|
|
|
|
Constructing an Asian American Practice through Western Classical Music |
|
| Abstract | Word Stems | Keywords | Association | Citation | Get this Document | Similar Titles |
|
|
Abstract:
|
In 1994, the New York Times quoted conductor Simon Rattle as predicting that “eventually, most string players in American orchestras will be of Asian backgrounds.” While Rattle might have been speaking in hyperbole, more than ten years later, almost all of the leading music schools and departments in the United States have a significant Asian and Asian American presence. For instance, at the Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division, Asians and Asian Americans now constitute over half of the student body. The growing visibility of Asians and Asian Americans in Western classical music in the last three decades has normalized their presence within this cultural field and, in the process, allowed them to become considered more authentic interpreters of the music. In an oral interview conducted with violinist Midori, she observed: “It’s interesting that Asians used to be considered exotic, sort of, in classical music because pretty soon it’s going to be the opposite. If you’re not Asian, then you’re going to be exotic in a sense.”
This paper draws on fieldwork conducted in New York City with Asian American classical musicians and their families, analyzing a paradoxical set of ideas that coalesce in the performance of Western classical music by Asian American performers. Through an analysis of oral interviews, I explore how Asian American classical musicians manage assumptions that music is a shared universal language and the unsurpassed embodiment of European “essence” and tradition. I underscore the contradictory logic that while music is supposedly a meritocratic culture where race does not matter, Asians and Asian Americans are frequently perceived as racially “over represented” in this cultural field. For many of the musicians I interviewed, their participation in classical music highlights the tenuous racial position that Asian Americans occupy on the American social landscape – perceived as not quite minorities and yet racially distinct. Classical music comes to serve as a fraught sign for a range of ideas and stereotypes about Asian Americans: as disciplined workers, as zealous embracers of Western goods, and as model minority citizens. At the same time, my paper argues that for many Asian American musicians and their families, classical music training has been re-interpreted as an Asian American cultural practice, a space where their presence is now normative, expected, and extolled. That is, the activity of learning classical music becomes coded as “Asian American,” allowing Asian Americans to authenticate their place within this musical field. |
|
 | Convention | | Convention is an application service for managing large or small academic conferences, annual meetings, and other types of events! |  | Submission - Custom fields, multiple submission types, tracks, audio visual, multiple upload formats, automatic conversion to pdf. |  | Review - Peer Review, Bulk reviewer assignment, bulk emails, ranking, z-score statistics, and multiple worksheets! |  | Reports - Many standard and custom reports generated while you wait. Print programs with participant indexes, event grids, and more! |  | Scheduling - Flexible and convenient grid scheduling within rooms and buildings. Conflict checking and advanced filtering. |  | Communication - Bulk email tools to help your administrators send reminders and responses. Use form letters, a message center, and much more! |  | Management - Search tools, duplicate people management, editing tools, submission transfers, many tools to manage a variety of conference management headaches! | | Click here for more information. |
|
|
Association:
Name: American Studies Association
URL: http://www.theasa.net
|
Citation:
|
MLA Citation:
| Wang, Grace. "Constructing an Asian American Practice through Western Classical Music" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Studies Association, <Not Available>. 2009-05-24 <http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p114158_index.html> |
APA Citation:
| Wang, G. "Constructing an Asian American Practice through Western Classical Music" Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Studies Association <Not Available>. 2009-05-24 from http://www.allacademic.com/meta/p114158_index.html |
Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: In 1994, the New York Times quoted conductor Simon Rattle as predicting that “eventually, most string players in American orchestras will be of Asian backgrounds.” While Rattle might have been speaking in hyperbole, more than ten years later, almost all of the leading music schools and departments in the United States have a significant Asian and Asian American presence. For instance, at the Juilliard School’s Pre-College Division, Asians and Asian Americans now constitute over half of the student body. The growing visibility of Asians and Asian Americans in Western classical music in the last three decades has normalized their presence within this cultural field and, in the process, allowed them to become considered more authentic interpreters of the music. In an oral interview conducted with violinist Midori, she observed: “It’s interesting that Asians used to be considered exotic, sort of, in classical music because pretty soon it’s going to be the opposite. If you’re not Asian, then you’re going to be exotic in a sense.”
This paper draws on fieldwork conducted in New York City with Asian American classical musicians and their families, analyzing a paradoxical set of ideas that coalesce in the performance of Western classical music by Asian American performers. Through an analysis of oral interviews, I explore how Asian American classical musicians manage assumptions that music is a shared universal language and the unsurpassed embodiment of European “essence” and tradition. I underscore the contradictory logic that while music is supposedly a meritocratic culture where race does not matter, Asians and Asian Americans are frequently perceived as racially “over represented” in this cultural field. For many of the musicians I interviewed, their participation in classical music highlights the tenuous racial position that Asian Americans occupy on the American social landscape – perceived as not quite minorities and yet racially distinct. Classical music comes to serve as a fraught sign for a range of ideas and stereotypes about Asian Americans: as disciplined workers, as zealous embracers of Western goods, and as model minority citizens. At the same time, my paper argues that for many Asian American musicians and their families, classical music training has been re-interpreted as an Asian American cultural practice, a space where their presence is now normative, expected, and extolled. That is, the activity of learning classical music becomes coded as “Asian American,” allowing Asian Americans to authenticate their place within this musical field. |
Get this Document:
Find this citation or document at one or all of these locations below. The links below may have the citation or the entire document for free or you may purchase access to the document. Clicking on these links will change the site you're on and empty your shopping cart.
Similar Titles:
(Re)Constructing Asian-Americanness: A Performance Criticism of On Becoming Japerican
Towards Redefining American Leadership and Construction of a Northeast Asian Community
From the Freighter to the Podium: Japanese and Japanese Americans in Western Classical Music
Asianized Asians, Twinkies, and North Face Puffy Jackets: Constructing Racialized Gender Identities among Second Generation Korean American College Women
|
|
