Research Statement

UCR Music Website Research Statement

Research and creative activity in the Department of Music at the University of California, Riverside is distinguished by its interdisciplinary scope, creative innovation, and global perspective. Our faculty and graduate students engage in research that bridges creative practice and scholarly inquiry, drawing upon methodologies from history, ethnography, cultural studies, theory, technology, and performance. This collaborative environment encourages students to move across traditional disciplinary boundaries, creating new connections between artistic creation, critical scholarship, and emerging technologies.

The department is internationally recognized for several intersecting areas of research. We are home to one of the nation's strongest concentrations of scholars working in Latin American and Iberian music, while also maintaining internationally recognized expertise in Indigenous studies of the Americas, ethnography, cultural theory, and performance studies. Recent faculty appointments have further expanded our strengths in popular music, music industry studies, media studies, and contemporary creative practice, reflecting the rapidly evolving landscape of music research in the twenty-first century.

Our composition faculty pursue research across electroacoustic music, multimedia composition, opera and musical theater, popular and experimental genres, music production, and commercial music software development. The program is distinguished by its integration of artistic practice with technological innovation, encouraging students to develop new creative tools, interactive systems, and digital media while engaging critically with contemporary musical culture.

Research in ethnomusicology and musicology similarly extends beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. Faculty investigate music as a cultural, historical, and social practice through work on race, gender, migration, decolonial studies, media, sound studies, and global popular music. Students regularly collaborate with scholars across anthropology, ethnic studies, gender studies, media and cultural studies, and other disciplines, while contributing original research that addresses pressing cultural and societal questions.

The department's research culture is strengthened by a strong record of external funding and interdisciplinary collaboration. Faculty have received support from organizations including the Mellon Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Fulbright Program, and numerous internal research initiatives at UC Riverside. These projects frequently involve graduate students, providing opportunities to participate in funded research, conferences, publications, performances, and community-engaged initiatives.

Across all areas, the Department of Music views research as an active process of discovery that encompasses scholarship, artistic creation, technological innovation, and public engagement. By combining rigorous academic inquiry with creative experimentation, we prepare students to become leaders in higher education, the arts, the creative industries, and emerging fields that continue to redefine what music research can be.