Call for Papers: The Past, Present, and Future of Public Musicology

The Public Musicology Blog

The Past, Present, and Future of Public Musicology
Westminster Choir College of Rider University
Princeton, NJ
January 30 – February 1, 2015

Proposal Deadline: September 1, 2014

To further research on how music scholars, performers, educators, journalists and industry professionals can engage the public, Westminster Choir College of Rider University in Princeton, New Jersey will host a three-day conference on public musicology from January 30 to February 1, 2015.  We welcome individual paper, lecture-recital, panel, workshop and innovative-format proposals on any aspect of public musicology.  These include but are not limited to the following areas:

• Innovative Programming
• The History of Public Musicology
• Music and Museums
• Musical Archives and the Public
• Music, Collective Memory, and Historical Interpretation
• The Material Culture of Music
• Musical Tourism
• The Relationship Between Academic Musicology and Public Musicology
• Music and Historical Preservation
• Public Musicology vs. Public History and Public Science

Proposals for individual papers, workshops, and innovative-format…

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Coming to America and Touching Hearts

I was not able to return to McCaffrey’s to see Arturo play because he was no longer there. I was glad I got his card on my first visit. I pursued an interview with him to talk about the venue, performing there and his life as a musician. I found out other things about Arturo that I did not know before.

Arturo Romay is from Venezuela and came to the United States in 1990. He started playing the guitar at 20 years old. He is a self-taught musician. Arturo just picked up the guitar and learned it himself. He never went to school for music and played by ear, a talent that not many people possess. When he came to America he decided to work in different places and then proceeded to make his first CD and business card. This then prompted him to start playing in different venues around Princeton (i.e. restaurants, parties, hotels, festivals etc.) and other areas of the nation and world, like Madison Square Garden, Cruise ships and Lincoln Center. He is a member of the Latin Grammy Recording Academy and can vote on who gets nominated. He is responsible for distinguishing what genre of music a song is classified under. Arturo has four CDs to date and is in the midst of working on his fifth CD.

When talking more specifically about venues and the many places he performed, I asked where his favorite place was to perform. He said he just enjoys playing from his heart. He plays with the same passion for one person or thousands of people. Arturo said it is always nice to play for a club setting or somewhere with nice acoustics, but in the end it does not matter for him because it is all about the joy of performing. If he needs to make adjustments on his amplifier to make his sound a little louder, he will do it. He would love to play in big theatres all the time, but in reality it does not always happen, so he has to do whatever he has to do to make it in this industry.

When I asked him about his experience at McCaffrey’s he said that they called him asking for him to perform at the Princeton venue. He played on Saturdays and he said that the people loved it, as did I. People could shop and listen to the music. It was a very pleasant experience. This type of venue was very different from where he performed in the past. He jokingly said, “I was in front of the bakery…so yeah it was different! People would try the bread and it was kind of cool because they would eat and not expect a musician to be playing in a supermarket.” I enjoyed this perspective of his because a musician could easily think of it as sort of demoting to not be front and center, or have themselves acknowledged in some way, but he was purely there to entertain, regardless of what was going on around him.

One big difference in the audience was that the overall population of shoppers at McCaffrey’s tend to be wealthier, so he would get tips for just playing in the supermarket. At other venues in different areas, he did not make as much tip and did not sell CDs. However, the way he touched his audience remained the same. Arturo made people smile, from children to older folk. He said he would see people shopping with very serious faces and then when they noticed the music, their expressions changed and they were happy. Just by playing he touched people’s hearts and made them feel good, and in return he felt blessed.

 

Bacon-Wrapped…Bruno Mars?

I was super pumped for my second “research” visit to Mediterra. I knew what to expect, I was excited for the food, and couldn’t wait to jam to the music. This time I brought a few more friends. I couldn’t have kept the $2 Tapas a secret if I tried…

With a larger group, we opted for a table in the Taverna section. I was a bit further away from the band this time. We got there around 9:30 and there was no music playing. Remembering the annoyingly long breaks the band took last time, I knew that there was no need to freak out.

