (Kahn 1980), but talempong production has yet to be discussed in the literature. Located on the slopes of the active volcano, Gunung Marapi, the factory sits alongside those of his sister’s children (his keponakan, nieces and nephews) who belong to the same matri-clan. Forging the pots requires skill and local knowledge (kearifin local) that has been handed down orally for generations through the family. Father’s pots are sold to local musicians, schools, and tertiary institutions and exported to Malaysia. In this paper, we will explain the process of making a set of talempong and discuss how this is embedded in Sungai Puah adat (custom).

In the second section of our paper, we will demonstrate the Minangkabau plate dance (tari piring), which is a beloved icon of West Sumatra, and which is accompanied by talempong music. We discuss heritage choreographies from Sungai Puar, which are routinely performed at weddings in the village and compare these with new choreographies from further afield, including those from Muaro Labuah town in Solok district. As expressions of Minangkabau culture, talempong and the dances it accompanies are thriving in West Sumatra. We submit that the local knowledge used in their creation is itself an important inheritance and that which needs to be supported and cherished.

ABSTRACT. In 2010, I made a five-part radio series for Radio New Zealand called, “West Sumatran Composers of Indonesia”. It can be heard at rnz.co.nz. The series was a profile of Minangkabau composers, while on tour in New Zealand, who worked within local, national, and international music scenes (Suryadi 2020). In 2010, new music was created through a method known as garapan (to make something new), where compositions were developed from Minangkabau instruments and genres. Inspired by Indonesian art music scenes (Emerson 2022, Poplawska 2023), instrumentation included Minangkabau drums, flutes, vocals, gong-pots, gongs, and electroacoustic music. Experimental instruments were also invented. The music was used to accompany customary inaugurations of penghulu (matri-clan leaders), dance productions, theatre, and as music for concerts.

Now, 15 years later, in this paper I return to talk with the same composers, to discuss current projects and explore how new technologies have influenced their compositional methods and creativity. In 2010 most recordings were performed live in the studio and distributed on CDs and VCDs. With the rise of music for screens of all sizes, including for Minangkabau language films (Desmarwardi 2023), I investigate how composers record and release music today, in West Sumatra. Through collaborative discussions and sound examples, in this paper, I ask, is there a ‘Minangkabau Sound’ that can be ascertained, through the music of this celebrated school of composers, who have performed each other’s music for over 25 years?

ABSTRACT. This panel brings together dancers, choreographers, musicians and designers to discuss professional practice for dancers with disability.

People with disabilities quickly become well-versed at being in the public gaze as their diverse ways of moving and being in the world attract stares from the people around them. Behind these stares there is, all too often, an assumption of limitation. In this panel we discuss ways that dancers with disability subvert this process by creating non-normative collaborative spaces that not only centre but celebrate atypical body types, atypical movement and atypical performance outcomes.

Dancing in the Cut challenges the aesthetic regime that projects a limiting repertoire of gestures in dance by extending the senses through technological augmentation. It challenges an assumed design emphasis on the visual and champions the haptic, kinetic, kinaesthetic and experiential, especially pertinent for costume design processes and practice. The virtuosity evident in works like Mel Smith’s performance of ‘Conduit Bodies’ and Suzanne Cowan’s ‘Knot Just Bodies’ and ‘Tentacular’ is achieved through deep communication, genuine interdisciplinary collaboration and draws on relays of attention between audience and performer, object and trigger, designer and maker, memory and presence. In this panel, speakers will discuss the ways dancers with disability, and those who work with them utilise technology, space, design and their own unique bodies and brains to reimagine a new aesthetic regime.

ABSTRACT. The paper delves into a historical investigation of musical cosmopolitanism as portrayed in Taiwan's renowned musical television program “Stars Gathering” (Qunxing hui). A seminal broadcast on Taiwan Television Channel from 1962 to 1977, “Stars Gathering” played a pivotal role in shaping the landscape of Mandarin popular music during its era and in propelling the careers of numerous singers. Despite operating within a milieu of increasing official Chinese nationalism during the 1960s, particularly in response to the 1967 Chinese Cultural Renaissance Movement, “Stars Gathering” exhibited not only elements of Chineseness but also a distinct degree of musical cosmopolitanism. This paper scrutinizes the program’s depiction of musical cosmopolitanism, analyzing specific instances and their broader socio-cultural implications. Drawing from archival sources, the paper investigates how “Stars Gathering” embraced musical cosmopolitanism by integrating cover songs from various countries, including the US, UK, Japan, Southeast Asia, and South Korea, among others. Additionally, the program incorporated diverse global musical styles into its arrangements. The analysis incorporates theoretical discussions on musical cosmopolitanism, as delineated by ethnomusicologist Martin Stokes (2008), and the concept of “multiply mediated cosmopolitanism,” advanced by cultural theorist Shih Shu-Mei (2007) in her examination of Taiwanese culture. This paper underscores the active role of music in the process of “worlding,” emphasizing the capacity of individuals to navigate imperial configurations responsibly and engage with multiple cultural references. It argues that the musical cosmopolitanism depicted by “Stars Gathering” challenged dominant Sino-American cultural influences by integrating a diverse range of foreign elements. Notably, the inclusion of Japanese elements directly contested the cultural stigma imposed by the Kuomintang government. Through its embrace of such musical cosmopolitanism, “Stars Gathering” showcased the agency of Taiwanese creators in negotiating a complex array of cultural influences.

