PRACTICE RESEARCH IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY: THREE ACTS OF TRANSLATION

DR SUE MILLER (LEEDS BECKETT UNIVERSITY)

ICMUS RESEARCH SERIES PRESENTS: Wednesday 16th October 4pm Armstrong Building G.17

For enquires contact Samiran Culbert : s.culbert2@ncl.ac.uk

International Centre for Music Studies (ICMuS) Armstrong Building, Newcastle University, NE1 7RU

PRACTICE RESEARCH IN ETHNOMUSICOLOGY: THREE ACTS OF TRANSLATION 

DR SUE MILLER

Taking Simon McKerrell’s paper ‘Towards Practice Research in Ethnomusicology’ as a starting point I present here three examples of my own practice research which use performance as ‘a central methodology, ’ as a ‘translation of artistic performance aesthetics’ and as a ‘research outcome sited in original performance.’ (McKerrell, 2019, 1) On entering academia in 2006 as a freelance performer specialising in Cuban popular music I was immediately steered towards John Baily’s ‘Learning to Perform as a Research Technique’ (2001) as a framework in which to examine the creative process in Cuban charanga improvisation (doctoral thesis and portfolio of recordings, 2010). However I was uneasy about using this ‘methodology’ in that it did not entirely encompass my approach or my aims. I did however want to document my study with one of the most famous Cuban improvisers, Richard Egües from Orquesta Aragón. Coming from a dual background in music and languages I found the debates surrounding music and culture perplexing initially and viewed myself as already a ‘professional interculturalist’ (Looseley, 2013, 19).

In the three examples presented here (monographs on performance aesthetics and improvisational creativity), a British Academy funded performance and production project, and a music, dance and animation collaboration), I will demonstrate how, in my translational role, I have employed my own performance practice to produce text, performances, scores, audio and audio-visual research outputs which translate research findings and insights for outside the artistic community of practice, and, in some cases, within it.

Biography

Sue is a Reader in Music at Leeds Beckett University. Specialising in Cuban popular music and improvisation her book Cuban Flute Style: Interpretation and Improvisation (Scarecrow Press, 2014) explores the role of influence in the development of a style. Her second book Improvising Sabor: Cuban Dance Music in New York (University Press of Mississippi, 2020) looks afresh at the history of Latin music in the USA. Her current British Academy funded research project employs experimental archaeology approaches to live studio performance. Sue is also a professional flute player and musical director of ‘Charanga del Norte.’