We ordered wine, and took a few minutes to decide on some tapas. The crowd seemed a bit older this time, but still with varied age groups and types of people in the Taverna. The noise level was slightly louder too. Maybe the Thursday night crowd was just a little rowdier than the Tuesday group…

Finally, the music started playing as we were ordering tapas for the table. I looked over, expecting to see my favorite flutist, and noticed that these were not the same three men. I was disappointed at first, until they started playing a Latin-flavored Bruno Mars song. Some of the people in the bar were singing along, including some of the Westminster students that were at my table, because there is sadly just no such thing as too much singing for many of them…

This different and unexpected type of music made for an entirely different experience of the Taverna. It was more of a “sing along and drink” atmosphere than the “eat these delicious tapas and listen to the Jazz flutist do his thing” vibe that I got from the Tuesday night crowd.

I noticed that there were less people ordering food and more ordering drinks than on Tuesday. There was even a couple dancing. They even closed the kitchen around ten on Thursday when it was open until at least ten thirty on Tuesday. It became clear that the Thursday night experience is a different one from Tuesday night. But I wonder if it’s on purpose…

Is Mediterra trying to bring in a different crowd between the two Latin Jazz nights, or did it just happened to work out this way? Both nights give the customer an experience or a night out, rather than just dinner, but the experiences themselves are not the same by any means. Further, it seems like the dining room section of Mediterra is marketing itself differently from the Taverna as a whole. I wonder if there is a reason for this change in Mediterra’s identity from one section to the other.

I think that I will try and interview an employee, or preferably someone in charge of the restaurant to see what the deal is here. I’ll have to keep these things in mind until I find the right person to interview.

Patio Performances at the Alchemist and Barrister: Part One

I’ve been employed by The Alchemist & Barrister for almost a year, but it took me until just this past Thursday to experience their music scene.  Apparently it just so happens that I seem to work on all the nights that there isn’t live music…so I did not know what I was missing out on!

My first visit was on Thursday, April 3rd.  I arrived at approximately 10:00 PM, and the band was setting up (testing sound, moving things, etc).  I took a seat at one of the tables in the covered patio, where the band was going to be.  As I looked around, I saw that 6 out of the 12 tables in the patio were being occupied by customers.  The bar had much more activity, and I wondered if people in the bar area could hear the music as well.  The crowd in the patio was on average, mid-20s-30s.  It seemed like mostly  groups of friends, a few dates here and there.  Most of the tables only had alcohol on their tables.  Perhaps they had finished dinner and were enjoying each other’s company over one more beer before heading back out into the rain.  Or, maybe they solely came for drinks…or to hear the band!  Who knows.

The band looks about ready to start at just around quarter after.  This band is comprised of two men, both middle-aged.  One has an electric guitar, and the other is sporting an electric bass.  There are two microphones.  I heard a harmonica…but it didn’t make an appearance during the set (at least while I was there).  The band begins without announcing who they are or interacting with the guests at all.  As the music starts, I notice that each song is primarily guitar/bass with a few vocals here and there.  The songs I heard were all covers.  I would classify the genre as “soft rock” but they also played country hits like “Margaritaville.”

The band members seemed very “into” what they were doing.  You  could tell that they really enjoyed playing and singing and were in the zone.  From a customer point of view, their presence was not distracting — to me at least.  The other customers seemed to go about their conversations, laughing and talking.  They didn’t seem affected by the music in anyway.  It’s as if the customers are characters in a movie and the background music isn’t actually playing in real life, but it’s heard by the movie watchers….

After leaving, I wondered if the crowd would have been bigger if the weather was nicer…or if the people at the bar were enjoying the music (or could even hear it..)  I decided that on my next visit I would sit at the bar and hopefully answer that question.

Composers are Interesting People

I had a really fun time doing some oral history interviews on the student composers of the American Art Song Festival. I gotta admit, I was a little nervous going into this whole thing because I’ve never really held interviews for anything before and had no idea how it was gonna work out. I kinda felt like I was being thrown in the pool to learn how to swim. Anyway, the three composers I interviewed were Cortlandt Matthews, Patrick Dunnevant, and Ian Good. Cortlandt’s an undergrad who isn’t even a composition major. He’s studying sacred music and composes for fun on the side. The others are both graduate comp majors. I think getting to interview three different people was pretty neat, because each had different previous experiences and each had different styles of composing.

