Renovated UCLA Ethnomusicology Archive broadens access to cultural music resources once more
The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music's Ethnomusicology Archive has undergone an impressive expansion, transforming into a vast trove of audio field recordings, interviews, educational recordings, and film materials that document diverse musical traditions from around the world, with a particular focus on African soundscapes.
This expansion has significantly increased the Archive's capacity to serve as a valuable resource for ethnomusicology students, researchers, and the public interested in global musical cultures. As part of this expansion, the Archive now boasts a new inviting public space, a high-density shelving area, and a viewing room for groups of up to 14 people.
To celebrate this expansion, the Archive held a grand re-opening event titled "Documenting the Sounds of Africa". This event honoured the Archive's commitment to documenting and preserving African music traditions through field recordings and other ethnographic materials.
The event was a significant milestone, not only for the Archive but also for the UCLA community. It aimed to build a sense of community for the ethnomusicology students and faculty at UCLA, and it was free and open to the public. An open house was included to showcase the Archive's renovation.
The celebration featured performances by the UCLA West African and Afro-Cuban Ensembles, who performed traditional repertoires from Ghana, and the Wondem Band, who offered an East African-influenced mix of Ethiopian jazz, Sudanese soul, and traditional secular music from Somalia and Eritrea.
The event was presented by the World Music Center and the Department of Ethnomusicology and took place in the Jan Popper Theater in Schoenberg Hall from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 11.
The Archive, with its extensive collection of over 150,000 audio, video, print, and photographic items, is a testament to UCLA's commitment to preserving vital cultural heritages and supporting academic and artistic engagement with ethnomusicological work. The Archive's recent expansion underscores its role in preserving and promoting global musical cultures, making it a potential heart of the academic community at UCLA.
The expanded Archive, with its addition of audio field recordings, interviews, educational recordings, and film materials, now serves as a comprehensive learning resource for those interested in education-and-self-development in global musical cultures. Moreover, the re-opening event, centered around African music traditions, showcased various performances that combined entertainment and an appreciation for music from diverse ethnic backgrounds.
