Music Knowledge and Plans Field

Field Essays are personal field notes and descriptions of a musical happening, between 1000-1500 words. A Field Essay should include descriptions of the event, reactions to the event, and any follow-ups on the part of the researcher to better understand the event in its cultural context. An event could include a concert on campus or in greater Los Angeles, a personal interview with a musician, a rehearsal, jam session, dance party or any other live happening involving music. It is preferable that the researcher share temporal space with the event (be there), or justify the mediated nature of the event (explain why you are reporting on an online event). An ideal essay would include a writeup of the researcher’s plans and previous knowledge of the music or musicians; a detailed description of the event including time, place, people, crowd, reactions, collective responses, and surprises; further research into what happened and why it happened; and notes about discussions with musicians and/or audience members, or details from further readings. In short: be there, be in the moment, keep your eyes open, ask questions, and write it down like you are explaining it to someone who wasn’t there.