ABSTRACT
Recent developments in ethnomusicology mean that ethnomusicologists are in a better place today than ever before to engage in applied work within communities and to support others doing so. Furthermore, there may be more willingness today than ever before on the part of a diversity of organizations working within communities to consider perspectives from ethnomusicology and the arts. In this chapter, I reflect on some of the opportunities as well as practical and ethical issues that have emerged through my research and applied work related to arts and social change. I consider two contexts in particular: (1) an arts-related event in Washington DC in the context of broader trends in international development work, and (2) arts and humanities programming at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, and its implications for ethnomusicology and health-related work. My work in these contexts has convinced me of the rich potential for collaboration between ethnomusicologists and scholars and practitioners from other disciplines, but it has also made me deeply aware of the practical and ethical complexities of such engagement. While ethnomusicologists long have encountered ethical and other challenges in our work, engaging in applied activities and connecting with organizations expressly seeking change within communities raises the potential for more difficult situations and decision-making.