I went into the interviews having a good idea of the way I wanted them to go. My goal was to gain some insight on their academic background and their composition experiences, and then to work my way into their compositions for the song fest. One of the things I asked which I thought was obvious is what they were studying in school. This is how I found out Cortlandt was actually a sacred music major, which is sad on my part- I didn’t know that after being in his class the past 4 years 😦 I didn’t realize how much arranging and composing Patrick and Ian did outside of school, especially for other groups other than the ones here on campus. I also learned that Patrick has a great interest in conducting, which he’s doing as much now, if not more, than composing. This was particularly interesting to hear because I ended up going to Patrick’s grad composition recital soon after our interview and in addition to hearing a wide variety of his works, I got to see him conduct all of his own choral arrangements. I hope to make it to Ian’s recital too! (I think the two of them are the entire second-year graduate composition class, lol)

Once I got to talking to each composer about their songs for the festival, I started asking questions that I had no idea what their answers might be. This is when I realized how interesting and creative composers are. For example, Cortlandt explained to me that the inspiration for writing his “Two Love Songs” was an E.E. Cummings poem. He originally wrote the second song to this text. When I asked why he wrote two songs, his answer was simple: The first song he wrote was short and he wanted to make it longer, so he wrote another one and plans to write a third as well to make it more substantial. I asked Patrick why he wrote his song for tenor, expecting some crazy compositional reason. His answer, “I don’t really have an interesting answer for that.” This was funny to me after hearing about all the specific reasons he set the music to paint the text the way he did. I guess in the back of my head, I was expecting everything to have some sort of logic behind it. I was going to ask Ian the same question: why did he set his score for soprano? I learned that not only did he do it because he had a specific soprano in mind to perform it, but much of the compositional technique involved revolved around what this voice was able to do as opposed to strictly painting the text as in Patrick’s piece.

I could go on forever about all the interesting things I learned about how these guys went about composing their songs–like how Ian’s accompaniment was based off of pieces of recorded improv–but I’ll maybe save that for another time. Next time you’re hanging out with a composer, start asking them lots of questions about their process, and you’ll see for yourself just how interesting composers are.

Some Strumming & Some Shopping!

It is my second time round doing field work on music venues at McCaffrey’s Super Market in Princeton Shopping Center. As I said before, it is not a typical location for live music to take place, so I decided to blend in with my surrounding and go grocery shopping in conjunction with listening to more music. Arturo Romay performed once again on the guitar. I went on another Saturday morning from 11:30 AM to 12:30PM in the bakery section. The area where he performed was lit the same way as last week. The vibe did not really change in any special way to compliment the performer.

His set up consisted of the same single amp and a chair for him to sit on. Once again, an iPod was used to provide the rest of the instruments. I did not lean on the hot food counter like last time. I did not want to feel awkward or out of place. The music was pretty much the same. You could tell there was Latin rhythm and flare to it.

Instead of staying in one place like last time I decided to shop, stop and watch, and then shop again. I repeated this multiple times. It was pleasant background music to shop to and sort of calmed me down when going about my list. I noticed other people’s reactions when they went about their shopping. Some would shop to the speed of the music. Others would tap their hand or foot against the cart. I found myself being caught in the rhythm as well. Last time he seemed to be part of the background when I acknowledged him from one spot, but when I shopped, his presence became more known. Those acknowledging the music without seeing him were people of all ages, but when I went to see him and watch, it was the same middle-aged women stopping to give him a tip or a smile.

I was supposed to sing with him, but this did not happen because we could not find a song in common. I also had to run errands and was not able to stick around too long. When I stopped in front of him again, I asked another woman who stopped what she thought of him. She thought he was great, but wished there were chairs so she could sit and enjoy him for a little bit rather than standing. It almost felt as if you were limited in time to watch him because of the venue. Last time my feet got so tired from standing. I needed a little break! At least I could lean on a shopping cart if I wanted to this time around.

Once again, the music was all instrumental guitar with a beat. The tempo was a little faster today, and then he decided to slow it down a few times. I found that he grabbed more attention when playing songs with a faster tempo. It really got me into the shopping zone. I almost felt myself slowing down with the tempo when it was a slower song. Nevertheless, the music still had a morning punch to it because of its bright timbre and his funky noodling of the guitar. He had a stack of CDs out and cards again, which people did acknowledge. A few people did stop to take some photos, but not as many as my first trip. It seemed to be this way because it was a much busier day at McCaffrey’s.

 

Interviewing Helen Kemp

In going to my second oral history review, I again was unsure what to expect. The interview was being held at Helen Kemp’s house, a place I had never been before. I had no idea what my surroundings were going to be, if the lighting would be okay, if there would be enough room where she wanted to interview for both of us and the camera, and about a billion other, many of them, silly, worries and concerns.

