"Pleasure Reading"

Having a self-imposed respite: not reading any scholarship directly related to my main research areas of interest (ie. Native Americans, sheet music, and especially musicological gender studies.) Meaning I have time for "pleasure reading." And hopefully, I'll be getting to those Dickens and Austen books I've been postponing for a while, right now I'm gradually assimilating my reading, getting back into a more leisurely reading framework, with this book. The scholar, Steven Biel, writes in a style that seems very similar to my own writing. And so it is quite relaxing to read scholarship that feels like I wrote it (or helped edit it perhaps). The book is not without its faults, but it does finally give me a book on the Titanic that doesn't tell me what happened (let's hope I'm aware of the facts, after reading about it for 20 years). Biel tells me what it meant in cultural history and how it was interpreted in its day. The following passage was particuarly wonderful:

What emerged in the days after the disaster was a myth--- not because it was false necessarily but because it located a disturbing event within routine structures of understanding. "Myth," as Richard Slotkin has written, "is invoked as a means of deriving usable values from history, and of putting those values beyond the reach of critical demystification. its primary appeal is to ritualized emotions, established beliefs, habitual associations, memory, nostalgia." In the case of the Titanic the myth of first-cabin male heroism appealed to conventional understandings and sentimental notions of gender roles that involved a series of oppositions: strength versus weakness, independence versus dependence; intellect versus emotion; public versus private....Out of the conflicting stories and disparate details came confirmation that the disaster had not disrupted the normal relations between the sexes. (pg 24-5)

Okay, yes, this is still along the framework of my turn of the 20th century gender issues. But the entire book is not all about women. Hence why this is a gradual assimilation back into the idea that I can read something that doesn't necessarily go into a research project the next day.

My Promise to Myself

The era of musical women that I study hasn't gotten nearly the scholarly attention it deserves. In passing articles, chapters, and short books have not done this material justice, in my opinion. Most scholars look to this era as a fun topic to write some short article-- "look at this phenomenon. how neat. moving back to more 'high' 'scholastic' 'deep' musicological topics."

I vow to bring the scholarship to a new level. I vow to create a tome that can help us better understand gender relationships, depictions, and roles in this era (from perhaps as wide a range as 1840-1940).

I'm tired of finding promising titles and abstracts and then being disappointed by the writing. I'm tired of reading either incredibly philosophical works or incredibly banal texts. I want to write something that is accessible and understandable while applying recent feminine* scholarship (*not necessarily feminist). I want something that will cause people to be inspired- to have "light bulb, aha" moments.

And I will do whatever it takes to get there. To get a book published about this material.
If that means foregoing my Native American studies for a while, making this the focus of my dissertation, I don't think that's necessarily a bad thing. I am inspired by and fascinated with this era (especially from around 1880-1930). I am so proud of my master's thesis, and though I'm letting my Etude research "rest" a little bit, I'm dying to dive into this broader topic more. Of Jenny Lind and Cecile Chaminade, Etude's and other musical magazines, the 1893 expo, James Huneker, Charles Dana Gibson, and all the other complicated gender issues that arose in the new industrialized America.


Dear Elissa: I promise one day I will find a way to do justice for these amazing women who are often understood, misrepresented, and forgotten. I promise to read voraciously and become as much of an expert as I possibly can.

a word on the glee "hype"

I've heard nothing but crying about the latest Glee landmark. Surpassing the Beatles. How dare those kids. All they sing is COVERS. Good heavens. For shame.

First, let me direct you to this NPR article which I think helps put things a little in perspective.

Second, let me remind all the music history fans of a couple of things. Let's put things in perspective.

1) What harm is there in setting records? Billboard has tons of charts, tons of statistics. IT'S ONLY A NUMBER PEOPLE. Plus, if you look at the details, it took Glee a little over a year to get that record. (Proof there is a great surge of popularity). But let's see if it can last another 30 years like The Beatles did. And let's see if Glee can get as high consistently as The Beatles did. (Most of Glee's hits chart in the 50s-90s, whereas The Beatles were mostly in the top half of the chart). And let's see if Glee can stay on the charts for more than a week at a time (which was a given for Beatles' songs).
[Also, when did it become a crime for the music industry to move forward? Everyone knows how HUGE a Beatles fan I am. But why is it such a bad thing that 40ish years later, someone else took over. That someone else found immense success. It doesn't lessen the impact and the greatness of The Beatles.]

2) We live in a different day and age than The Beatles. One reason for Glee's immense popularity? The immediacy of itunes. You like the song tonight, you can buy it right then. You don't have to wait to go to the record store, possibly forgetting or talking yourself out of getting it. It's pocket change- downloading one $1.29 song. It's a digital file- no space constraints like a record collection. And each week- another 5-10 songs are released- starting the cycle all over again. This process is very different from the time constraints of producing new albums and singles. And all of this is only exponentially raised when you think about the synchronicity for all media outlets- television, internet, music, film-- word gets out fast that Don't Stop Believin' was awesome last night- more people download it the next day.
What I'm getting at is not to belittle Glee's accomplishments, but to ask people to think of the differences in music promulgation from when The Beatles were charting.

3) Yes, I do believe that some of the supporting cast is auto-tuned on their songs. And I'm sure they have other singers do the backing vocals (seriously, there's not enough hours in the day for those kids to rehearse dances, film the show, and record every single vocal track, along with all the extra press events they do). But this whole debate gets us into authenticity in music, and that I shall leave for another post.

4) As stated in the NPR article, Glee is helping to reinvent the Great American Song book. It's not just about Sinatra and Gershwin anymore. This is my generation's music. Why did the Britney episode go over so well? Because the largest demographic of Glee watchers grew up with Ms Spears. 100 years from now, Glee will be looked back as a snapshot of musical tastes of this era. It tells us musical priorities, like a broadside ballad or psalmbook from the 17th century. Why does it matter that these songs are, GASP, covers? Yes, I love it when they rework the tunes, but isn't imitation the most sincere form of flattery? It just reinforces the greatness of these songs. And the ability for songs to take on new meanings under various contexts. Things we, as music historians, study everyday with songs from 200 years ago. (Case in point: Kurt singing The Beatles' "I Want to Hold Your Hand" in the wake of his father's massive heart attack.[I'm sure the video will be taken down soon, but a fan video with audio].)


Look: I do not deny that I am biased. I enjoy the show if for no other reason than a titular message: it's gleeful. It makes me laugh, and I often want to get up off the couch and dance and sing with my puppy. Why is that so wrong? It's escapist television. It's the closest thing I can find to a variety show (song, dance, comedy, etc) that doesn't make me want to hurl something at the television.
And if you need another reason for Glee not being the spawn of Satan, the downfall of the music industry as we know it, just listen to this voice. This girl needed greater publicity (fast-foward to :30ish seconds in the video). She is the greatest voice of our generation.

Bottom line: this milestone does not make The Beatles a lesser band. It does not even really make Glee a greater phenomenon. It's just a number that proves the changes itunes, the internet, and digital media has brought to the music industry. It is just another artifact, a piece of musical history in the making.

Writing Tips- Thesis/Dissertation

I am by no means an expert on writing large scale documents. Writing one thesis doth not make one an extraordinary writing guru. But I have picked up a couple of tips and general suggestions from my amazing mentors over the past three years, and now if I see such glaring issues, it bothers me greatly. These aren't necessarily easy fixes, but I think they help one's work so much if done properly.

