Music as [more than] narrative

Abstract

The purpose of this narrative “interlude” is to record an ongoing narrative dialogue between the two co-authors on the topic of music as narrative. The dialogue began during the lead-up to the Confessions Symposium where we presented a creative “interlude” (music and reflections) amid a series of academic presentations on narrative analysis technique and theory.

The dialogue presented here consists of the written narrative of one author (Naomi) who is a relatively untrained but currently active musician and song writer and another (Andy) who has had an extensive career as a music professional and academic. A number of themes and questions regarding music's place in narrative analysis and scholarship have emerged through our discussions over time. We have attempted to share these below in the telling of our own stories as musicians and as people interested in the place of musical and artistic story telling and engagement in social life.