However, what I found, was nothing problematic at all. Helen Kemp was a delightful person to work with, and she was super prepared for me to come, she had a plan for where we could do it, she just needed help rotating the arm chair she wanted to sit in (understandable at 96 years of age). She was warm and friendly and ready to get started right away. It was a delightful hour.

I had met her briefly before in the past, but getting to spend so much more time with her was amazing, she is such a wealth of information and knowledge, she has done practically everything, she played basketball in high school (and was the captain), attended Westminster Choir College where she later worked, she founded an organization aimed at creating music for children’s choirs, and my personal favorite was part of a Westminster Choir that not only got to record for the Disney Movie for Fantasia, but also go to eat at his house! I was blown away by the multitude of things she had accomplished in her life, and she was so full in her explanations that it made finding new questions and discussing other topics just seem to flow.

Unlike my first interview where I felt confined to a topic, I felt with the freedom came an ability to go off and discover new avenues of conversation that might not have been part of my prepared topics, all while staying within a flow instead of hoping around (although we did a bit of that, as sometimes she would reference 2-3 things I wanted to talk about in one answer and I would have to hop back to that answer to spring board into the next topic.

When all was said and the taping was done, I found that the hour had simply flown by (and I had almost made her really late for dinner! Although she did not seem to mind). I am sure we could have spend several more hours delving into all of the amazing things she has done, and all of the people whose lives she has touched across the nation. The best part for me is that even today she is in contact with people helping them out, and giving suggestions through email and Facebook.

Let’s be real, it’s all about the Bacon-Wrapped Dates…

Mediterra’s Taverna (http://www.mediterrarestaurant.com/mediterra_photo_gallery)

Mediterra is known to be one of the best restaurants in Princeton. I was super excited to use it as my venue for the Music in Princeton fieldwork project when I found out they had Latin Jazz on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was all set to go and eat paella and drink sangria while I did my “research,” when I decided to look at the menu online before I left. What did I find? $2 Tapas. No, you did not misread that. I’m talking about bacon-wrapped dates for just TWO LITTLE DOLLARS. Screw the paella!

So I rounded up a few friends and we headed out to Mediterra around 9 on a Tuesday night. When we got there, the restaurant wasn’t particularly busy, but wasn’t empty either. The Taverna, (…also know as Mediterra’s bar section. Could they just call it the bar? Sure, but it’s so much more fun to be exotic and dangerous!) however, was PACKED. I went with two other people, and we awkwardly stood for at least five minutes trying to find a group that was leaving so we could sit together. Luckily we were able to pounce on a group of three stools together at the bar. I was excited for the food. Also for the music, but mostly for the bacon-wrapped dates.

We sat and it got even better. They had wine specials too! Spanish wine! No wonder it was so crowded in the Taverna! We ordered some wine and several tapas to share and the wait began. Then I remembered why I was even there in the first place…

Oh yeah, the Latin Jazz band! Wait, where are they? The hostess on the phone earlier said they usually start around 8 or 8:30. *Looks at watch* It’s after nine. Hmm. *Looks around* Oh, well I see some instruments over by the wine. Maybe they’re on a little break or something.

Nearly fifteen minutes go by and I see a group of three men go back up to the wine wall. I reassure myself that it must be the band. Almost instantaneously, our tapas are served to us. Victory on all fronts! A glass of Spanish Red, Falafel, bacon-wrapped dates, and empanadas… This girl was content.

The band started playing and it was groovy. It was the most perfect accompaniment for the food we had just begun to enjoy. The music sounded like traditional Spanish music, although I was not very familiar with this type of music. It was just loud enough where we could focus on the music if we chose to, but could easily have a conversation over the music as well. The band featured a drummer, a guitar player, and…wait, is that a flute?

The flute player started to play and he was fantastic! (Not to mention handsome ;]) It was all improvisation. The whole Taverna listened as he laid it down. It was exciting and different! When he was done playing, he received a lot of well-deserved applause. The rest of the band continued and the drummer and flute player joined in with some singing (in Spanish, of course). Who knew they could sing too! I was more and more impressed as they played on.

Little did I know, they wouldn’t play on for very much longer. They took another long break (exactly 30 minutes), and then continued with only one more set. Less people had stuck around for this set, but the crowd that remained was entertained and engaged. I found it very strange that they played for such little time.

