Tag Archives: music

project, fieldsite

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posted by Paul

Background

When you listen to music, especially jazz, you become emerged in a complex and layered communication. My primary focus is going to decipher the language of jazz. I may go about this in a few ways. First, I’m going to compare learning to play jazz to language acquisition. This involves interviewing musicians about their experiences in learning, exploring questions like innate vs. learned ability, proficiency, and fluency. I’m also going to look at the different styles of jazz (there are many being played in Charleston) as different dialects or accents within the language. Jazz is an inherently eclectic music, and it would be interesting to sift out some of the cultural underpinnings of jazz performers and their preferred style of jazz. Also, what are the musicians expressing or attempting to express through their music? What does this say about the jazz culture and spirit, and do they feel their communication is effective or that their language is adequate?

Additionally, I’d at the language and of jazz on a more tangible level. This includes analyzing communication of jazz musicians, both amongst each other and between the audience, examining proxemics, inaudible communication, and the influence of the jam space.

Lastly, it would be interesting to see how the jazz language has coped with technological change. The creation of new ‘words’ aka new musical concepts, techniques, and abilities could be examined. Has jazz lost its heritage or has it redefined itself to stay relevant in a world of unthinkable technological advancement?

Some sample interview questions

  • Was learning to play jazz a conscious experience?
  • When did you first see yourself as a jazz musician?
  • How much of playing jazz is do you feel is imitation/emulation and how much is original?
  • To what extent is learning to play jazz a developmental process?
  • How important is the audience to your performance?
  • What is your ideal venue? Audience?
  • What are you trying to achieve through your music?
  • Who are you trying to reach?

(I’m open to ideas and suggestions)

Fieldsite Selection

My participant-observation field site for the semester is a bar and music venue called Voodoo in West Ashley. Although it is known for hosting a variety of music, it is known for its unique atmosphere and is a good spot to experience a more raw and improvisational style of jazz.

The setting is ideal for my research. It is only a short drive away, and I have reliable transportation so it should not be a problem. Jazz is played on the weekends, which are open for me this semester. The venue is comfortable and has good ambiance. From my first few visits, I can tell it is a popular spot and draws a diverse crowd. Anyone from college students, young professionals, and older people pack in to hear the tunes. The venue is interesting in that it is divided in two, with an area for the music and the bar on the other side. The contrast is funny, as atmosphere is so much different on either side of the wall.

The demographic mixture of the people to me is a good sign. I’m looking at this as an opportunity to get different viewpoints, perspectives, and opinions in my interviews. At the same time it is slightly intimidating approaching people I across racial or generational gaps especially if I do not know them. However, I’m sure this will get easier as time goes on and I get more comfortable in the field. I don’t think I will have any problem psychologically accessing the venue and its people. Jazz is played on Saturday nights, which seems to be a well known fact to even casual observers of the Charleston music scene. Like many venues around the city, they have their designated night for jazz, featuring different bands and styles from week to week.

Conducting field work should be pretty viable in this setting. There is a good amount of seating, open space, and room to move about and set up and relocate if necessary. I think this is definitely possible to carry out in an unobtrusive manner. Conducting interviews with the musicians may initially difficult, as they have their priorities. Nonetheless, video, picture taking, and interviews should be fine. Participant observation is one thing I would absolutely love to engage in. Just being in attendance and listening and reacting to the music is participant observation in a sense. However, I would actually like to play or simply jam with some jazz musicians. I have been playing guitar and bass guitar for the better part of a decade, and I think it would be a learning experience to engage in jazz culture. This too can be intimidating because these musicians are so skilled and talented.

In terms of gaining entrée and special access to the music world, I have spoke with several people. A few students in our class have been kind enough to hook me up with their friends through the college that play throughout the city. I’ve also talked with half a dozen or so owners of restaurants/bars that host jazz. I’ve explained my project and they seem interested and willing to help. I’ve also met a few avid jazz fans at Voodoo, who gave me some great insight into the Charleston jazz scene and just jazz as a whole. These folks may prove to be my most valuable and reliable source of information.

Note: there are literally dozens of venues in Charleston and surrounding areas that host jazz. Astoundingly, I have yet to find one place dedicated to exclusively playing jazz. Also, due to the number of places and scheduling of the music, I have not made it to every venue. This should be accomplished in about a week’s time. I’ve heard people raving about this club or that club, so it should be interesting to if I can find that one amazing place that is even better than Voodoo in terms of music, vibe, and accommodation.

If anyone knows of any cool venues or has connections in the Charleston jazz world please let me know, it would be greatly appreciated. Also, if anyone has any suggestions or ideas regarding my project I’m welcoming any and all feedback

Religious Muisc Research Proposal

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In my research, I intend to work with three non-Christian religious institutions to discover the role of musical performance in each institution during regular services. My intended locations of research are the Charleston Tibetan Society, Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue, and the Central Mosque of Charleston. Through this research, I expect to evaluate the similarities and differences of the sacred music performed by these three institutions in the context of Charleston.
My choice of topic is mostly due to my recently declared minor in Religious Studies.  I feel I will personally benefit from the research by earning an inside perspective to Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam in Charleston. As a participant observer, I am excited to be able to potentially learn chants and songs from the institutions.  Conducting the interviews should also be a fascinating experience, as I am certain to learn a great deal of information from attending and from the respondents.
Since I was brought up in the Christian community, branching out into other religious institutions is an entirely new experience for me.  Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam are minority religions in Charleston, so I am incredibly interested to meet those who attend regularly. I feel that what I will be able to learn from my research will provide me with a broader perspective and greater understanding of the Charleston religious community.
The three of my sites seem to be easily accessible. All are within walking distance to my current residence and are all open to the public. The only restrictions I expect to encounter will be based on scheduling conflicts, since services are only held at certain hours. I will generally only be able to attend each one once a week, but hopefully this will not hinder my research drastically.
I expect to be able to utilize a variety of types of fieldwork. I would like to incorporate video, interviews, participant observation, unobtrusive observation and fieldnote-taking into my research. I am concerned that my desire to film will seem intrusive, but hopefully I will be able to receive permission. The items listed in my bibliography will be used to provide direction and structure to my fieldwork.
In the past I have been able to visit the Charleston Tibetan Society and the Central Mosque, and based on those few experiences I believe gaining entrée is feasible. When I last visited the CTS, I spoke with a man who seemed to be a regular attendant and provided me with some insight to the institution.  I was unable to speak with the teacher, Geshe Topgyal, but hopefully he will become more available at another time.
My research goals may prove to be somewhat difficult, but I am sure that my intention to learn more about the role of sacred music will be no less than fascinating. Without drawing prior conclusions, I am hoping the comparisons will reveal themselves as I delve into research. Though I will be focusing centrally on the role of music, I expect my work over this semester will also be a very enlightening experience in understanding the development of non-Christian religious communities in Charleston.

This will be done in a movie/documentary style.

-Michael

Religious Music

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Posted by: Michael

Ideally my project will consist of a comparative analysis of religious music in Charleston.  If possible I would like to include music from a variety of local religious centers including: Brith Sholom Beth Israel Synagogue, the Dharma Center of the Charleston Tibetan Society, the Central Mosque, and one of the many Christian churches. I’m not limiting myself to these and I am also open to ideas and suggestions if you know of any specific examples of religious music in Charleston.