My paper went well, I think, although the morning sessions weren�t so well attended, due, no doubt, to the weather, which was trying to sleet and snow and blow in all directions at once. There were no papers that jumped out at me, but I always enjoy the musical tourism that ethnomusicology conferences represent. I attended papers on music of Portugal, Nicaragua, Japan, Laos, China, assorted African countries and a couple of different American musics. Definitely the highlight of the day were two dance workshops I did in the afternoon, one on Balinese dance and another on Ghanaian dance. Both of the lecturers were wonderful and had us up and dancing for two hours straight. It was so much fun, particularly the Ghanaian dance (Fume fume), which was incredibly athletic. Lots of foot stamping, fast changes, waving of arms, arching of backs. The teacher, a native Ghanaian had actually given a paper at the same grad student conference I spoke at in February, but I didn�t recognize him. At the conference, he had been soft-spoken and quiet. As a dance teacher he was nothing short of exuberant, a total inspiration. The Balinese dance was much more reserved and the teacher likewise, but the heart of the dance was touching. �Everyone has God inside,� said the teacher. �In Bali, dance is how we find our own beauty. It�s inside. Don�t go wild. Quiet. Inside. That�s the point.� As we mimicked his actions to our best abilities, he would periodically call out, �Find your beauty! You are beautiful! It�s easy. You are beautiful!�

I�m always amazed at how much time ethnomusicologists spend discussing the ethics of what they do. It�s reassuring, especially since the field has its roots in some pretty uncomfortable, colonialist spaces. It�s a field that seems to attract people who want to be politically involved with their world, who want to make changes. But at the same time, I wonder if people who do those things are necessarily the best people to study them. The field is, however, much more open about the role of the ethnographer in changing musical life in the areas where they work than it used to be. I got involved in an interesting discussion on the ethics of musical appropriation � how does one cite the work of others in less dominant cultures without patronizing? A difficult question. One person cited a bell hooks essay entitled �Eating the Other� where she addresses the problem head on. I'm going to have to look for that one.

Other than that, I'm still recovering from the fact that I argued with the keynote speaker. She said something that bugged me and I just couldn't keep my mouth shut. That's so unlike me. She's a big deal, too, one of my academic heroes. I was kind of proud of myself at the time I asked the question. There was a time where I would never have ventured to argue with such a person. I would have been too starstruck. I guess this means I'm feeling more like a professional and less like a grad student. But on the drive home I started feeling a little bad about it, even though my comments were totally collegial and totally warranted. But it was kind of like that first time you defy your parents and get away with it. You feel a rush of victory and then get depressed about what it all means. I'm glad to have a little quiet and a room to myself is welcome after a day of conferencing. I'm hoping I can finish up my class stuff so I will be relaxed when I get home. I�m ready to go.

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