It was obvious that the people in the Taverna were there primarily for the food (hello, bacon-wrapped dates for two bucks!) and drink, but it was also obvious that the Latin Jazz enhanced their experience. The music didn’t annoy a single person in the Taverna, and most of the crowd was bobbing their heads or tapping their feet to the music. One couple seated close to the band actually turned their bar stools around to face the band. No dancing, though. I guess there just wasn’t a place for it even if the diners were so inclined.

So, my first fieldwork experience was a smashing success. I was left looking forward to my next trip to Mediterra for some more bacon-wrapped “research.”

Adventure #1: Questionable Belting and Lessons in Karaoke Etiquette

For my first adventure to the good old Ivy Inn, I chose to attend one of my favorite events offered by the establishment: karaoke night. The Ivy offers Karaoke night every Wednesday and Thursday, and seems to draw a pretty regular crowd of locals who enjoy belting and imbibing (myself included). The set up of the karaoke bar is intimate. The small stage is positioned directly across from the bar, allowing potential singers easy access to the liquid courage they so desire. The atmosphere was just as festive and slightly frenzied as ever, although this particular evening seemed slightly less attended than many of the other nights I’ve been to karaoke.

The evening’s participants were diverse, both in levels of talent and intoxication. The song choice seemed to align with the singer’s age, with the younger singers usually sticking to top 20 hits from the past few years (and the requisite throwback hits from the ’90s), and the older singers sticking to pop and classic rock hits from their respective youths.

What I found most interesting about this evening was the clear divide in the group of karaoke participants into two groups: Westminster students and non-Westminster students. The Divy, which at this time is Princeton’s only true bar, resides within spitting distance of Princeton’s own classical music establishment, Westminster Choir College. Although the non-Westminster singers varied in talent, song choice, and ability to stand up straight, they all seemed to have one thing in common: an air of nonchalance about their performance. Even the non-Westminster singers who seemed nervous were able to laugh off their nerves with a laugh to a friend and another swig of beer. The Westminster singers, on the other hand, were clearly “performing.” As each of them left the stage, they went immediately into their group of Westminster friends, and could often be overheard asking for feedback and casually brushing off compliments.

As I continue to do this fieldwork (which thankfully includes the occasional beer, because obviously I have to blend in with the crowd…), I’ll be interested to observe more of the interaction between the performers and the crowd, and the performers and each other. I have a feeling the same divide between Westminster and non-Westminster singers will continue to develop.

And the Dessert Takes 25 Minutes to Prepare…

Just to give you an idea of what kind of place Salt Creek Grille is…

The average dinner item is about $25, all the drinks are around $12, and the special dessert takes 25 minutes to prepare.

Maybe this is your typical night out… but my wallet is usually more suited for Wendy’s. Ya feel me?

The restaurant itself is beautiful. From the parking lot you can see that the restaurant is surrounded by cozy fireside couches. This outdoor seating must be luxurious in the warmer months, but as it was quite cold in mid-March, we opted to sit inside. The large, high-ceiling space is divided in two by the bar. Closer to the entrance is bar seating, and high table fitting snug in the smaller space. Just beyond the bar seating is a fire place and comfortable chairs providing a great view of the live band. Tonight the music of Mikey Jr. fills the room. Behind the bar the room opens up into a large dining area where I sat.

From across the restaurant the music was pretty loud but the sound fit the setting very well. The lead singer (who also played harmonica) led his band (bass guitar, upright bass, and drums) in a performance of originals and covers. Even from where I sat I felt the groove and loved listening to their music.

I went to get a closer look over by the fireplace and was surprised to see that aside from one drunk guy, no one else was really paying attention. The bar tables were full of preoccupied diners. They chatted, ate, and drank, but rarely did anyone tap a toe, bop their head, or glance over at the band. The band had a jazzy sound with a bit of a country flare. The music was loud but well balanced, and the genre was well-suited for the wide range of customers.

While the band took a break we went up and had a word with the lead singer. Based on his speech and mannerisms it was pretty clear… he was more than tipsy. He was selling CDs and gave us his card. He urged us to visit his website and sign up for his email list. Even a little drunk he was a businessman. After sitting and listening to the band for a while, our 25 minute dessert was ready.

I enjoyed listening the band. I thought it was well-suited for the restaurant but I was really surprised that none of the other patrons seemed to be actively listening. I think next time I’ll sit by the bar and get a feel for what that section is like.