Music Autoethnographies

Making Autoethnography Sing/Making Music Personal

Autoethnography is an autobiographical genre that connects the personal to the cultural, social, and political. Usually written in the first-person voice, autoethnographic work appears in a variety of creative formats; for example, short stories, music compositions, poetry, photographic essays, and reflective journals.  Music Autoethnographies explores an intersection of autoethnographic approaches with studies of music. Written through the eyes, ears, emotions, experiences and stories of music and autoethnography practitioners, this edited collection showcases how autoethnography can expand musicians' awareness of their practices, and how musicians can expand the creative and artistic possibilities of autoethnography. The chapters in this ground-breaking volume stand independently as “musical lines” within themselves, and represent a diverse range of creative, performative, pedagogical and research contexts. When read together, they form a “harmonious counterpoint,” with common themes and contours, as well as contrasting rhythms and textures. Together these chapters produce a compelling story that shows how music can inspire autoethnography to sing, and how autoethnography can inspire musicians to reflect on the personal aspects of music creation and production.