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Discourse community
ethnography
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James Glenn
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discourse community ethnography
Discourse community is an ambiguous phrase as it entails non-definite terms and definite
terms alike. However discourse communities are everywhere; including in a scholarly musical
realm. A community any where will have its own genre of communication, common goals,
mechanisms of intercommunication, and a specific lexis. Though there are a few more the key
points to be observed are stated. In the musical community conventions are held, a certain
language is created – an outsider would be lost as in any other community and there but there is
no need to prove that the discourse exists. Communication throughout this community is a bit
different from most others: talking or writing is not the only way to go about speaking. Sounds
are used in place of spoken word in the case of instrumental communication. Though talking and
writing is a big part of intercommunication, along with its unique lexis, it can be more prudent to
strum rather than talk in certain situations.
Musical scholars who compose songs for various reasons whether it be inspiration or for
educational purposes, (for example, easy learning practices for beginners) use musical notation
and abbreviated words or phrases to communicate to their audience. Some abbreviated terms are
used more than others but this picture of “Amazing Grace” (John Newton) shows a few
commonly used symbols that every single scholarly piece of music uses.
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discourse community ethnography
Along with these forms of communication, there are common goals shared by all that
have joined the community. Students are marginally different than teachers, since their goals
branch from the same tree. The goals expressed by this community is simply the desire to expand
knowledge and utilize newfound knowledge in different ways. This goal can be branched to
several different explanations. For example, the student's main focus is the advancement of
knowledge for knowledge's sake and to achieve new skill. The teachers goal is similar yet
reversed. An instructor's goal is not so much the desire to better themselves, but to better their
students. A non-student, non-teacher member of the community who is considered an expert in
the community (Jimmy Page is an example), has a slightly different goal. These individuals do
not seek education's knowledge given in a school or passed down from a tutor. They look for
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discourse community ethnography
inspiration and derive abstract experiences and connections from their surroundings to enhance
their own music.
The role of the student applies to me most. I am an active memeber of a musical
community. on a daily basis I strive to better my skills through practice and information. I am
considered a novice, since I am relatively new to the community. However, on the other side of
the spectrum, there are the "experts" who pass down knowledge from the top to the bottom. In
every community, there is a need to have "high ranking" members of a community to teach newcomers how to function and pass their knowledge in a cycle of new-comers and old-goers. A
community without this cycle will inevitably cease to exist. There can be no lineage without an
heir, in other words.
Lexicon is a huge part of the music community. People need to be able to communicate
the phenomena created within each community and specific lexicon solves this problem. The
musical community uses words derived from several different languages and the amount of
different words could fill a dictionary, however, some randomly selected and common words can
be explained. A cappella, Aria, and symphony are good examples. A cappella (pronounced ahcah-pell-a) is a word that describes a song or performance without instrumental aid. This gained
popularity from old cathedral choirs in the Holy Roman Empire. An aria ( ah-ree-yuh), Italian for
"air", is a piece of music written part of a larger piece, mainly used in operas. Lastly, a
symphony (sim-foh-nee) is a large piece of music consisting of 3 or more "movements", or
sections, that is usually orchestrated. Symphonic bands gained popularity in various places in
history though a significant number of great composers came from the renaissance.
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discourse community ethnography
Discourse in the music community is plainly shown and has its own unique attributes that
differentiates itself from other communities. Through studying the community by participating in
it gives insight and can be only better understood by becoming an expert.