MUSIC 445 A: Selected Topics In Ethnomusicology

Sound Archiving in Ethnomusicology

University of Washington, Winter 2016, Music 445 A (3 credits)

Thursdays, 1:30-3:50, Music Bldg. 27

Laurel Sercombe (julius@uw.edu) and John Vallier (vallier@uw.edu), co-instructors

Office Hours:  By appointment

Class dates: Jan. 7, 14, 21, 28; Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25; March 3, 10 

Final project due – Thursday, March 17, 5:00 p.m. in Canvas

ABSTRACT

The development of sound recording technology in the 1890s revolutionized scholarly research in music. With the establishment of the first sound archives at the turn of the 20th century, the link between the comparative study of the world’s music and sound archiving was firmly established. This course will cover both historical and contemporary approaches to media archiving, with an emphasis on the curation of ethnographic recording collections. In addition to lectures and discussion, the class will offer hands-on experience with a variety of analog and digital audiovisual technologies, tools, and best practices. Other topics to be covered include copyright and ethics, digital access and preservation, description, and “green” archiving.

REQUIREMENTS & GRADING

Readings – All readings are freely available on the Canvas course site.

Assignments

• One in-class presentation based on reading assignments (10-15 minutes).
• Weekly reflections (about 300 words) due in Canvas on Wednesday by 11:59 pm.
• One-page written description of proposed project due in Canvas by 1:30 pm January 28 (class Week 4); bring paper copy of proposal to class that day.
  
• Final project due in Canvas on March 14 by 5pm; oral presentation based on your final project due in class during Weeks 9 and 10.

Grading will be based on the following formula:

• Class attendance, participation, and weekly reflections - 20%
• In-class presentation - 20%
• Final project proposal - 10%
• Final project - 50%

SCHEDULE

January 7 (Week 1) - Introduction to Ethnomusicological Sound Archives

• Student introductions
• Instructor introductions & archive stories
• Lecture: Introduction to Ethnomusicological Sound Archives (Laurel)
• Assign readings for in-class presentations

January 14 (Week 2) – History of Sound Recording

Guest: John Gibbs (Special Projects Librarian, UW Music Library)
John's website is one of the best sources for on-line information related to
sound archiving: http://guides.lib.washington.edu/AudioPreservation

Readings for discussion:

Seeger, Anthony. “The Role of Sound Archives in Ethnomusicology Today,” Ethnomusicology, Vol. 30, No. 2 (Spring/Summer, 1986), pp. 261-276. 

Landau, Carolyn & Janet Topp Fargion. “We're all Archivists Now: Towards a more Equitable Ethnomusicology,” Ethnomusicology Forum, Vol.21, No. 2 (August 2012), pp.125-140.

Maguire, Marsha. “Description of Audio Recordings,” Chapter 5 in ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation, Sam Brylawski, Maya Lerman, Robin Pike, and Kathlin Smith, eds. Association for Recorded Sound Collections, Issuing Body. CLIR Publication No. 164. 

January 21 (Week 3) – Audio Characteristics, Deterioration, and Preservation

Guest:  Gary Louie (Media Maintenance Technician, UW School of Music)

Hands-on ethno archive experience (Week 1) - Ethno Archives and mediArcade

Discussion of issues related to the digital preservation of and access to archival materials, including an introduction to digitization standards and best practices as defined by the International Association of Sound and Audiovisual Archives (TC-04, 2nd edition, 2009).

Readings for discussion:

IASA Technical Committee. “Key Digital Principles,” in Guidelines on the Production and Preservation of Digital Audio Objects (TC-04, 2nd edition, 2009), Ch. 2.

Peoples, Curtis and Marsha Maguire. “Preserving Audio,” Chapter 1 and Behl, Harrison. “Audio Formats: Characteristics and Deterioration,” Chapter 2 in ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation, Sam Brylawski, Maya Lerman, Robin Pike, and Kathlin Smith, eds. Association for Recorded Sound Collections, Issuing Body. CLIR Publication No. 164.

January 28 (Week 4) – Audio Appraisal, Maintenance, and Description

Written description of proposed project due in class today

Hands-on ethno archive experience (Week 2) - Ethno Archives and mediArcade

Readings for discussion:

Lerman, Maya. “Appraisals and Priorities,” Chapter 3 and Arton, Carla.  "Care and Maintenance,” Chapter 4 in ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation, Sam Brylawski, Maya Lerman, Robin Pike, and Kathlin Smith, eds. Association for Recorded Sound Collections, Issuing Body. CLIR Publication No. 164. 

February 4 (Week 5) – Audio Preservation, Reformatting and Storage

Guest (via Skype): Alan Burdette (Director, Archives of Traditional Music, Indiana University) - The Media Digitization and Preservation Project at Indiana University

Hands-on ethno archive experience (Week 3) - Ethno Archives and mediArcade

Readings for discussion:

Chase, William. “Preservation Reformatting,” Chapter 6 and Lacinak, Chris. “What to Do After Digitization,” Chapter 7 in ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation, Sam Brylawski, Maya Lerman, Robin Pike, and Kathlin Smith, eds. Association for Recorded Sound Collections, Issuing Body. CLIR Publication No. 164.  

February 11 (Week 6) –  Contracts, Copyright, and Ethics

Guest:  Chris Heaney (Ph.D. student, UW Information School)

Readings for discussion:

Butler, Brandon. “Audio Preservation: The Legal Context,” Chapter 8 in ARSC Guide to Audio Preservation, Sam Brylawski, Maya Lerman, Robin Pike, and Kathlin Smith, eds. Association for Recorded Sound Collections, Issuing Body. CLIR Publication No. 164.

Protocols for Native American Archival Materials - http://www2.nau.edu/libnap-p/protocols.html

Seeger, Anthony. “Traditional Music Ownership in a Commodified World,” in Music and Copyright (2nd ed., 2004), Ch. 9.

February 18 (Week 7) - Video and Film

Guests: Andrew Weaver (Digital and Archival Media Technician, UW Libraries) and Hannah Palin (Film Archives Specialist, Special Collections, UW Libraries)

Readings for discussion:

Bromberg, Nicolette, Hannah Palin, and Libby Burke. Washington State Film Preservation Manual: Low-cost & No-cost Suggestions to Care for Your Film (2004). 

Bensinger, Charles. Chapters 2, 3, 4, and 6 of The Video Guide. 2d ed. Santa Barbara, Calif.: Video-Info Publications, 1979.

February 25 (Week 8) – Critical Concerns

Guest: Hiromi Lorraine Sakata (Professor Emerita, UCLA)

Readings for discussion:

Sakata, Sercombe, and Vallier. "Radio Afghanistan Archive Project: Building Capacity, Averting Repatriation." Unpublished chapter on Radio Afghanistan. Submitted for review at Oxford University Press.

Fargion, Janet Topp. (2012). Connecting with Communities: Building Sustainable Models for Audiovisual Archiving into the Future. In Ethnomusicology in East Africa: Perspectives from Uganda and Beyond (pp. 49-59). Kampala, Uganda: Fountain.

Optional: Davis, Casey. "PROJECT_ARCC: Archivists Responding to Climate Change."

March 3 (Week 9) – In-class presentations (Week 1)

March 10 (Week 10) - In-class presentations (Week 2) (Last class!)

Monday, March 14 - Projects due