First, don't quote textbooks. Or general history books (especially "concise history" texts). If it's "a social history of...", that might be acceptable, as it has a focus. But if you are trying to sound like an expert on a subject, there is no need to quote someone who is simply summarizing an entire phenomenon. These people might be making huge generalizations, thereby making you look less credible when your discussion is not nuanced as it should be. It's only okay when you are trying to point out the writer's opinion as part of your argument.

Secondly, integrated quotes. Make them your friend. Three block quotes on one page (taking up more room than your commentary) is ridiculous. If it's a primary source and you like it that much, create an appendix with the entire text transcribed. Seriously. It's very likely that I will not read the block quote simply because I want to hear your argument- not someone else's.

I know we all end up counting pages to measure worth. I know its not healthy as the best writing is, more often than not, concise. But please consider throwing out sections that are unnecessary to your argument. I don't need a complete history of music in x era when you are talking about a specific phenomenon. Take out background that you know your audience will be aware of. I think when writing a scholarly tome, one can assume that the reader has a bit of base knowledge on the subject. Our writing is not "pop" writing that appears on bestseller lists. Our readers are genuinely interested in this material. So if you feel compelled, footnote and direct them to other works that have already covered such topics.

And lastly, titles are important. Titles need to represent exactly what the chapter/section is arguing. Titles can change as you are formulating your writing. It's the first and last thing you should consider. Also, if you use an odd phrase or foreign term, explain it. Don't throw out terminology and then never mention it in your text. I base whether or not I read a chapter on the title (I think that's a given for most of us), and if the title doesn't represent the chapter, it is a huge waste of time.


Honestly, through the years I have been collecting thesis/dissertations. Many of the subjects I study have only been covered in an obscure thesis, and so I have quite a number of student research works. I think these tomes are amazing snapshots of budding scholarship. And sometimes, I get frustrated at glaring things that could have been fixed. Now coming out of the aftermath of writing such a document, I realize the stressors, time constraints, and pains it took to just get the blasted thing done. So I can't be too critical. But perhaps these ideas can help future scholars when tackling this dreaded scholarly landmark.


Are there others that people can think of that should be added here?

conferencing, again

I was determined to take a hiatus from submitting abstracts to conferences. After having to back out at the last minute from one this summer, and with the new job and finished thesis, I thought I could take a break. Focus on new research areas.
But then this Call for Papers was sent out. It is as if the conference organizers were saying, "Hey you! Your Chaminade research was seemingly tailor-made for this conference. Come on, you know you want to submit something."
Do I want to? I don't want the increased amount of research that will need to be done in the next month. And I don't want to even think about juggling two major research topics, AGAIN, like I've had to do in the past. Life was supposed to slow down a bit with the job. Academia was supposed to let me breathe for a moment. Ahh, the best laid schemes of mice and men.
But would I like to hear other papers of a similar theme? Yes.
And do I want to "complete" that research that was put on hold after not attending the last conference? I'd like that abstract to not be hanging over my head with the questions of what it could have been.

So now I come out of conference semi-retirement, quickly revise the abstract, and send it off. And start my background reading that was never done. Just in case, mind you.

my job and all that comes with it

I haven't spoken much about my new job on this site. It's been one month and one day, and after a hectic week, I think it's time. Though in the thick of things, it's time to give a report on the outlook of my changing scholarly activities landscape.

My biggest concern with taking this job was the loss of teaching. I loved my class, what it stood for, what I helped craft it to become, and the hopes I had for the upcoming semester. I've accepted that we all can teach in different ways, that lecturing to 30 students isn't all there is out there. So I must move onward and upward. Pedagogy isn't as much of a focus now; my new catch word is outreach. The archive I work for has great materials-- how do we get it out to the public?

My second concern about the job was the changing of my academic status. I'm no longer merely a student, something I have been for over 22 years. How does that affect my research, my focus, and my determination to make a name in the scholastic field of musicology. After a month, I am only slightly concerned for my change of pace. Conferences don't seem nearly as inviting, but perhaps that's because I cannot for the life of me come up with suitable topics that aren't related to the thesis. I do believe, however, that will get better as time goes on. Along with research and academics, I seem to be distancing myself more and more from the old European classical music tradition-- now focusing upon American music, and more often American "popular" music. I want to retain that which I studied for so many years, if for no other reason than I will need it for phd exams one day. But I cannot dispel this love of music that lives and breathes in culture TODAY (or within the last 150ish years), that still has a direct impact on who we are and what we listen to today.


Now the huge thrust of this post. What is is that I do now that I am working as as a "library assistant" in the A/V department (essentially, the entry level, lowest position available), and how will I address the above concerns. I handle patron requests for duplication of materials. I reorganize, re-catalog, and rehouse collections that haven't been properly stored in the past. I oversee 5 student assistants in their daily duties (which includes processing three large collections, re-organizing 6000 oral history interviews, transferring tons of video and audio to digital formats). I am taking it upon myself to help with the revamping of the music archive's website, as well as launching its birth onto the trifecta of social media (youtube, facebook, and twitter). I am starting to write a blog for said music archive about what we do. Like picking up collections (which I did this week), and interviewing local musicians (done today).


The last duty is the one that reminds me what I'm doing isn't completely away from my scholastic endeavours. That what I'm doing is incredibly important, even if it's not lecturing to 30 undergraduates three times a week. Today I met a 98 year old (he'll be 99 in November) band leader who worked in Florida, New England, New York City, and eventually Texas. He knew Dean Martin, played with Gene Krupa, was a classmate of Leonard Bernstein. He sang in Wagner operas, played at the Copacabana. To get his first saxophone, he saved up his quarters until he could afford the $25 instrument. He was a voracious connoisseur of music theory in his teens which led to his arranging gigs and later allowed him to become a band leader for both small jazz combos and big bands. He says he can hear a tune once and play it back to anyone. He toured Europe, South America, and the Holy Lands. He has emphysema because of all the second hand smoke he inhaled at his night gigs.  This man has lived on the dusty plains for 25 years, not playing very much-- more just writing about his amazing life. But no one is listening to his story. The wealth of musical practices, of our musical history that he has to share is ridiculous. And I intend to interview him, as part of our archives, as many times as I can. So I can get details of everything. Touring schedules, rehearsals, arranging procedures, instrumentation, musicians, etc.

It is moments like these that I realize that while I may not be presenting at conferences as much, and I haven't gotten back into a writing groove, I am still an Etudian. I have uncovered a hidden resource, a wealth of musical knowledge that must be explored more. That maybe this is exactly what I need to be doing right now. Teaching the world about this amazing man.

Soon the music archive will start a blog (that I'll be writing the vast majority of the content for). When it's officially created (it is being developed and has to be approved by upper administration), I will have a link on here. Just know that I don't think this blog will die. I have too many stories to tell.

the thesis

The long awaited post. My thesis has now been placed online for all to google and read.

https://dspace.lib.ttu.edu/etd/handle/2346/ETD-TTU-2010-08-820

Very excited, even with the formatting errors I just found in it that I cannot fix.

Enjoy.

Women and the World's Fair

With the new job, my research has been sporadic at best. I seem to only be able to read that which is for "pleasure." Current semi-obsession? The Columbian Exposition of 1893. I ran across this cd many years ago in my Chaminade research and have now returned to trying to understand this illusive event. Since most of the buildings are gone and this was before the advent of film/moving picture, all that is left of the Chicago World's Fair are tons of photographs. And a plethora of printed materials/souvenirs.

