Music Subject Guide: Ethnomusicology

The ethnomusicalogy program has a long-standing reputation for excellence in the study of world music, especially the music of Asian and Pacific cultures.

The program is in a unique geocultural environment that has direct contact with music as a dynamic process and defines the kinds of studies available at UHM. To learn more about the collection or the ethnomusicology program, please contact the Music Department at (808) 956-7756.                   

The image above features the koto, a traditional Japanese stringed musical instrument.

This musical instruments display is curated by the UHM Music Department’s Ethnomusicology, which has over 2,000 musical instruments from around the world with a particular concentration of instruments from Asia and the Pacific. The Fall 2016–Spring 2017 display features instruments from Japan.

Right image includes shamisen, hichiriki, shakuhachi, bachi, and biwa.

Left image includes the following instruments: shimedaiko, kagurasuzu, mokugyo, rin, gong, hansho, and kotsuzumi.