ABSTRACT. In the early 1980s, Hip-Hop music made its entry into the popular music scene in Japan. After over 40 years of development, the most vibrant scene today is being energized by rappers from Okinawa, the poorest region in Japan (per capita income), that has hosted 32 United States military bases since the Pacific War. Okinawan Hip-Hop’s close ties to American culture have significantly influenced its development and contributed to its vibrancy in the contemporary Hip-Hop music scene in Japan. The lyrics and themes of Okinawan Hip-Hop artists often narrate the struggles, aspirations, and experiences of the locals, shedding light on issues such as identity, social challenges, and the impact of U.S. Military Base. The genre has become a powerful means of expression for the Okinawan people, granting them a voice to share their perspectives and stories.

In March 2023, the compilation album “098RADIO vol.1” was released, featuring songs from various artists from Okinawa. Awich, a female rapper representing Japan and hailing from Okinawa, was the mastermind behind this project. The album had evolved and integrated with Okinawan dialect and culture, resulting in a unique blend of traditional Okinawan elements and contemporary Hip-Hop styles. Based on primary sources from National Diet Library, fieldwork in Tokyo, and music analysis, I demonstrate how the Okinawan rappers are using Hip-Hop music’s style, structure, and lyrics to frame the intersection of Okinawan identities, regional and national affiliations, longstanding and contentious U.S. military presence as well as a distant Other to mainland Japan. I argue that Okinawan popular music, intertwined with the rise of commodified mass culture, has redefined memory by enabling the widespread dissemination of sounds and narratives from the past. These memories are now accessible to all, transcending barriers of race, ethnicity, and biology, thereby fostering unexpected connections across diverse communities.

ABSTRACT. In the evolving cosmopolitan context of southern China, transnationally circulating musics, cultural knowledge, and social identities are rearticulated through emplaced and historically constituted practices of listening and creation. In recent years here, several bands have come to increasing prominence who draw on folk traditions of China’s ethnically diverse southwestern provinces as well as on transnationally circulating popular music styles deeply linked to African American, Afro-Caribbean, and Black Atlantic histories and experiences. This paper is grounded in long-term ethnographic work in rehearsals, performance contexts, and recording sessions with the band San Duojiao (Three Step). Named after a popular folk dance from Yunnan Province, San Duojiao blends musical traditions of the Bulang, Wa, Hani, Dai, and Lahu minorities with reggae, ska, dub, and Afrobeat. I explore how these and other musicians in southern China self-reflexively reformulate and reinterpret musics from diverse sources within locally grounded contexts and experiences, reflecting their own subjective experiences of culture, power, difference, and globality. I argue that contemporary Afro-Asian connections must be understood within longer histories of global diasporic intersections, and that contemporary Chinese engagements with Black musics must also be considered within the context of Chinese urban cosmopolitanisms wherein African, Afro-Caribbean, and Black Atlantic cultures and people are prominent representatives of the international. My analysis is inspired by what Shih and Lionnet describe as “minor transnationalism,” attending to “creative interventions that networks of minoritized cultures produce within and across national boundaries” (2005, 7). More broadly, this paper aims to contribute to discussions of the ways configurations of human difference understood through historically and culturally constituted concepts and ideologies—such as race, ethnicity, minzu (nationality/ethnicity), and shaoshuminzu (minority)—intersect and are reformulated through transnational circulations of both popular and traditional musics.

ABSTRACT. Through processes of displacement, forced migration, and (re)settlement, the voices of children and young people are often silenced, their stories and lived experiences about their own diverse and layered experiences with displacement, migration, and settlement are seldom, if ever, heard. As such, this roundtable will focus on examining how creative-arts can be used as a space for children to speak-back and share their stories, and to highlight the need for a global focus on arts-based practices that support the immediate needs of displaced children and youth. We will explore how musical collaboration, community music-making, photography, and storytelling can support young people’s wellbeing, cultural and individual resiliency, and connection during and after displacement, migration, and (re)settlement. We will also focus on how children and young people can use their songs, stories, photos, and voices as a tool of resistance by challenging dominant narratives on trauma, resilience, and integration. The presenters in this roundtable lead several international music-based research projects in collaboration with community-based refugee settlement organizations. The goals of their research collaborations are to recognize young people as leaders, agentic innovators, and stewards of musical cultures as well as storytellers more broadly.