Melbourne Conservatorium of Music - Theses
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ItemKeeping Score: Understanding the Complexities of Metadata in Australian Music Collections( 2023)There is an ongoing global conversation focused on improving access to music held in collections. This conversation centres on adequate metadata description, discoverability of material, and interoperability among collections. It also includes a focus on Universal Bibliographic Control, a process in which a sole record for a resource is used by all institutions around the world that hold that resource in their collections. Additionally, there is debate around the feasibility of a universal standard that could be used to record all necessary metadata of a piece of music material. Such an approach is taken to make collections more accessible and interoperable. This dissertation considers the unique combinations of standards and practices that Australian institutions employ to manage the metadata of their music collections, a topic which has, to date, been largely neglected. For this study, staff from five collecting institutions were interviewed. Staff were asked which standards they use to manage the metadata of their music collections, their experience working with those standards, and the communities their collections serve. They were also asked questions around their collections’ discoverability and interoperability. The findings show that each institution drew from a unique variety of standards, thesauri and other resources to describe the music material held in their collection. They show that each institution’s choice of standards is informed by their operational priorities, encompassing the interests and needs of their collections’ users. Standards and practices are also informed by the music material their collections hold, including material that is distinctive to Australia, such as that pertaining to First Nations Australians. These findings hold significance for future consideration of how to improve access to music held in collections. Specifically, consideration of standards and practices used in Australia, and how these have been developed in response to particular user communities and material, is significant in any efforts towards universal bibliographic control or future standards.
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ItemPlaying My Instrument Again: Participation in a Community Music Group( 2021)Performing in instrumental ensembles is a popular activity for amateur musicians throughout Australia. This dissertation explores the experiences of adult musicians who play in a community music group in Melbourne. Using ethnographic research methods I explore the musical backgrounds, motivations and musical identities of members of the Feathertop Fiddle and String Band. Over a period of eight weeks, I interviewed five members and two former leaders of the band. The interviews are supplemented by participant-observation and documentary research. I discuss my results using thematic analysis, examining learning, performing and leading. I discuss how community music scholarship is often framed by practices that have evolved to promote positive interventions in people’s lives. From the interviews conducted, I question assumptions about some of community music’s broader aims for social connectedness. Lastly, I suggest that the discipline of ethnomusicology is a neglected voice in community music studies within Australia, and what we might be missing as a result.