I'm still learning about the fair in general (current wonderful reading materials: these books.) In attempts to connect my fascination with my possible former article topic research, I've turned to the women of the exhibition. The women's building hosted semi-monthly concerts that women were encouraged to apply to. However, "no musical prodigy [was] admitted," instead "only women or girls who [were] amateurs." (So sayth Art and Handicraft in the Woman's Building of the World's Columbian Exposition, Chicago, 1893, which can be found in its entirety on google books.)

So in addition to Huneker's satire/commentary ("don't attempt to become rubinsteins in petticoats"), this one practical example, and the burgeoning clubwork growing in America in this era, maybe there's something to be said about the allure of the amateur female musician. Reactionary to gender changes in American society? Byproduct of the rise of the middle class? Anxiety in the economic climate of the "gilded age"? I'll keep you posted.

(Photo credit to this site.)

dissertation topic?

In this time of major lifestyle changes, my interests have been quite diversified. I've been bouncing back and forth from old and new research topics. Finding mendeley has been a lifesaver. But today's topic for intense internet scouring? Thoughts towards the dissertation.
Here now is just a iconographic preview of what might be part of my dissertation topic.

Princess Watahwaso (or Watawaso)

Chief Tendehoa

"Indian" performers of the early 20th century. Much more information can be found on her; he is quite the enigma. We're in the baby stages. But gotta love archives beginning to digitize all their materials!

details found after the fact

Rehashing old research subjects always allows you to find information you wish could have been used on the prior projects. Just found James Huneker's autobiography and his description of the beginnings of The Etude. I just love his writing voice- full of hyperboles mixed in with truths and such vivid descriptions.

About this time I met Theodore Presser, who, as everyone knows, has started musical orphan asylums, homes for reformed musicians, and sanatoriums for hands lamed by excessive use of the thumbs on the black keys. Then, Mr. Presser was a lean, hungry-looking man with his head full of half-crazy schemes; at least, they seemed so to me. He had started a musical monthly whose pulse, temperature, and respiration he watched as if it had been a chick in an incubator. And it was a chick of uncertain health. I wrote paragraphs for it; betimes, I spread my wings and flew to the editorial roost and sounded my little cock-a-doodle-doo. My salary was as ever, nothing; but Theodore let me splash about in his pond and I was contented. Many nights we went to the post-office there anxiously to open letters. What a hurrah of joy when a dollar bill was found for an annual subscription! Presser, who is the Henry Ford of Philadelphia sheet-music, saw further ahead than I. The Etude has a subscription list that must make envious even Mr. Bok. Presser did all with his canny Yankee patience and shrewdness. He knew that the daughter of the plumber, the daughter of the policeman, hankered after music, and he deliberately built a machine to cater to their needs. The curious part of it is that he really improved their taste. The most famous pianists contribute to The Etude, are read and inwardly digested. I am in hopes that if these "few lines may meet his eye" -- as they say in manuals of writing made easy for servant-girls-- that he will give me a bed for my old bones in one of his eleemosynary institutions.

from Steeplejack, pg 201-2.

Rubinsteins in Petticoats

I've been postponing posting to the blog for over a month. I had hoped my next post would be the link to the electronic copy of my document. But alas, things in the graduate school are as tedious as ever. I also haven't been doing an awful lot of studying, writing, reading, or scholarship to report. There's been painting, moving, and trying to learn to relax instead.

But now I have returned to this website. To tell of the latest project and changes to my scholarly lifestyle. Instead of beginning work full time on a phd come August, I will begin work full time, at a job at an archive, and work part time on the next degree. Besides hopefully allowing me to have a semi-normal life in an 8-5 time frame, I think this will allow me to write more. I plan on using this blog to report latest finds at my job, in my dissertation hunt, and the first writing-for-publication project I plan to undertake. Before moving full force into possible dissertation themes entirely, I want to write one article that branches off from my thesis. One rabbit hole that I didn't completely go down. One avenue that I can't stop thinking about.

Where to begin with this. I have a title, as the title of this post alludes. Other than that, I have keywords that I now list below. This is where I will start, and I'll see where it takes me.

piano girl
propriety
creation versus emulation
old versus new
changing gender perceptions
James Huneker and Old Fogy
The Etude
performance roles and performing roles
salon versus classical music
accomplishment
the piano in the home

The keywords make it seem very similar to the thesis and archetyping, but I'm hoping it goes in a somewhat different direction, more focused upon Huneker and the expectations of women in American musical society, especially dealing with performing music (where, what, and how). And so now I begin. Step 1: get to the root of Huneker- where did he get these ideas and did others have them....

More to come.

June 3rd

At the beginning of 2009, my esteemed mother suggested I start a journal.  I laughed it off; I had started a thousand "dear diary, today I ....." in my lifetime, and none lasted past a week. She insisted I at least try, and bought one of these for me and herself.  Again, I didn't take it so seriously, but I began the dumb thing. Sometimes I forget to write down my fragmented phrases for a week and I have to catch up.  But since it only gives about five lines, there's really no excuse.  Now it's my record of my past and present.  And here's why I'll keep doing it.

I read tonight that this time one year ago, I was in Philadelphia with my father. It was on this day that we saw these remarkable sights/sites that day:

The home of Presser Publications on the 1700 block of Chestnut Street

I took this picture as I was going through volumes at the Philadelphia Free Library, so I don't have exact date of when this appeared in The Etude.  But I would estimate in the early 1920s.
The home of Presser Publications today.  A Dress Barn and Sephora reside on the bottom floors; I'm not sure whether the upper floors are occupied or not.

And the Presser Home for Retired Music Teachers, Germantown Pennsylvania

from The Etude December 1913, pg 862

















There's a posted notice from around 2008 on the edge of the property that stated a proposal to tear down the building and build a "six story, one hundred and fifty family dwelling".  I guess the historical society took care of it.  I understand the buildings surrounding it are much prettier.  It would be more utilitarian and practical to tear it down.  The building and grounds are incredibly rundown, overgrown--but that's partially because of the landscaping done initially.  The Etude often had pictures advertising the home and its immaculate gardens and ponds.  Today, it's so overgrown now that it's impossible to hop the fence in the back (believe me, I tried).
This unassuming building is part of the Presser legacy; it should be preserved, made into a museum of Philadelphia musical history (or something along those lines).



And one year later....  I submitted a document to my thesis committee that I hope does justice for these locations.  A document that, in part, attempts to scratch the surface at the impact of The Etude upon its readers.  Research that I hope can perpetuate a renewed interest in this man, his creation, and its impact upon American musical society.
It was this day, at this point in my research trip, that got me to here today, one year later [well this and about a thousand stops along the way.]  But this day was when I realized the importance of Theodore Presser Publications at a specific time in history.  So important that it took up most of a city block.  So important that it built a massive retirement home for its readers.  But like the magazine today, the buildings and their significance are long forgotten.

There's two things that really get to me: old books and old buildings.  And I thank Theodore Presser for giving me this legacy to study and preach.

my etude

Quotes from the Testimonials section of various issues of The Etude (people wrote in to praise the magazine or other Presser publications).  I'm using some of these in the thesis.  *Notice they were all written by women.*

At this point in time, after spending at least five years reading this magazine, the last year (or two) formulating this scholarship, and especially the last two months devoted to pulling this document together, these testimonials pretty much sum up my thoughts on the magazine.

"No words can express how much I like The Etude." 

Alvena E. Schroeder (April 1898)

“The Etude is my daily food.  I live and grow on it.” 

Mrs. Lilla Cottrell (October 1901)

"I am a subscriber to The Etude and as time passes I grow more deeply attached to this dear friend."

