Career Profile: Ethnomusicologist

Job Title: Ethnomusicologist
AKA: Cultural Anthropologist, musicologists, cultural analysts, folklorists

What is an Ethnomusicologist?
Ethno, the prefix of the word Ethnomusicology, comes from the Greek word Ethnos, or nation, and refers to ethnicity or ethnocentric. Musicology is the study of music as an academic subject, as opposed to training in music performance or composition. Put them together and you’ve got Ethnomusicology, the study of the music of different cultures.

An Ethnomusicologist is a researcher who studies music, musicians, instruments, and the ideas, behaviors and processes used to produce music.

What does an Ethnomusicologist actually do?
Ethnomusicologists study all aspects of music and music-making in the context of the culture that created it. For example, an Ethnomusicologist might travel to Nigeria or China to live with a little-known tribe or family of musicians who originated a certain form, or genre, of music or a traditional instrument. They try to become a part of the culture, or at least learn enough about the traditions, beliefs and customs to really understand the role of music in the family or tribes lives (i.e. music as entertainment, as art, as part of religious ceremonies or prayer, or as a way passing along the tribe or family’s history).

In addition to the time spent observing, listening to and learning about the music and the people making it, Ethnomusicologists ask people questions, help individuals and communities document and promote their musical practices, and sometimes learn to perform the music themselves. In this way Ethnomusicologists are a lot like cultural anthropologists.

Ethnomusicologists are also very similar to other researchers in that they may also conduct research using archives, libraries, and museums for documentation on musical sounds, practices, instruments, and the musicians and artisans who created them.

Ethnomusicologists are different from many other types of researchers in that their work is almost exclusively in the field, versus in a lab or classroom. For this reason, Ethnomusicologists must have excellent research skills. They must be able to objectively observe the people they are studying, they must listen well, have deductive reasoning skills, be analytical, take detailed notes, keep meticulous records to document what theyâ€™ve learned, from whom, when, and how. Ethnomusicologists must also be solid writers who can boil all that they learn down into a comprehensive report at the end of their research. Finally, ethnomusicologists must be naturally good with people and open to new and different ideas and ways of living.

Ethnomusicologists come from varied backgrounds–anthropology, psychology, sociology, education, music, library science, history, linguistics and other disciplines and work for a variety of employers, from universities to museums, to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Ethnomusicologists often work in jobs that are titled anything but ethnomusicologist; they work as museum curators, archivists, professors, historians, music librarians, cultural anthropologists, cultural affairs directors, arts council directors and more!

For whom might Ethnomusicologists work?
Most ethnomusicologists work as college professors in academic institutions, but a significant number also work with museums, festivals, record labels, archives, libraries, schools, research institutes, associations, and even the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and National Endowment of the Arts.

How much does an Ethnomusicologist earn?
Depending on their experience, level of education, and the position in which they are employed, Ethnomusicologists earn between $30,000 (arts council director) and $91,000+ (museum director). The average salary is approximately $45,000 (assistant professor).

To break in you’ll need…
To earn at least a bachelors degree, but to earn the big bucks, you’ll need a graduate degree. Most budding Ethnomusicologists major in anthropology, music, art, international relations, linguistics, ethnic studies (i.e. African-American Studies), sociology and/or history. However, Ethnomusicologists may also study political science, psychology, religious studies, literature, communications, journalism and classical studies.

The best way to get started in this field, like many others, is to land an internship with an organization you’d like to work for. Ethnomusicologists can land internships with a pretty interesting group of employers, including online startups looking to catalogue and make searchable music sounds, clips, artist profiles, etc.

An equally great way to get started is to be a traveling musician and self-made music scholar (in addition to earning the degree). Many organizations prefer musicians who not only study the music and the people, but have experience playing the music and living alongside the people. This is especially valuable if the organization specializes in a certain genre of music in which you happen to be an expert.

Earning a graduate degree and/or taking entry-level jobs are also solid ways of breaking in.

What about this career doesn’t suck?
Ethnomusicology is a low-stress, high-satisfaction job that allows music and people lovers to get paid while doing what they love. Even if research is not something you might imagine yourself doing, qualitative research that allows you to live with interesting people and document their lives, musical styles and instruments may change your mind. Ethnomusicologists enjoy pretty fun work environments and nice perks, and the work they do has the added societal benefit of celebrating and appreciating many different cultures through music. The only potential deduction on our WorkYourWay Index might be the low entry-level salaries, but that can be mitigated by earning a graduate degree.

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