‘Spectaculars’ and the study of popular musicking

Abstract

In US popular music textbooks, women’s contributions are often relegated to the margins. This is not because women have been absent from popular music history, but because music scholarship leans towards the study of formal structures and technical ability and away from the emotional or embodied components of music. I advocate for a shift towards studies in popular musicking, both in scholarship and in the classroom. I argue that an emphasis on spectacular performances – collaborative events designed to awe and entertain and which incorporate many elements of musicking – will open doors for discussions of more women artists and artist fanbases largely made up of young women. With an examination of two such spectaculars, I show how music analysis can include extramusical components such as dance, audience, stage presence and even costumes. The study of popular musicking creates space for more women’s stories in scholarship and the classroom.