Mrs. J.A. Rouse (January 1906)

"The Etude is my chief joy.  It is a constant source of help and inspiration."

Lizzie M. Jennings (November 1905)

"The Etude is my constant and daily companion and has been worth its weight in gold in my home study."

Mrs. G.B. Fugitt (July 1908)

“I consider The Etude a most valuable friend, and would not know how to get along without it."

Mrs. J.E. Wickham (October 1902)

As strange as it sounds, this 100+ year old magazine has become a valuable friend for me as well.  It will be a little sad to leave these women behind when the thesis is completed.  I'm certain I'll use the magazine again in my dissertation.  But these women.... it was very nice to unearth them.  The preface to my thesis opens with this quote from Judith Tick: "Obscure women have often tempted me."

And as it seems, so does obscure magazines.

Page count: 140, with conclusions and appendices forthcoming.  Some semi-major cuts might still be a possibility.  But it'll be over 100 pages certainly.  With three weeks before the defense to polish.

I'm not going to lie; I'm pretty proud of it. 

Why Idol is broken

Excuse my brief tangential post.  A complete draft of the thesis finally looms on the horizon, and I'm really happy with the internal chapters at this point.  So let me take a moment to tell you all about the musical phenomenon I've had the [guilty] pleasure of watching since it's inception: American Idol.

I justified my Idol watching initially because it assisted with my ear training in my undergraduate years.  Idol was looking for pitch perfect singers.  And I had never paid attention to singers being on/off key until Idol came along.  It helped me a great deal to listen to what "worked" and "didn't work" for them.  I literally developed a few of the critical listening skills we teach the non-majors in MUHL1308 from watching every episode of Idol and coming up with my own critique of every performance.

In later years, coincidentally since I began my graduate studies, the buzz word has been "artistry."  Begun with performers like David Cook (and perhaps even earlier with Blake Lewis), Idol quickly became less of a technical singing competition and more about who could rearrange and reinvent well-known pop hits.  I could go on about this for quite a while, and in fact, at some point I hope to write up a conference presentation on the subject matter.  I have an abstract worked up discussing the evolution of Idol's artistry factor, but this season seems to have thrown things off a bit. 

On the night when the new Idol was "crowned," I'd like to share with you visually exactly why Idol has derailed.  What has caused Idol to "jump the shark" (as I'm hearing that phrase more and more.)  What has proven, to me at least, the sole reason why Idol is officially broken.
It's not judging necessarily.  It's not producers heavy handedness or poor themed weeks (and poor guest artists and mentors-- again, another rant best saved for another post).  It's not even bad contestants.  It's because of the voting public.  The tween girls have latched onto this show, and forever more we are stuck with them.  And their predictable favorites.  

Consider this the "year of the girls": a year in which amazing female talent left so early in the competition, their chances of Idol impacting their careers is now slim to none.  All because of voters' lack of interest.

And in the end, who won?
Not a female folksy bluesy dread-locked songbird from Ohio (the 21st century Janice Joplin, without the dependence on Southern Comfort we hope).
Lee Dewyze: A humble, short brown-haired, 20-something year old guy with a mundane job (paint salesman), from the center of America: Mount Prospect Illinois.  

Who won the season before?  Kris Allen: A humble, short brown-haired, 20-something year old guy with a mundane job (shoe salesman), from the center of America: Conway Arkansas.

And the season before that?  David Cook: A humble, short brown-haired, 20-something year old guy with a mundane job (bartender), from the center of America: Blue Springs Missouri.

All winners are sold as being genuinely "nice guys," average American kids.  They play guitar; they change up arrangements.  They aren't technical vocal virtuosos.  But they sing with passion.  They had Idol "moments" on the show.  They grew as the competition went on, and really they flew under the radar for many weeks before outlasting earlier fan favorites.  

We could argue shades of distinction.  Cook in a way originated this trend: he was arguably the most innovative with arrangements.  Dewyze the least of the three.  Cook was more rock; Allen more folk.  In the end, those who stood out from the crowd (Adam Lambert, Crystal Bowersox) lost.  They didn't appeal to the wider Idol voting public. 

How do we fix this?  I don't know that there's a way, outside of overdone contestant profiling (no sir, you don't go to Hollywood, you act too much like the last three winners).  Can we change the way votes are casted (one call/text per phone line)?  The method in which the top 12 are selected?  Do we say no one under 18 can vote (age discrimination, I am fully aware).  Is there anything really that can be done?  I say let's figure out a way to allow for something different to come forward and shine. Maybe I'm too idealistic.

But we must realize these images above-- that's what the overwhelming voting public wants.  Is that a good or a bad thing?  

*Disclaimer: though I propose this homogenization of the Idol winners, I must state for the record that I am a huge David Cook fan.  Drove 4 hours round trip to go to his concert by myself.  I don't want to discredit what he did for Idol, or for that matter what Kris or even Lee did.  [I'd argue that David Cook helped the show to keep going this long; his constant reinventions of songs reinvented the modus operandi for Idol contestants.] 

I think that this is the reason why Simon is moving on, why ratings are going down.  As much as we love seeing this guy break down when he enters his paint store realizing the surreal nature of those "home visits" and how dramatically his life has changed in 6 months, the show has lost its ability to find new different talent.  Sure, these three guys are exactly "what the show is all about," but they can't be the only thing that the show is about.

Note: As 19E tends to take down Idol videos as soon as they are uploaded, below is a list of performances that I linked in this post, so that you can do a youtube search if/when it becomes necessary:
David Cook: "Always Be My Baby"
Blake Lewis: "You Give Love a Bad Name"
Katelyn Epperly: "The Scientist"
Lilly Scott: "I Fall to Pieces"
Didi Benami: "Terrified"
Crystal Bowersox: "Me and Bobby McGee"
Lee Dewyze: "The Boxer"
Kris Allen: "Heartless"

plea for help

I have spent hundreds of hours in numerous libraries: in front of digital scanners, microfilm machines, and at tables with The Etude sprawled out in front of me.  I've worked to get digital copies of the magazine accumulated.  In the end, I almost have a complete set from 1883-1924 digitized to the best of my abilities, mostly in a jpeg or pdf format.
But through all my insistence with inter-library loan, my drive to go to as many surrounding libraries as possible (and even Philadelphia) to see these issues, I have come up missing in one area.  My goal was to have record of every graphic cover printed from 1900-1926 for purposes of my thesis-- to show which women were featured, how and why, etc.

I cannot find the following cover art.  I've requested multiple versions from many libraries, and these covers appear to be lost for the moment.  If anyone has digital copies, or just know what's on the cover, please help a girl out.  Four covers is all I lack.

January 1900
June 1902
July 1903
September 1903

Many thanks in advance.

ouch

Just found this hidden in August 1901 Etude (from Musical Items, pg 279).

Mrs. H. J. Sayler, of Philadelphia, submitted to an extraordinary surgical operation in order to reduce the width of the tips of the fingers of his left hand, which were too wide to make perfect intonation of the semitones in violin-playing.  A diamond-shaped piece was cut out of the finger near the tip of the flesh drawn together by stitches.  He expects to go to Germany for three years' course of study when the wounds are healed.


