Panel 4 - Roundtable - Tell Me a Story: Storytelling and Narrative in Public Spaces - Meghan Forsyth, Memorial U. - Judith Klassen, Canadian Museum of History - Michael McDonald, McEwan U. - Heather Sparling, Cape Breton U.

[ CHAIR: Meghan Forsyth, Memorial University of Newfoundland ]

Ethnomusicologists have long recognized the power of story, narrative, and storytelling as primary tools of communication through time and across boundaries; this roundtable examines how ethnomusicologists are using these tools to empower and mobilize our research. From curated collections and public exhibits, to documentary film and mobile applications, we explore how storytelling has been used in a wide range of recent and ongoing projects in which we have been engaged as museum professionals, filmmakers, and scholars. Our presentations consider the impacts of empowering people to tell their own stories; emerging methodologies and technologies for mobilizing ethnomusicological knowledge; trends and lessons learned in public engagement projects; enhancing the training of graduate students towards the goal of meaningful public sector collaborations; and assessing the impact of public-facing work. Participant #1 will present opportunities and challenges of a recent project that employed storytelling in a mobile application about cultural diversity. Participant #2 will consider collection, canon formation, and public-facing research within the context of a national history museum. Participant #3 will discuss the opportunities and challenges of doing public ethnomusicology in art-house cinemas and film festivals and the pedagogical innovations that have been inspired by these experiences. Participant #4 will address how ballads memorialize disaster stories in song, and how these stories and others were represented in a digital exhibit. The remaining thirty minutes will feature questions and statements from audience members, as well as roundtable participants.