SoundLore: Folklore & Ethnomusicology

IU PhD Candidate Jeremy Reed shares his fieldwork experience researching how music festivals in Jordan act as a metaphor for trajectories in contemporary Jordanian history. His path to this research began in 2013 and continues through 2021, despite a changing research focus that began with an interest in alternative Arab music. Jeremy mixes stories from his fieldwork with insights into fieldwork methods, emphasizing real-time sensory data as supplement to audio/video recordings and notes. Recognizing the solitary nature of writing a dissertation, Jeremy reflects on the importance of maintaining community and confidence throughout the process.

Music: CORONAWAVE by Pagliacci and Some Other Klowns (Suyash Kumar Neupane, Ben Danner, Kurt Baer)

Dr. David McDonald speaks with the Executive Directors of the American Folklore Society and Society for Ethnomusicology, Dr. Jessica Turner and Dr. Stephen Stuempfle. Dr. Turner and Dr. Stuempfle provide a behind-the-scenes look at academic organizations' responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. They recall the impact that COVID-19 has had on academic conferences, how they adapted, the unexpected benefits of virtual conferences, and how these technologic and virtual adaptations might impact the future of academic conferences.

Dr. Julianne Graper speaks about her multispecies research and how she came to study the bats with musical scene of Austin, Texas. We discuss how she recorded bats for her field research, and how bat sounds and images are used in sound studies and tourism, as well as the impact of this research and bat festivals on bat colonies. Dr. Graper shares her belief that what we observe in the field should shape the theory we use to understand and discuss it, and shares some of her own stories from field research. The Colloquium/DERT lecture with Dr. Graper that precedes this conversation can be found on the IU Folklore and Ethnomusicology Youtube.

Music: CORONAWAVE by Pagliacci and Some Other Klowns (Suyash Kumar Neupane, Ben Danner, Kurt Baer)

Dr. González-Martin listens to the stories of mothers and daughters, of grandmothers and aunts, as narratives of community. She shares her thoughts and memories on the quinceañeras of diasporic Latinx communities in the United States, situating them not only as cultural traditions, but as social engagement within and beyond the culture. Dr. González-Martin explores the importance of sharing community stories through creative cultural form, the memories associated with them, and how trauma and healing are intertwined with these cultural forms.

Music: CORONAWAVE by Pagliacci and Some Other Klowns (Suyash Kumar Neupane, Ben Danner, Kurt Baer)

IU Assistant Professor Dr. Alisha Lola Jones and IU Professor emerita Dr. Portia Maultsby discuss the history of Black music research, and the importance of oral tradition and pedagogy to this research. Dr. Maultsby reflects on her path to IU, and in particular, the history of the IU Soul Revue (which she founded and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary). She also shares her ongoing collaborations with Carnegie Hall and the National Museum of African American Music. Continued from Part 1.

Music: CORONAWAVE by Pagliacci and Some Other Klowns (Suyash Kumar Neupane, Ben Danner, Kurt Baer)

IU Assistant Professor Dr. Alisha Lola Jones and IU Professor emerita Dr. Portia Maultsby discuss the history of Black music research, and the importance of oral tradition and pedagogy to this research. Dr. Maultsby reflects on her path to IU, and in particular, the history of the IU Soul Revue (which she founded and is now celebrating its 50th anniversary). She also shares her ongoing collaborations with Carnegie Hall and the National Museum of African American Music.

Music: CORONAWAVE by Pagliacci and Some Other Klowns (Suyash Kumar Neupane, Ben Danner, Kurt Baer)

Have you ever considered how children's games and perceptual illusions are shared, or wondered how they work? Dr. Brandon Barker and Dr. Claiborne Rice explore folk illusions, blending folklore with cognitive science and conceptual blending theory. The illusions include "The Chills," "The Coat Hanger Bell," and "Floating Arms." Ben Danner extends the conversation to ASMR and auditory perceptual illusions that evoke sensory responses.

Music: CORONAWAVE by Pagliacci and Some Other Klowns (Suyash Kumar Neupane, Ben Danner, Kurt Baer)

Dr. Jon Kay and Ph.D. Candidate Lydia Campbell-Maher discuss Dr. Kay's research for his book "The Expressive Lives of Elders" and his findings on "how traditional arts keep us from being isolated and alone." Dr. Kay shares how his career as a folklorist led him to research creative aging and folkloristic gerontology. They also discuss Traditional Arts Indiana's recent publication, "Memory, Art, and Aging: A Resource & Activity Guide," and stories of the people they worked with to produce this guide.

Music: CORONAWAVE by Pagliacci and Some Other Klowns (Suyash Kumar Neupane, Ben Danner, Kurt Baer)

Dr. Solimar Otero and Amelia Lopez discuss "Archives of Conjure: Stories of the Dead in Afrolatinx Cultures," Dr. Otero's recent publication. The conversation ranges from Dr. Otero's experiences exploring the archives in her ethnographic practice to the reciprocal ethnography that are a fundamental part of the book's creation. Dr. Otero describes how she intertwines ethnographic practice with literature, ethnomusicology, and folklore in order to understand the impact that ancestors, women, and LGBTQ+ communities have on Afrolatinx religious practices.

Dr. Alisha Lola Jones and Dr. Kyle Adams converse about 'Flaming? The Peculiar Theopolitics of Fire and Desire in Black Male Gospel Performance.' Dr. Jones's recent book draws from multiple disciplines including ethnomusicology, gender studies, music performance, and sexuality. In this episode she discusses the experiences and observances that led her to research blackness and gender expression through black male gospel performance. We hear about gender roles, challenges of and to queerness, and how slavery and the black experience in America relate to black Pentecostal church experiences.

Music: CORONAWAVE by Pagliacci and Some Other Klowns (Suyash Kumar Neupane, Ben Danner, Kurt Baer)