It was a busy fall for the
American Music Research Center (AMRC)!
One of the many efforts underway is the Soundscapes of the People project. Two CU Boulder PhD students—Lydia Wagenknecht and Ben Cefkin—are working on this project alongside AMRC Director Susan Thomas, Associate Professor of Ethnomusicology Austin Okigbo and CU Boulder alumna Xóchitl Chávez, the first Chicana tenure track assistant professor in the music department at the University of California, Riverside. Both students are studying ethnomusicology and have been working on the project since summer 2021.
Soundscapes of the People explores the historical significance of Pueblo, Colorado, and the culture of the community there, particularly highlighting local music. This research initiative is funded by the National Endowment for Humanities and CU Boulder’s Research & Innovation Office and Office for Outreach and Engagement. The team spends time in Pueblo interviewing people and traveling to culturally significant places. For the graduate students, the project requires fieldwork in Pueblo, combing through the completed interviews and preparing them for University Libraries archives.
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