An Interview with Scott W. Schwartz Director and Archivist for Music and Fine Arts for the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music

 

I am glad and fortunate that I had the chance to have an Interview with Scott W.

Schwartz on June 14, 2107. Scott W Schwartz is the Director and Archivist for

Music and Fine Arts for the Sousa Archives and Center for American Music at the

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The profile of Scott can be found at

https://music.illinois.edu/faculty/scott-schwartz 

 

In this Interview, I had requested Scott to answer three (3) questions and the conversation between us is as follows:

Lallaii:  Tell me about yourself and your career so far?

Scott: I started my career as Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Department of Music in West Virginia University in September 1984. Prior to my arrival to Illinois in September 2003 I worked as an archivist for the American music collections at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History.  I earned my Bachelor of Music degree from SUNY at Fredonia in 1980, Masters of Music from Michigan State University in 1984, and completed three years of doctoral studies in ethnomusicology between 1984 and 1987 while at West Virginia University. My primary areas of research focus on preserving America’s music heritage, American popular music, and the music and culture of the Appalachian serpent-handling communities of rural Kentucky.  In addition I am Associate Professor of Library Administration and teaches courses in archival administration through the University’s Graduate School for Library and Information Science.  Since my arrival at the University I played the lead role in the development of a research center for America’s music at the university and has been responsible for the re-energizing of a national celebration, American Music Month, that recognizes the contributions made by educators, archivists, librarians, and curators for the preservation of America’s cultural legacy.

Lallaii:  Please describe the challenging role as Director for Music and Fine Arts.

Scott: 

Lallaii:  What attributes do you look for in future music leaders? What advise would you give them?

Scott:

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