MACSEM 2008: Program Details

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1) What is the relationship between the MA and the PhD components of your program? Do you have an MA-only option?
2) What background in Western music history and theory is expected of applicants to your program?
3) What is the place of "performance" in your program? I notice you do not offer any lessons or ensembles.
3a) I notice that Columbia is exceptionally strong in Jazz Studies, and Jazz is my musical and /or intellectual focus. Should I apply through the Ethnomusicology program?
4) Do I need to work with a specialist in my area of interest? How closely will I work with faculty members and especially my adviser? Is a small program right for me?
4a) Recent additions to the faculty in ethnomusicology at Columbia.
5) How important are GREs for admission and funding?
6) How important are letters of recommendation for admission and funding?
7) What should I submit as writing samples?
8) What should I say in my personal statement?
9) Should I visit Columbia if I am serious about wanting to join the program?
10) I'm the best candidate you've ever seen. Will I get a fellowship offer?
11) I already have an MA degree. Will I have to repeat the MA requirements and thesis in your program?
12) What about the fellowships? How much teaching is involved?
13) What if I am admitted but not offered a fellowship?
14) Should I apply for outside support even if I expect to be competitive for a fellowship offer at Columbia (or any other university)?
15) I am a member of a recognized minority group. What are Columbia's policies pertaining to graduate admission and funding for minority students? What sources of funding are available for minority students?
16) Are there specific considerations relevant for international students?
17) So what exactly IS your curriculum? What courses do I have to take? What exams? On what schedule? (See the Musicology handbook for additional information.)

Year 1, Fall Semester: 2 required core courses, one elective (9 credits)
Year 1, Spring Semester (9 credits)
Year 2, Fall Semester (typically 6-9 credits)
Year 2, Spring Semester (typically 6-9 credits)
Year 3: The Exam Sequence
Year 4 and Beyond: The Dissertation Proposal, Proposal Defense, Field Research, and Dissertation Writing and Defense

In Conclusion: Matching Your Goals to Our Goals

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AESonline.org is a project of the Center for Ethnomusicology at Columbia University.

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MACSEM 2008 will feature 15 paper presentations, plus a special lunchtime film screening. The complete schedule is below the cut.

Saturday, March 29th
9AM: Opening Remarks from Kay Shelemay

9:30-11:30: Session I

Kelly Best, Memorial University of Newfoundland
Newfoundland and the "Black Atlantic:" "Jim Crow," Minstrelsy, and Christmas Mummering

Kavin Dayanandan Paulraj, University of Pittsburgh
Jamaica Brasileira: Reggae Music in Northeast Brazil

Stephen Mamula, Rhode Island College
Returning From A Void: Musical Regeneration in Cambodia After the Khmer Rouge

Nicole C. Lee, Baruch College
Protesting the Dixie Chicks in 2003: Gender and Politics in Country Music

11:30-12:45: Lunch Break

Screening of Mosuo Song Journey by Diedie Weng
Organized by Nora Yeh, American Folklife Center – Library of Congress

12:45- 1:45: Business Meeting

2-4: Session II

Cheryl A. Tobler, University of Maryland –College Park
Economic Development and Music Tourism: Southwest Virginia’s Success

Miki Kaneda, University of California – Berkeley
We Travel the Spaceways: Improvisation and Narration in the Music of Sun Ra

Elana Milstein, Hunter College
When East meets West: Conga Santiaguera in Contemporary Cuban Society

Patricia S. Vergara, University of Maryland
Sounding Democracy? Brazilian Popular Music and the “Percussion Boom”

4:15- 5:30: Keynote Address

Adelaida Reyes, New Jersey City University
What Do Ethnomusicologists Study? An Old Question for a New Century

5:30-7:30: Dinner Break

7:30: MACSEM 2008 Concert

Featuring Lucia Pulido and Cosmas Magaya, with Paul Berliner

Sunday, March 30th
9AM-11:00: Session I: Children, Media, and Music in the Contemporary US

Tyler Bickford, Columbia University
The Social Economy of Headphone Use in One New England Primary School

Sara L. Snyder, Columbia University
Music and Modesty at an Orthodox Jewish Girls’ Middle School

Jennifer A. Woodruff, Duke University
"Girl, you nasty!”: Policing the Boundaries of Inappropriate Dancing and Immoral Character

Jenny Olivia Johnson, New York University
The “Sweet Trauma” of Sesame Street: A Television Soundtrack to Childhood Sexual Abuse in Late-20th Century America

11:15 - 12:45 – Session II

Katherine Morehouse, University of Maryland
The Singers’ Story: Musicians' Struggle for Place and Power

Nicholas Tochka, Stony Brook University
Korçar Listening: Musical Meaning, Civic Identity, and Debating Taste

Sunmin Yoon, University of Maryland – College Park
Sentiment vs. Technique: Comparative Observation of Rural and Urban Singers in Terms of Aesthetic Pursuits in Music-making