The Etude actually suggested a very painful operation for pianists so that they could play fast passages more accurately (see here for more details on the procedure).  That operation was, in fact, undergone by both Theodore Presser and one of his writers James Huneker, in the mid1880s while attending a music teachers' conference.  But this thing above might just be even more awfully painful.

covers

I frequently use cover songs in my teaching, usually at the first of the semester.  Students are accustomed to persons "covering" songs- reworking a tune to make it their own.  So I introduce typical covers where little changes and then the more absurd ones (ex: "Hot in Here" original and cover).  It helps them to understand specific musical elements that are different and those which remain the same in a context that they are very familiar.  Overall, they find that tempos sometimes are altered, instrumentation most often, rarely form, sometimes melody and genre.

Now the question of the evening: what to do with this one!



There are no words to describe the sheer amazingness of this.

Likes and Dislikes

Last quiz was yesterday- five music clips, two questions on each, mostly encompassing questions from the previous five quizzes.  Cumulative in a sense.  Just to give a sense of the diversity of the semester, these were the works:

Lady Antebellum "American Honey" [outline form]

Charles Ives "Central Park in the Dark" [talk about programmatic elements]

2008 Tony Awards performance of 96000 from "In The Heights" [discuss musical function/staging and melodic lines]

Steve Reich "Different Trains," mvt 2 Europe During the War [list avant garde elements]

Stravinsky "Rite of Spring" [what they felt were most important musical elements of work]

I like to think of my class as a workshop, a testing ground for new ideas on teaching "music appreciation."  And therefore, there are a couple of things I do differently than perhaps a well established course.  I constantly change the course calendar throughout the term, depending on their level of engagement and focus.  The other thing is that I ask for feedback.  I did this last semester with minimal results; this semester, again, I had much better answers given.
I coerce them in this final quiz.  10 points bonus if they'll tell me what was their favorite/least favorite work and/or concept discussed this semester.  It gives me instantaneous feedback on what I need to teach better (because I figure if they hated musical textures or meters, it was because they didn't fully understand it or engage with it).  It also lets me know if no one mentioned anything about a certain work/subject, it's very likely that it didn't have that big of an impact and perhaps I could find something else that would be more enlightening.

I got what I expected with the responses- students loved talking about Broadway, how music functions (in movies, theatre, tv, etc), mash-up songs, pop music, American classical works (Copland), Beethoven, and programmaticism.  And they hated opera, the lack of more pop music, and avant garde works.

I spend at least a week late in the semester subjecting them to John Cage, Edgar Varese, Phillip Glass, Steve Reich, Eric Satie, and other "avant garde" composers.  Why?  Because I want to be their George Ives- I want to stretch their ears.  However, apparently 10 out of 27 severely disliked the idea.  They didn't think it was music and didn't see the point.  Is there another way to present this material?  Do I need to even question my methods?  I think all the music is relevant, and I'm not about to do away with the "unit."  I really enjoy playing for them Cage's Water Walk.  They laugh and then you can tell, they think.  Isn't that the goal after all?

Another example, my first video to embed on this site:


This is Ke$ha's "Tik Tok."  On their first quiz, I had them outline the form of this work.  It was the #1 billboard song on the top 100 charts that week, and we had just gotten through talking about verse/chorus forms (Lady Antebellum is #1 on country charts this week- hence the selection for the final quiz).  I, personally, am not a fan of this Ke$ha girl. I'd like to think she has knowledgeably created a satirical exaggerated parody of the Hollywood party girl-types, but I'm pretty sure she's being serious.  In interviews, she says in her slurred speak that the dollar sign in her name is being ironical, and she seems to try for the shock rocker grungy look.  But there's the Haus of Gaga with their trying for dada-esque artistic expressions, and then there's this aesthetic- sending all kinds of self-destructive messages to teenage girls.  "Tik Tok" is laughable- really, doesn't everyone have the "po-po shut us down," wake up, and "brush [their] teeth with a bottle of Jack"??  But, give the girl credit-- it's a crazy catchy tune, and I can't help but groove out to it when I hear it (but then again, I do find myself grooving out/dancing to quite a lot of songs, i.e. Zappa's version of Bolero).

Ironically I had multiple students who said this was their favorite part of the class- hearing this song.  And then I had one student (a very vocal student on what's good and bad in music) state:
"My least favorite part [of the class] was easily Ke$ha.  I hate her.  I hate that song.  Why you ask??  Have you listened to it???  It's complete garbage. [smiley face]"

I think maybe I'm doing my job if I'm eliciting those sorts of responses.  I'm exposing them to music they hate- hey at least they are passionate about what they're hearing.  I told them after playing the Reich piece yesterday (which by the way, almost makes me physically ill every time I hear it) that you have to work through the discomfort because all music is worth hearing in order to understand it.  We shouldn't turn it off just because it's not what we like. It's not about likes or dislikes.  It's about understanding what makes Ke$ha "tik."

Rock On

The main course objective with my little music appreciation/"Music in Western Civilization" course is to teach students a vocabulary, a discourse, a way to articulate what they are hearing in music.  They need to understand the interplay of context/content and apply it to any music they might run across.  I've worked all semester to find a balance in my music apprec course: trying to figure out a way to keep students engaged, interested, but still learning.  I've foregone the idea that we have to teach them the history of classical music, and adopted a diverse amalgamation of pop/classical/broadway musical studies- and then put them into subject areas that they might find most understandable.

This semester I have some ringers-- former band kids that know way too much about music for their own good.  I know the class is mildly "boring" for them, but I do hope they are getting something from sitting in class day after day.  Other students in this class could care less about music, rarely listen to it aside from their car radio, and don't care to learn about anything remotely "classical." So they turn off every time I bring in a large scale work, a work that doesn't have a video, or works that are vaguely odd/foreign sounding.  And then I've got the ones in between that I'm preaching to more than any others.  They are the ones that love music, have eclectic tastes, and just need to get a little bit of basics in them to really "appreciate" what they're listening to.  I can tell they've made lists of new composers/artists/stage shows to look into further, and I'm really pleased about that.

One way I try to keep engagement in music as high as possible is by giving them a large scale project.  Early in the semester, they choose a work.  Any piece of music preferably between 3-10 minutes in duration that can be found on youtube (easy access for all parties involved).  Half way through the semester, they submit a bibliography of 3 sources they've found talking about the band/artist/composer/work.  2/3 of the way through the term, they turn in a background paper.  One-ish pages about historical information on the work.  And then instead of a final, they turn in a listening guide- breaking down the work in a graph of times and musical elements.

This semester, I think the students have "dug" the assignment more so than last semester.  I had some kick ass papers turned in this term.  And I think it's because of the engagement factor-- they chose works they absolutely love and therefore love reading stuff on.  Just to get an idea of the variety of the 25 papers submitted, here's a short list:
Les Miserables
Elliott Smith
Lady Gaga
Surfjan Stevens
Edward Elgar
Syd Barrett (and early Pink Floyd)
Nobuo Uematsu (video game composer)
[and of course the expected, at least 2 papers on Beethoven]

Those were the papers that were the most memorable.  Well crafted works that told a bit about the composer, what was happening when the work was composed, and then a bit on the composition itself.

As much as these students are inarticulate in the classroom, they are even more articulate in their writing.  These essays were prodigious.  They were epic.  Last semester, I had one paper that I felt confident in showing to future students.  I now have at least 4 more that I think are excellent pieces of prose.


All I can say to them is "rock on."  I'm upset I couldn't engage them more between 1 and 2 pm MWF this semester, but this does give me a ton of ideas for class next semester.

Last Minute Polishes (and other Writing things to keep in mind)

Pssst..... hey undergrads..... I've got more writing tips for you.
After a weekend of seemingly non-stop grading, I've compiled a couple more ideas to keep in mind when writing papers to submit for a grade.  Things which I saw first hand knocked students' grades down at least a letter grade.

