Fusions NYU Pioneered Academic Study of Urban Music in 1970s Conference Will Be Held March 7th, 9th and 10th New York City, America's largest and most diverse urban center, has been a global crossroads of musical creativity for over a century. With its large immigrant population and sophisticated networks of cultural organizations, media and entertainment industries, New York City has long been a crucible for the melding and transformation of traditional musical styles. For the first time ever, the conference will bring together scholars and musicians for a three-day examination of NYC's varied music cultures.
All events are free and open to the public.
It's a very positive sign that these many scholars are researching the city's music, trying to understand the shaping force that this particular urban context and its noisy soundscape has had on musical performance. NYU inaugurated its Program in Ethnomusicology in 1977, and it became the first to focus on urban ethnomusicology. Its students work closely with musicians in the urban area, provide assistance to local musicians, and occasionally write dissertations on New York's fertile musical scenes. They also study diverse musical performance styles in ensembles led by local musicians.