My name is Ronan Mc Connell and I am currently studying an MA in Museum Studies at Bournemouth Univeristy in the UK. I play ITM reguarly, mainly mandolin and guitar.
I researching for my thesis entitled ‘Traditional Music: is it a viable resource for museums to collect in order to promote local cultural heritage?’
Basically my work revolves around the idea that traditional music (either ITM or other) can be used by museums to promote cultural heritage in the forms of collecting, perservation, exhibition, sound archive, workshops. study (e.g. regional variations) etc… What I am trying to ascertain is whether or not this idea is currently plausible.
I have been in contact with many museums about this topic but what I would also love to know is what you; the players and listeners of ITM feel about the subject.
I have designed a short survey that takes two mins max to fill out and I would be really grateful for any responses. If anyone would like to continue the discussion in this thread also it would be much appreciated! I wasn’t sure whether this post is unsuitable for this forum and I apoligise if it is not. The core of this however, is the promotion of local traditional music.
Ive a similiar thread at the session.org, got some great responses, would love to hear from you guys too!
I play ITM, so answered the “do you play/participate” questions with ITM in mind b/c it’s what I do. HOWEVER, I live in the ol’ Bluegrass state of Kentucky, so as far as your broader “traditional music as part of culture” questions go, there’s already considerable collecting of Bluegrass and Appalachian/old-timey music here. There’s even a Bluegrass museum and hall of fame …
Needless to say, I’d love to see ITM here get some interest from collectors, but I can’t imagine it’ll ever achieve more than “poor stepsister” status to Bluegrass (even though Bluegrass is a direct descendant) here.
I found the survey difficult to answer from my POV due to the way the questions were asked. I do participate in playing ITM but it is not a culturally relevant part of my city or state; if Arizona has its own folk music I would imagine it might be cowboy songs or something but I know nothing of it. From my POV “culturally relevant local traditional music” and my participation in playing ITM don’t seem to line up in any way that help your survey so I hope I didn’t skew your study by participating.
One thought that did occur to me though, based on your study in general, was that if a library or museum did put the work into collecting/maintaining this library of transcribed or recorded music, it doesn’t do a heck of a lot of good if the locals don’t know it is there. Perhaps you should consider the resource limitations or willingness that such organizations might have when it comes to marketing and public awareness.
There is no “music scene” around here although the area - North Lincolnshire, England - is a place of great and aged traditions. The local museum has a vast photo archive of olden days but no audio, more’s the pity.
There are a few Folkies around these parts but they seem to be ageing rapidly and have little, if any, interest in coming out to play, so to speak.
By way of example, a few years back June Tabor played a gig in our local theatre. There was about fifteen people at the gig, not one of them from the local “Folk crowd”…a virtuoso performance without a doubt - I was speechless for days after - but not one of the locals…not one single one of them turned up.
I figured that maybe it was not their kind of Folk/Trad…
Our local museum is a wonderful little place. It can show things - which I can’t spell - that go back two hundred million years ago..right up through the beginning of the town and how it is now.
No audio…no local songs..
I’m with ye all the way but a museum needs a source…
Around here, they will probably want to collect the music when the last one who knows anything about it dies…then they will get excited.
I’m not from these parts meself but I have met a few who are…
June Tabor’s last record (or maybe second last) has a cover of The Banks of the Sweet Primroses that’s everything a great cover should be - totally unlike any other version, but somehow sounding inevitible anyway. She takes it slow with Huw Warren’s fine piano backing falling into and out of a repetitive, dissonant harmony that breaks your heart everytime you hear it.
Back to the original topic, which I keep thinking about for some reason:
If you’re still tuned in, Mr. Beanstalk, I’m curious to know how much you’ve developed your study or if you are in the beginning stages of implementation. Having done similar research projects for my Masters the first thing that I thought looking at your study was that it is a bit broad. It seems that you might need to focus your subject down to a specific strand of folk music in a specific cultural location. Otherwise your study is impacted by a very large number of variables that might make it impossible for you to come to any usable conclusions.
If you are determined to keep the subject broad then perhaps you need to go about collecting your data in a different way. My earlier comments regarding the survey which you solicited on this site explains the need for that. Though we all here enjoy participation (in some capacity) in Irish traditional music, most of us cannot connect our hobby to a “local folk music” context that your study is looking for. You might find a select few here who can claim ITM as their own local folk music heritage but not many. Because of this your existing survey cannot give you the data you are looking for. Normally I would recommend putting this by your professor but if he or she does not have an understanding of the many differences in folk music then they may not see the problem. Just food for thought.
Thank you for the replies everyone and the further info!
Ok i just thought id answer a few questions although Johnny seems to have summed up the main concerns!
The purpose is to ascertain the level of interest and what opinions players of traditional music (anywhere, doesn’t have to be ITM) have about local museum collecting. Although the results will initially be directed towards the UK and Ireland, the overall message is much the same. So you certainly didn’t mess up the survey by answering, the more the merrier!
Your second point is spot on! I should add that I also sent out a seperate survey to museums and cultural institutions with regards to finding their level of interest in collecting traditional music, and whether they have the resources to do it. Having already recieved quite a few responses I have a fair idea about the limitations and willingness of such organizations.
Thanks for your reply, I do agree that a museum needs a source, but this could be as simple as arranging to gather local musicians together and recoreding them. In terms of promoting the music and its heritgage, museums, as cultural institutions, normally hold a wide variety of collections and can thus attract a varied audience. I think the situation with the June Tabor gig was awful btw.
Thanks again for another insightful reply Johnny. I agree the subject (traditional music) is quite broad, but the attempt to relate to museums its working out quite well (particualry in terms of the second survey i mentioned above).
With regards to the existence of local folk traditions, it is an interesting subject. We need to ask ourselves what defines ‘local heritage’? For how long do we have to carry out something, or how many people have to do it, before it becomes a tradition or before it is accepted as part of our local heritage? For example many parts of London would now consider ITM to be part of their heritage, the same with cities in the United States. But the point is it doesn’t need to be ITM (it never specified ITM in the survey, i am sorry for the confusion), I posted here because I play ITM myself and I wanted to know what you thought as players. If you play bluegrass, old-time or Dorset fiddle tunes its all the same with regard to promoting local heritage (i play these on the side). There might not be a tradition of the music you play in your area, but if you understand the importance of the music in general then your opinion is much appreciated in the survey! In saying that, if someone doesn’t understand the importance, their opinion is just as useful!
The study has developed as follows - survey analysis followed by case studies including the ITMA in Dulbin, the EFDSS in London, and my own work for a museum local to the university i am studying (includes interviews with collectors, archivists and librarians). This will then be followed by a reccomendation and template for traditional music collecting by museums, followed by a conclusion. Hope this answers your question? I really appreciate all your replies!
