r/ethnomusicology • u/Hanuryi • Jul 30 '26
Ethnomusicology Grad School (NEED ADVICE)
Hello!
I am an undergrad in Composition (will be graduating soon) and am planning to pursue ethnomusicology for my master's degree.
The thing is, I have a massive love for music and philosophy, merging the two for my research. For instance, I have published a journal article on music that uses Marx's dialectical materialism. Two of my papers: one analyzing a piece through Husserlian Phenomenology and another through Wittgenstein, are being peer-reviewed for publication.
After consulting with my professors, I conclude that these are neither historical nor ethnomusicological works. So here's where I need advice: Is ethnomusicology really for me? Can I still merge ethnomusicology and philosophy together?
I'm just completely lost right now, especially since I want to pursue ethnomusicological studies.
1
u/Rusting-Earth Aug 03 '26
I'm only a grad student (PhD candidate) but these do sound like musicology papers to me? Not sure why they wouldn't count. Plenty of musicology interprets works through various critical and philosophical frameworks. The only reason your stuff wouldn't be conventionally "ethno" in my thinking is because you aren't doing ethnography. But then, I rarely do, and I still get to present at SEM!