Summer stuff for ethnomusicology

College Majors Music Major
1

<p>I will be going to grad school in ethnomusicology, though I am still two years out from finishing my undergrad. I have been fervently searching for opportunities I can take advantage of during my summers in order to gain experience and make contacts in this field before applying to graduate schools.</p>

<p>It's looking pretty bare, though. I have been investigating anthropology internships but they either don't fit, or do not offer any type of stipend to offset expense of living in the area (though I suppose I could try my luck and find a job). I've also found plenty of musical internships, but they focus on arts administration or theatre. And I have also found some counseling positions, but these really have nothing to do with either performing or getting experience in "world music".</p>

<p>It preferably would have a stipend or at least provide for living, but I guess for the right fit I could make something work, even if it meant finding roommates in a strange city...but I would rather avoid this.</p>

<p>Now, I have applied to a study abroad program that has relevant courses, but whether or not I can swing the $300 application fee and get financial aid/scholarships to cover the cost remains to be seen.</p>

<p>Any parents or students out there who went into musicology or ethnomusicology? How did you spend your summers? I would go to traditional music festivals but the cost thing comes into play again, and while I am a decent performer, I am not competitive for fellowships or full rides.</p>

<p>I've also reached out to some professors and received some pointers, but unfortunately none of them were/are in ethnomusicology specifically, and their knowledge is limited. Any help? Sort of stressing this quite a bit...</p>

2

<p>Have you thought about applying for something like a Fulbright that would allow you to travel and spend time with people to learn about their music and their culture?</p>

3

<p>I think Study Abroad will be easier to find than an Internship abroad with a musical focus. Doesn’t your university provide any financial support for study abroad? There are a number of programs in places like West Africa, Bali, India. Or you could volunteer abroad in an area where you’d be interested in studying the music. But getting paid while being abroad - that’s a difficult proposition for anyone. It’s possible if you got a student visa to study for longer than a summer that you could also legally be able to work to help support yourself.</p>

4

<p>I don’t want to be paid to study abroad. It’s just that the in-country internships that don’t offer some sort of housing or payment for an intern to be able to afford housing while there, are not do-able for me. There are a few good opportunities, but they seem to expect that the interns either live in the city already, or have another method for paying for apartment rental or something like that. Then there are a few that provide housing or the small stipend to cover living expenses, which is preferable.</p>

<p>As far as actual study abroad, as in leaving the country, no I do not expect to be paid. ;)</p>

<p>Financial aid does cover study abroad at my school, but not the $300 fee that is requested upfront with the application. I was laid off my last job and am having a hard time finding another, so paying for this out of pocket is a little tricky.</p>

<p>I don’t seem to qualify for the Fulbright as I am not a grad student or professional? Good idea, however.</p>

5

<p>Another option is to contact a professor who is researching an area that you are interested in and see if he needs a field assistant or help over the summer. Students in Anthropology and Field Biology do this all the time.</p>

6

<p>You might also be able to volunteer/intern with a world music ensemble or world music library (such as at Wesleyan.) Just contact them and ask if they have any positions. Although I suspect most will be unpaid. If you’re in the summer between junior and senior year, many universities will provide some financial support for unpaid internships with non-profits.</p>

7

<p>Thank you all kindly, you’ve given me some good ideas!</p>

8

<p>I think this is a very interesting thread and issue, and will be curious to hear even more from other posters.</p>

<p>Since this is a field far more about academia than the performance and composition topics that are generally talked about here on CC (fair enough, since CC is mostly geared towards undergraduate studies anyways), and there are a lot of discussions on productive summer activities, but not a lot of people are in the boat of ethno.</p>

<p>I gather that since you are a a year and a half away from starting your grad program applications, your focuses must be on your application dossier. I can say with certainty that the most important factors will be your writing sample (to determine your writing ability) followed by personal statement (to determine your research fit) and letters of reference. GPA and GRE of course, are part of the deal as well, but you already obviously know that. Work experience/internship/volunteering and other such extracurricular activity are not terribly important considerations for PhD programs more so than what you get out of them can affect your writing.</p>

<p>Academics love the summers. It is time for them to do their research, writing, and reading without the bureaucracies and mundane things (grading, lecturing, lesson planning, assignments, etc) of being a professor or a graduate student dictating day-to-day life. Perhaps you might want to spend this summer reading up all the articles on all the recent years’ back issues of the SEM journal, to keep abreast of the latest activities and developments in the field. If you are currently at a university, I’m sure you can access them. Also, I don’t know if SEM publishes any of its conference proceedings anywhere, but if so, then it’d be a great idea to read them as well. Maybe you can start saving up to make a trip to Indianapolis next year for the conference, or Pittsburgh the year after? Those are always good opportunities to schedule in some meetings with faculty members at the potential schools where you want to apply.</p>

<p>By the end of junior year, definitely have a research area somewhat solidified enough to articulate in your application, and have relevant scholarship experience to back that up. That probably means having written a substantial term paper or some ready chunks of any undergraduate thesis project. Therefore, going into junior year, have plans of what classes to take, and what essays you want to write, and which professors to study with. I think having the examples of scholarship will be far stronger than “resume activities” - e.g., if you want to study, say Gamelan music for your PhD, then writing a strong paper discussing Southeast Asian music will be your ticket to admission, not the fact that you’ve participated in a summer Gamelan camp and you’ve become a terrific performer on those instruments (not that the latter wouldn’t be of help, of course).</p>