Masters?

[sammmue]

Dear All,

I am interested in researching on music practices i.e how students learn, grow, develop and how it affects their music memory on stage.

I want to look into psychological and learning types, capabilities, capacity, traits and ways to practice.

My professor suggested I should look into Masters inrelation to Musical Anthropology but it seems to be heavily linked to ethnomusicology.

Could any kind souls advice and direct me to a clearer path?

[keypeg]

I don't know what you mean by "Masters".  Can you explain?

[quantum]

I would suggest you work on formulating a solid thesis statement first.  This will give you a better idea of the direction you want to go.  You could also draft general areas of study you might want to touch on in the writing of your thesis.  Writing a major research paper is stressful enough, you don't want to have the pressure of completing course work plus the need for additional research and thinking time to form a thesis idea on top of coursework deadlines.  Work on your thesis idea as early as possible. 

Aim for a focused thesis idea, you want a solid statement not loose generalizations that you think you will address later. 

Work on presenting your thesis idea to others in a concise manner.  It doesn't matter that you haven't started writing your research paper, you need to be able to communicate your thesis idea clearly.  This is actually a way of refining your thesis statement, the more you present it the more you are able to refine it.  You will need to present this many times over to your supervisor, thesis committee, professors, people you engage with in participant observation, and in your grad courses to fellow students.  So practice telling people about your research, including lay people like friends. 

Work on your thesis elevator pitch: can you sum up your research idea in 30 seconds to a lay person and get them interested in what you are doing?  If you tend to ramble on and on about the research you want to do, then it is likely your thesis idea needs more focus and precision. 

Have a look at the Three Minute Thesis.  Watch some videos online.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Minute_Thesis


Think about the kind of school you want to attend.  Some schools are traditional, they prefer students stick to studies on well beaten paths.  They can get uneasy if a student wants to pursue new or uncommon paths of study.  There are also schools that welcome new paths of study and interdisciplinary studies.  They don't mind if your research crosses lines between disciplines, or requires an interdisciplinary approach to answering questions.  It will be a lot easier to choose an appropriate school if you already set out your thesis and had ideas on how to approach your research question. 

There are many borrowed concepts from anthropology in both musicology and ethnomusicology studies.   Anthropology does not automatically equate to taking on ethnomusicology.  If you are going to be interacting with people, such as doing interviews or observing what people do, then you may likely need to apply some anthropology concepts in your work. 

***

You have some good areas of study.  Now you have to narrow down the focus so that you can discuss these things with a reasonable amount of thoroughness in a research length paper.  If you are too generalized, it will take many volumes of books to thoroughly write about it all, if you are too specific you will struggle to find supporting material.  You need to find the balance between the two. 

[keypeg]

Did the OP say anything about writing a thesis?  (I'm getting increasingly lost in this thread.)

[quantum]

The OP mentions they have research interests in specific areas, as well as a professor suggesting a Master's relating to Musical Anthropology.

Master's degrees with a focus on research will often have a thesis component as part of the degree.  The thesis or major research project is a significant part of the degree and should be given serious thought and preparation. 

Many students enter a Master's program without a solid thought as to what their thesis project actually is.  It has the potential to create a lot of pressure and stress, finding a topic they are willing to commit to, on top of other duties such as completing course work, TA or grading work, and everything outside of school.  My advice is start early, and not to pile all the work at the end of degree studies. 

A first graduate degree is probably the first time a student is exposed to research writing, and its procedures.  It is different than how they were taught to write in high school, and the types of essays that were asked for in undergraduate studies.  Writing in a Master's research program prepares the student to do professional level research: such as presenting papers at conferences, publishing to journals, writing books.  Learning this stuff can take time, and may need a period of adjustment.  Realize, that a Masters student will need to learn this stuff at the same time as completing all other degree requirements. 

[keypeg]

I see.  I asked what the OP meant by "Masters" and so far he/she hasn't answered any of us.  If from a different country / English not first language then Masters might have meant: connect with someone who is a "master" in teaching who can give guidance, or master classes, or something.  If they simply meant a Master's degree" and choosing the specialization within this, then it's a different question.  You're probably right.

[quantum]

I see you are saying, though the listed topics and emphasis on research tends to point to degree studies.  When I think "study with a master" in relation to music, it probably relates more to studying performance, conducting, composition, etc. with someone with a lot of expertise in the subject. 

The OP also created another thread with a different title but the same questions.
https://www.pianostreet.com/smf/index.php?topic=66795.0

[lostinidlewonder]

Ethnomusicology is the study of “people making music”. It could involve a perspective of music from around the world, from varying time periods, looking into how music is created, passed on, whether it is used for social or religious applications and how that effects its development etc etc. The study also looks also into why people express themselves musically and what value is placed on it within given cultures.

You might have noticed programs in your community where people get together playing musical instruments (perhaps not only manufactured instruments but also instruments they made themselves or every day objects) or group music programs kids attend when very young (with music influenced games, story telling, puppets etc etc). These type of ideas are of keen interest to enthomusicologists, how music is used in its social and cultural contexts, what meaning or benefits it has for the practictioners and the development of programs to effectively practice it.

So the study can certianly look into certain niches of the musical world or try to see it in a broader perspective perhaps how music has shaped over time and the socio/cultural influences that effected its development and transmission. You will have to answer exactly what you want to look into because the options are quite vast.

If you want to see how piano is studied around the world there are plenty of papers to be found online you will have to do a lot of reading and determine what you will focus in on.