Psychomusicology: A Program, a Journal, and Divergent Paths

ABSTRACT-Carlsen, Taylor, and Williams present the background that brought each of them first to music and then to psychomusicology. Carken's story outlines the development and structure of the academic program of psychomusicology within the systematic musicology program at the University of Washington School of Music. Taylor explores the impact of that program on the inauguration of the Center for Music Research in the College of Music at Florida State University. Williams' path gives birth to the journal Psychomusicology and then to the establishment of the arts technology program at Illinois State University. The sub-text in all these paths is the goal to provide music students from a broad array of backgrounds with those research skills necessary to explore the questions in music that depend upon suitable application of the scientific method. Not only is there a close relation between the various sciences. but it is also true that science and art cannot do without one another. The more of the artist there is in the scientist the more fitted is he for his calling, and vice versa. Lacking intuition and imagination, the work of a scientist will at best be pedestrian; without a sense of inner order, of constructive logic, the artist will remain on the periphery of art. - Zoltan Kodaly in L. Eosze (1962) Our new editor, Annabel Cohen, has suggested that we might pattern our style of presentation in these articles after those in the series A History of Psychology in Autobiography. This is an intriguing idea, but it may take a bit of massaging to accommodate a multiauthored piece such as this one. What may emerge is an autobiography-in-diminution. If such a miniautobiography "provides evidence for an intimate interaction between the professional and scientific and the personal and idiosyncratic" (G. Lindzey, 1980, p. ix), we will be pleased. More importantly, what we are attempting is an "autobiography" of psychomusicology itself. The components of the autobiography will include psychomusicology as an academic program at the University of Washington, as the Journal, and as the impact the program has had. The mini-autobiographies describe three paths: one that leads to the program and the other two that follow from the program and its impact. PATH OF THE MENTOR: JAMES C. CARLSEN Most scholars in music begin their training learning to play a musical instrument, usually at an early age. I began lessons on the violin in 1935 at the age of eight. The three things remarkable about this were that neither of my parents were musicians, this was during the years of the Great Depression, and my older sister and brother were already taking music lessons. My father worked part time at a mill that produced feed for poultry and livestock, my mother worked in the school cafeteria, and we rented a small farm. My parents bartered for music lessons, bringing milk and eggs to the music teacher twice a week. I anticipated playing in the orchestra when I reached fifth grade but also wanted to play in the band. Since a band does not use violins, I decided I would make the snare drum my band instrument. Only one problem: My parents had purchased a violin for me from Sears, Roebuck and Co. and could not afford the cost of a snare drum as well. In order to earn the needed money, every Saturday during my fourth grade school year, from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. , I would sell the Sunday edition of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer newspaper on the street corner of our little farming community. The paper sold for 10 cents, and I received two pennies for each paper I sold. Competition was fierce, and since I was the youngest paperboy, the most I ever sold on a Saturday was 17. Sears, Roebuck and Co. also had a snare drum and drum stand in their catalog for 12 dollars, but at the end of my year, I had only saved 10 dollars. My parents rewarded my diligence and contributed the needed two dollars, and the drum (and drum stand) was mine. …