Fieldwork project

Your project is to document some aspect of music making in Boston / Manchester, or perhaps in your hometown. The project you choose should be related to the content of the course in some way.

General guidelines for all projects

1. IMPORTANT! In order to get full credit, you must get my approval for your choice of topic before you proceed. If you do not do so, you run the risk of getting a zero if your work does not meet the requirements of the assignment.
2. I encourage collaborative projects. Each person in a group must choose a separate form of documentation from the list below, and each individual will be graded on his or her own contribution to the group's project.
3. Your project must be your own work. Turning in other people's writings, photos, or recordings constitutes plagiarism.
4. You must always have permission before using anyone as a subject of a recording, photo, or interview. Tape recording someone without their permission is illegal in the states of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and it is unethical everywhere.
5. Avoid e-mailing large files to me. Either burn your files to a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM, or else use a free service such as YouSendIt to send the file to me.

Types of projects

1. A recorded interview, 5-15 minutes long. (If the subject talks longer, it is acceptable to edit out certain passages.)
   • After conducting the interview, transcribe your own words and the respondent's words as exactly as possible.
   • You must use a recording device (after asking permission); do not attempt to write down a respondent's words during an interview.
   • Turn in the transcript, not the recording.
2. 5-15 minutes of audio or video recording of musical performance. (This does not have to be continuous. You can edit a longer performance down to a few excerpts.)
   • Along with your recording, turn in a short statement explaining when and where the recording was made and who appears on it.
   • Acceptable formats: standard audiocassette (not microcassette), VHS videotape, audio CD, DVD, digital audio file (.wav, .mp3, .ogg only), digital video file (.wmv, .mov, .mpg only)
   • Unacceptable formats: microcassettes, .dvf (Sony audio), .msv (Memory Stick audio)
3. A portfolio of 10-20 still photographs, organized according to a theme, with captions explaining the importance of each photo.
   • Acceptable formats (if done digitally): PowerPoint (.ppt only, not .pptx), .jpg files, .png files.
4. A 4-6 page paper which discusses the people involved in a musical performance, the social context of the performance, and the musical material presented at the performance.
   • If you pursue this option, attach to your paper a program, ticket stub, or other document from the musical event you attended.