There's that cliche of "the first impression is the most important."
Think of your essay more as a overall impression of your work as a student scholar.  How can you MAKE the paper look better than it might actually be.   It's like polishing a resume, selling yourself.  What can you do to make things immediately seem better than they might actually be.

Here's a list of easy fixes.  Another list of things that take 30 minutes at most before you click submit at 2 am.  Look over these things to try to ensure you can't be deducted points for these reasons:

• Double check bibliographic citation.  Use an automated bibliography generator if you're OCD, but if that's the case- triple check that it's correct as well.  Make sure all your periods are there, commas, quotations, italics/underlining.  Page numbers!
• Same boat-- double check your footnotes.  Take out the extra spaces.  Include the SPECIFIC page number (really, it's worthless otherwise).
• Ensure your font, heading, margins are correct from the beginning-- don't set yourself up to reach 10 pages at 2 am, realize it was 1.25 margins, and then just give up from exhaustion.
• Go through and check to see if all of the musical works/books cited are italicized in the text.  Standardize your formatting in the paper.  If you capitalize a term, do so throughout.  If you use block quotes, make sure you do it properly, the same way, throughout the paper.
• Visually, images and their placement bother me.  If you don't resize an image and you have 1/3 of a page blank because of a page break- that's a problem for me.  Make it fit. Move around text if you must.  If you are going to discuss a poem extensively- put the whole text in an appendix.  Appendices are your friends.  If you have a TON of score examples that break up the text often, then put it all at the end.
• If instructors tell you a specific format, tell you to bold certain items in the text, to give certain subheadings, DO IT.  I'm all about originality and creativity in writing.  But not when there's 70 some odd papers to read. Follow the formula and let your argument be what stands out.
• If you absolutely have no time to proofread the entire paper, be sure you have a killer first and last paragraph.  Those are the sections we read 20 times.  Maybe not a discussion point found on page 7.  But especially the introduction is our way of re familiarizing ourselves with your argument.  Make it good, make it impact-ful.  Don't pad it with vague niceties-- tell us what you think- what you're arguing-- get to the point.
• One note, though: personally- I could care less if there's a cover page or a ton of fancy images.  Again, make your words stand for themselves straight off. That makes all the difference to me.

I'm reading another set of papers, this time from non-majors.  The same rules apply to 1 page background papers as it does 10 page formal research.  Professors may not have time to read every single word of every single paper (gasp, shock- I know).  But these overall visual things- the initial impressions are what stick with us in the long run.  Make an effort on these last minute polishes- fixing details.

Bonus tip time!!  Make sure you get the text to us in some format.  Many students came into class frantic: "my paper wouldn't submit on blackboard at 1049 am" [due at 1050].  But they didn't bother to email the document.  Or print a hard copy.  In instances such as these, I think professors are okay with being inundated with repetitive emails.  Send it on blackboard, via regular email, bring a hard copy, whatever needs to be done to get it in our hands.  At least that way we know you tried.  Then after the fact, you can submit it in the proper format.

By the way:

I am coming to grips with the fact that public education no longer prepares students for formal writing, and that, as instructors, we cannot fix all of the writing problems that we are faced with.  We do have to look over the colloquialisms and poor sentence structures at times.  However, I think it's unwise to just throw up our hands and give up on all fronts.  Baby steps, I say.  So I'll continue to post stuff here.

Rag-time

The Etude was a huge proponent of the Euro-centric ideals of Western classical music.  It was very afraid of American musics, especially vernacular and popular traditions.  The problems and issues it had with jazz are well documented (one such Etude cover appearing on the cover of a recent reader on jazz studies).  But lesser known are the amazing gems of text discussing that scary new fad of "rag-time."

It rests largely with you young people who are studying now whether this rag-time wave which has swept over us is going to eclipse temporarily all good music or not.  There has always been cheap music, but the very boldness, the effrontery, of this present fad makes it dangerous.  It has entered into the most refined homes.  People have come to consider it in the light of a "good joke," and I know scarcely a girl who does not play it. Girls go on decorously with the study of their fugues, inventions, and sonatas, but they play cake-walks.  Small wonder!  Everyone demands them; the best musical magazines publish them; everyone else plays them, and, so why not? Think a moment.


Which is better: rag-time music or those sweet, secret musical ideals which every girl of you possesses?  If you were asked which you preferred, a poster daub or a Rembrandt, there would be no hesitation in your choice, and if you were asked to make a choice between rag-time music and music done in the old, true music form, I know you would make the higher choice.  
[....]


In a way, you girls are really pioneers of music in this country, for music has only just now become general with us, and a good many of you are the first of your family to receive a thorough musical education, so that you have a pleasant work to do in making good music an intimate and beloved factor in every American home.


from "Five Minute Talks with Girls," by Helena M. Maguire, The Etude, March 1900 pg 94

5 Ways to Improve Your Writing (in 5 Minutes)

After reading 35ish papers from music majors, I saw common factors that apparently students are not taught anymore.  They are glaring examples of lack of proper writing education or just sheer laziness.  But I realized, there are about five things you can do when proof-reading your own writing that immediately makes your words look infinitely better.

1. Eliminate any word and/or sentence structure redundancies.
Students will use the same words over and over again without thinking 'hey I could check a thesaurus for another word that means "similar." '   Same thing happens with certain sentence structures (which are usually idiosyncratic or convoluted on their part.  ex: "rather than...., x composer....."  which then reappears two sentences later with a slightly different intent).

2.  Learn how to use integrated quotes.
My freshman year of high school was spent learning how to integrate quotes into sentences, rather than blocking and pasting entire sentences without any forward or backward matter.  It makes for an easier read if you utilize mostly your prose and insert a few choice words from others.  It also makes it look like you spent more time crafting and editing.

3. Standardize formating
If you're going to italicize a piece of music, do it throughout.  If you are going to capitalize the phenomenon of Impressionism, do so all the time.  If you are going to cite something, use footnotes (properly) in the same fashion.  This is really a proof reading thing that should be self evident.

4.  Standardize tenses
I'm still having trouble with this one.  But start out knowing in what tense you'll be writing, and then stick with it!

5. "Formalize" it
If you would say a phrase to your friends in a text message or on facebook, it probably does not belong in a scholarly piece of writing.  Just make one pass through in proofreading to ensure all colloquial phrases are removed (another thing I struggle with sometimes but am working on it.)


Bonus!!  Learn how to use commas properly.
I saw way too many commas in these papers.  Not saying my sentence structures are always the greatest, but run-ons were rampant with commas thrown in for dramatic effect.


Overall, I think the lesson here is: don't wait until 2 am to finish  your paper and then immediately hit submit.  If that happens, go to bed for a couple of hours, get up a little earlier than you would have liked, and just read through your paper once.  One read through makes all the difference, in my opinion.

Red Wing's children

It is about this time (well usually about 2 weeks ago) in the semester that I see a shiny new research area, go to my esteemed advisor, and ask him if I can change my research topic for whatever class of his I'm enrolled in that particular iteration.  I really didn't have that this semester (perhaps constricted subject areas?)  But I did find a shiny new topic, and knowing that 1) I can post my limited findings here, 2) it can be addressed in the [hopefully] forthcoming dissertation, and 3) I did mention parts of this in my Music Appreciation class today, made it easier to not focus upon for too long (and essentially this helps get it out of my system for the moment).

