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.
