Sociomusicology: Avatar Music

1/25/10

Avatar Music

Still at No.1 for the sixth-straight weekend, Avatar is poised to become the most profitable movie of all time. Below is its trailer.

Avatar is an interesting film for ethnomusicologists and music technology specialists in that its soundtrack makes use of music from many parts of the world (with an ethnomusicologist consultant even on the production staff), and it utilizes the latest sound effects using 3D and surround sound technology.

The film also demonstrates the possibilities that have been opened by the use of avatars in virtual environments, and the storyline is very much concerned with various ethical issues commonly encountered in qualitative research studies, including the themes of (1) empathy toward unfamiliar worldviews, (2) post-coloniality, (3) reverse culture-shock, (4) corporate/military finance of research, and (5) the complex pursuit of understanding a foreign culture through fieldwork.

The film also demonstrates that New Zealand has continued its rise to become a globally-significant center of performing arts and feature film production, as discussed in this link:

http://www.drama.org.nz/?cat=48

Another related link:

http://www.voxy.co.nz/entertainment/avatar-delivers-307m-new-zealand-economy/5/36156

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Welcome to Sociomusicology

For over 15 years (since 2007), this website has offered musings on contemporary society and its music by David G. Hebert, PhD. He is a sociomusicologist specializing in global music education who has held academic positions with universities on five continents. Dr. Hebert is now a tenured full Professor with Western Norway University of Applied Sciences, Bergen. There he leads the Grieg Academy Music Education (GAME) research group and manages the multinational government-funded Nordic Network for Music Education, which organizes annual intensive Master courses and exchange of teachers and students across eight countries. He is also an Affiliated Professor with University of the Faroe Islands and an Honorary Professor in China with the Education University of Hong Kong.

Professor Hebert's research applies an international-comparative perspective to issues of pluralism, identity, and cultural relevance in music education, as well as processes by which new music traditions emerge and change - both sonically and socially - as they are adopted into institutions. Born in the 1970s, he is among the most widely-published and globally-active music scholars of his generation (h-index:20; i10-index:30), with professional activities in an average of 8 countries per year across the past decade (2008-2020).