Recently I've asked myself multiple times a question (I'm sure others ask this): What does it take to make a song become a "traditional" "folk" tune. 

We see Stephen Foster tunes adopted by American roots musicians all the time now (link to my favorite Foster tune, favorite arrangement).  So how long do we have to wait before a tune becomes traditional, so engrained the American musical ear that it is known by all as being from our folk?  I proposed to my class today that Tin Pan Alley tunes are beginning to reach that level of ubiquity that they will soon be categorized as not just those old songs from the 1900s/10s/20s, but the era in which they were written will soon all but disappears.  I have one work to substantiate my claim.

I'm fascinated by the various incarnations of a tune by Kerry Mills entitled "Red Wing," one of the most popular Tin Pan Alley tunes of 1907.  (Go here for: sheet music, wax cylinder from 1907, piano roll- scroll down to bottom of page.)

I have utilized this work as part of my Indianist studies and plan to research it more extensively for my [hopefully] dissertation topic of Native American themes in early 20th century popular musical mediums.  I've always been a fan of the song; it seems to be engrained in my musical memory for as long as I can remember.  And most of the time, when I play the work for people, they immediately know the tune.  Music majors have some familiarity with it, as do undergraduate freshmen (at least 10 out of 25 acknowledged they knew this tune today).  So the question then is why?!   

Yesterday morning, as I was getting ready to head to campus, I heard the chorus of "Red Wing" playing on the local ice cream truck.  I nearly had a coronary because I had no idea it was that common- I've never heard it before in that context.
 

So I have begun a search for the "children" of Red Wing, the next generation of this tune.  Who's playing it, in what style, in what environment.

A youtube search can illuminate countless versions of this song. 

Below, I'm hyperlinking some of the more intriguing "covers" I've uncovered.

I initially found these two versions on my first research pass- original method of delivery and common delivery today.

But here are some of the other more interesting other versions:

a grandmother performing one arrangement

"Concert roller organ"

Chet Atkins

on the Laurence Welk show

Carousel recording (half way down page as "Pretty Red Wing")

Ice Cream truck (click on the title "Melted Drumstick Melancholy"-- not the version though I heard yesterday)

You can find countless more performances on youtube by a wide variety of musicians in tons of combinations of banjo, hammer dulcimer, guitar, piano, etc etc.  I like how many of them state that this is an "old western fiddle tune" from the 1880s-1890s.  They say so matter of factly.  Sorry people.  First copyright (as far as I can tell) is 1907. 

Also, it appears that Woody Guthrie utilized the tune for contrafacta- Red Wing became the Union Maid song (which also explains why many western swing performers have changed her to be a "union maid" and not "indian maid"- I thought it just was to give an air of Civil War nostalgia).

I think there's a lot more "unpacking" to be done.  Many more incarnates to run across.  Anyone heard of other versions they particularly enjoyed?

"The Gospel of Work"

from The Etude, January 1898, pg 8


“How did you ever achieve all this?” asked a listener of Mendelssohn, on hearing him play several of his compositions.  “I lived like a hermit and worked like a horse,” was the answer of this great musician, too honest to affect an excellence as costing him nothing.
Some time ago I heard a man say to a successful musician, “you are a lucky chap.”  The musician replied, “Nothing of the kind.  Years ago, when we were young together, I was employed in the same business you were.  Every evening you spent on the corner of the street with the boys, and thought you had worked enough through the day.  I had no liking for that, and went home, shut myself up in a room, and studied hard; but there is a difference in our surroundings now.  You are in the same old rut, and think it is luck with me because I got out of it.  It was nothing but hard work.  You had your good time then; I can afford to have mine now.  I am sorry for you; but it would be impossible now for you to rectify your mistake.”

--- credited to "Exchange" (not sure exact source)


Thought I'm not quite as seemingly heartless (keywords at the end: impossible, mistake), I sometimes feel that way.  All the nights spent in the practice room during my undergrad, and generally my entire lifestyle now.  I could be teaching at a public school, with somewhat free evenings.  But yet I remain.  Tied to this computer, reading 100 year old magazines.  Writing conference presentations, a thesis, and hopefully soon articles for publication.  Hopefully someday I shall see the fruits of my labor.  Hopefully someday very soon.

What is your quest?

(notice vague Monty Python quotation in title)
Unlike my return from SAM where I had this outpouring of comments upon the conference, I am left a little speechless after the recent Music and War conference at University of Texas.  Not to say that it wasn't a wonderful conference, but perhaps I'm just even more exhausted than I realized.

What this conference did make me question, though, is the exact purpose of reading a paper/giving a presentation.  Why do we do this?  To share our latest research, surely.  I witnessed at SAM additions to this general purpose: scholars who were telling how to do research, reporting on the current state of certain musical phenomenon, or just current state of their projects.  But this conference made me questions at what stage of research do we present?  At Saturday's conference, unlike at SAM, I presented research in it's "baby" phase: a term paper that easily fit the 20 minute model, but has not gone any further.

My paper seems (at least to me) to be a stark contrast of all the others.  The day was filled with dissertation research, small sub-projects of larger multi-staged research.  Many of these presentations lacked handouts, often no visual aids or audio (a generalized observation).  Afterwards, the audience, comprised mostly of graduate students, would have on average 3-4 questions.  Some papers warranting just 1 or 2, others up to 5 or 6.

This was the case for the last panel of the day, the one that included my paper last.  The first two presentations had audio/visuals, and we all had handouts.  The ladies before me presented on dissertation research and garnered a couple of questions, primarily from the moderator.  My paper (complete with audio, video, and handout- as I told my moderator, I'm all about over-stimulation) upon completion had at least 15 minutes of discussion.  Ten questions easily- I would bring up new points jumping off of what others said that prompted further responses and questions; lots of questions were somewhat unanswerable.  Persons asked "have you considered this?"  "what about this phenomenon over here?"  And more often than not, I would have to say-- I'm sorry I haven't read much on that-- but it would be interesting to look into further.  

It's a slight problem- I didn't have all the answers.  But it seemed to be a positive that at least people where making connections.  Everyone seemed receptive, there weren't any overly critical/defensive questions.  Afterward all was said and done, I was really happy with the responses.  I like to get tons of questions- to include things that didn't fit into the 20 minutes.  Later though, I began to think-- perhaps having no questions is good as well- you explained the material so thoroughly that nothing else need be said.

I guess it all comes down to the strategies of presenting- again- when do we present, and why?

My philosophy on presentations is to present material somewhat simplistically.  Very straightforward, almost repetitiously at times.  I want to be sure my central message is clear, and I most definitely haven't tried to pursue complex philosophical concepts ever, especially if they are somewhat dense-- [I think] that's what journal articles are for.  I will leave conclusions somewhat vague (especially in this latest presentation's case), leading persons to further considerations.  I think that's the way that warrants the most questions, the most engagement with the material.  I gave a very robust handout this time-- 4 pages front and back of lyrics for people to read as I was explaining the significance of each song.  I presumed that they could read lyrics, see images, listen to music and me-- all at the same time.  And really that seemed to work.  Maybe a little too much multi-tasking, but dang it, it woke people up and got them talking.

So I guess I'll send out this cosmic academic question.  What is our quest by driving 14 hours round trip to present to almost complete strangers, sitting all day listening to a myriad of topics?  What is our end goal with this format?  What kind of research do we want to give?  When do we want to do so?  Do we want a bunch of questions, or is that a sign of poor research?

SAM

It took five planes, multiple buses, a train, a taxi, a rental car, and a lot of walking, but I made it from the dusty plains to the land of maple leaves and back again.

