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Ethnomusicology

Students interested in the study of music in its cultural context, and with interests in vernacular or non-western music, may pursue training in ethnomusicology through several different degree options at the University of Arizona. For undergraduates, the Bachelors of Arts in Music, the Bachelor of Arts in Fine Arts, or the Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (Culture Track) are the most common choices. On the graduate level, students may earn a Master of Music in Musicology with a concentration in ethnomusicology, or a Doctor of Musical Arts with a minor in ethnomusicology. At all levels, students majoring in other disciplines, such as Religious studies or Anthropology have also added ethnomusicology as a minor area or a significant component of their curricular plans.

Courses in the School of Music include: Music in World Cultures, Rock and American Popular Music, Mexican Music, Studies in Latin American Music, Seminar on Publishing and the Music Industry, Recording Techniques, Independent Study in Fieldwork, Independent Study in Area Research, Graduate Seminar in the Theory and Method of Ethnomusicology, Thesis or Dissertation Research. Students have access to the comprehensive research resources of University of Arizona, including the Fine Arts Libratory, the Southwest Archives, the Arizona State Museum and the School of Music Library Collection. Performance ensembles offer experience in non-western music making, including: UASteel - our steel band, and the World Music Gang - a West African drum ensemble. Curricular partnership with the Honor's College, the Center for Latin American Studies, the Center for Middle Eastern Studies, Africana Studies, International Studies, and the Department of Anthropology has provided ethnomusicology students with scholarships, travel fellowships (funding for fieldwork in Spain, Ghana, Brazil, Israel, etc.) as well as visiting lecturers and classroom instruction in theoretical, methodological, area, and language studies.

Awards received by students in ethnomusicology include Medici Scholarships, the McNair Fellowship, the Library of Congress Folk Arts internship, the Fulbright Fellowship, and the Smithsonian Latino Studies Fellowship. Students have presented their research at regional, national and international professional meetings, including for the Society for Ethnomusicology and the International Council for Traditional Music. Several of our graduates have earned full scholarships to Ph.D. programs in ethnomusicology, including UCLA, Columbia University, and Indiana University.

For additional information, contact Dr. Janet Sturman, ethnomusicology coordinator, at 520-621-1255, or This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Ethnomusicology Faculty and Staff