This iteration of the Society for American Music Conference was my first, and I must say it was a wonderful experience.  I think it'll be the conference that I'll want to attend as often as I can.  Because I was given the Student Travel Award, I was recruited to be a session monitor.  And that meant meeting a lot of great people.  Instead of giving a play-by-play, here are my highlights.

--The "Dance" panel (one I monitored) overall was inspiring.  Studies into the description of Fred Astaire's musical numbers in the scripts of Hollywood films (keywords like hot and swing) opened up so many semiotic ideas for me.  After Todd Decker gave insights into Astaire's personal philosophies in dance-- I had one of those aha moments.  And then another paper- research on On Your Toes, a musical I hadn't heard of.  Dan Blim, if you happen to read this, I loved your splicing of audio clips to highlight orientalism and jazz in the ballets.  It made an incredibly convincing argument.  I've never seen it done before, and I might have to borrow your technique (5-10 second clips separated by 2ish seconds of silence-- thereby shortening length of time you have to spend playing excerpts).  This was the second panel I went to, but their methodologies and techniques gave me the most lingering new research ideas.

--The Arts of Association Seminar-- I know a lot of people were saying it didn't quite work out as they wanted.  I didn't read the papers ahead of time because as a student presenting, I never registered for the conference (thus never getting the website/password).  But I liked the idea of an open dialogue, partially because it breaks up the constant reading of papers and also it highlights my favorite part of presentations- the Q&A.  Once SAM figures out how to perfect the logistics, I think this will be really great.

--Panel on Surveillance, Violence, and Trauma-- Wow.  Such admirable work Angela Hammond is doing, even if Canadian border police don't agree.  I'd love to get back to my archive job to see if we have any white supremacy records on file that aren't logged.  Most of the philosophical talk on System of a Down went over my head, but I loved seeing very complex philosophies applied to heavy metal music.  I was tempted to bring those songs into my class to wake up my students after Spring Break.  And particularly Jenny Olivia Johnson's work on sexual abuse as portrayed in tv/film music.... Her list of musical elements representing trauma hit home because I am a child of the 80s/90s- of the hyper-vigilant culture that was afraid I would lock myself in a fridge or talk to a man who wanted to give me a sticker with drugs laced in it.

-- Modern Musicals, Modern Audiences (another panel I monitored).  This was the one I was really looking forward to, and it did not disappoint.  New research on Cradle Will Rock film settings.  I had always wondered about what the heck Tim Robbins was getting at with his film, and I'm eternally grateful David C. Paul cleared up my lingering questions.  Jessica Sternfeld's dissertation on Mega-Musicals was my first foray into musical theatre scholarship about 4 years ago, so it was awesome to hear her talk about RENT and a recent school production.  And Elizabeth Craft's work on marketing In the Heights raised questions for me about what one must do to market anything these days- youtube, twitter, facebook, discussion boards, etc.  I loved the parodies Lin-Manuel Miranda created; I must watch more of those. 


I didn't get to stay Sunday, and I'm quite sad I couldn't be in two places at once often times.  Lots of Broadway, parody, and propaganda research I had to miss out on because I was listening to other papers.  I also missed the Student Forum, a dance session Thursday night, and the GLBT discussion-- most of those because of the before preparations or aftermath exhaustion of getting my presentation over and done with.  I get so worked up about presenting my research-- so much energy and excitement (never really nerves though)- that afterwards I typically crash.


Now final preparations are being made for the Music and War Conference in Austin this weekend.  I'm crazy for booking back to back conferences on different subjects.  And in between having to progress further my class research and thesis materials.

Pictures of Ottawa to follow.  I'll provide a link here soon.
Edit: I've placed the photos on facebook.  Tried other photo hosting sites, but my images are too large for their monthly quotas.

"Where's my piano girl?!"

I'm sitting in the airport, waiting my first flight leading to Canada, where I will present on The Etude, Piano Girls, and New Women.  Life is good.  There's no real time for me to give my abbreviated history of the complicated archetype/stereotype of the Piano Girl.  But there is a bit of time for the New Woman, as embodied in Charles Dana Gibson's illustrations.

The Gibson Girl was created to depict the growing population of women who got out into the public sphere at a time when it was still the proper Victorian thing to stay at home.   These women were known as "New Women" in print; today many of us know them better for Gibson's illustrations.  Gibson portrays these women as the most beautiful creatures in the world.  And most people know his images as being those gorgeous Victorian ladies in tight corsets, hair pinned up, and giving sultry looks.  But in his more comical illustrations, Gibson draws these women more dangerously- almost forebodingly. Drawings depicted the power these women had over men.  One image is of a woman batting around her suitors.  In my presentation, I show the popular images of these women out in public: bathing, playing golf, riding bicycles.  But then I show this image:

Now, I don't have the exact provenance for this.**  It comes from Dover Clip Art, but I just love the idea of it.  The man looks greatly perturbed, as if to say the title of this post-- where's my piano girl?  She used to sit around all day and entertain me.  Why isn't she doing that now?  My argument is that for men in the 1890s and 1900s, it wasn't about what women were gaining necessarily, but more so what they were abandoning. The status quo of old was being forgotten. The stability of the home was in jeopardy.  Hence why magazines like The Etude essentially begged its women to STAY HOME!  RAISE CHILDREN!  They wanted to keep things the way they had always been.  And by 1900, the Piano Girl image was so comforting, it was quite alarming if lost completely.  I think this is one of Gibson's more comical illustrations of the problem with these New Women.

Will be boarding soon- have to stop this for now.

**If anyone knows of the book/magazine this came out of, I would be eternally grateful for the citation.  I'd love to see the original context for this- especially if it was from a book.  Dover has taken many of these Gibson images in the public domain and cropped out the background, and I'm wondering if that's what they did here.

beginnings

I have begun this blog in hopes of making a substantial resource for my rants on  popular musical/musicological topics, my current research themes, findings within the pages of my primary sources, maybe teaching stories, or additional links of fun rabbit holes.  For five years now, I have kept a personal blog- one almost diary-esque creation documenting my life.  And though it has been helpful for my introverted nature to allow others to see what is happening in my life, sometimes it feels as if it is a "let's talk about what's stressing me out today!" venue.  So I'd like to have a more historical blog.  Something that might actually contribute to society.  Lofty idealism most certainly, but hey, that's what I'm famous for!

My description of this blog gives a word/definition I've created.  I seem to like to make up words.  It began with "singingly" (playing a melodic line in a singing fashion).  I branched out into "etuding" when telling friends I was scanning/researching back issues of The Etude.  My professor even got into the act when helping create my thesis title with "archetyping."   But Etuding, and all of its derivatives/implications/symbolism has stuck with me, grown into something more.  I feel as if I am the Etudian of which the magazine wrote.  I feel like every day, I am etuding or have "etuded" (not quite as harmonious a word though).  I am studying that which was once studied.  And it's my job to teach others of these studies.

In two days, I leave for the big gathering of American musicology scholars.  I hope to perhaps pass on this website; it will create an accountability for me to continue this new endeavor-- check out my blog with updates on findings from my research.  Maybe somehow I'll have some followers by the end of this week.

This blog must begin with a singular image.  One Etude cover that I use as my profile picture (albeit cropped) at the moment.  To me, it is one of the most beautiful images of piano girl iconography I have uncovered.  I'm very passionate about this image, about what it represents and what it meant in its day.  And I hope to share some of that in the very near future here.