Doctoral research can be a solitary endeavor. For Music Ph.D. candidate Genevieve Allotey-Pappoe, an ethnomusicologist and composer who studies the global circulation of the music of Africa and the Black diaspora, engaging in applied research is like crafting a composition with a strong underlying melody. This approach resonated in meaningful ways during her recent Social Impact Fellowship at The Center for Music Ecosystems (CME), a global research and development organization whose objective is to understand, advance, and enrich music ecosystems. As a Fellow with CME’s Music Policy Resilience Lab, Allotey-Pappoe traveled to three of the 11 remote global communities where CME is working to further music’s role in fostering resiliency.  

Collaborating with local communities, Allotey-Pappoe found herself energized by the ways in which research can be translated into tangible policies and programming, especially in places responding to crises and disruptions to the music ecosystem. 

“The social impact of music on the communities I visited is so important. It was inspiring to see how  music brings people together. Cities like this face a lot of challenges but the work people are doing to develop their music ecosystem is remarkable as they understand the value of music for community well-being. This experience has taught me the importance of turning research results into applicable strategies and implementable policies for communities and organizations.” – Genevieve Allotey-Pappoe, GS, MUS

In addition to her work with CME, Allotey-Pappoe was a Social Impact Fellow with Newark Symphony Hall. She was also a University Administrative Fellow with GradFUTURES, where she helped establish the strategy for the GradFUTURES Podcast. Using the skills that she developed there, from project management to digital storytelling, she launched her own podcast, Black Music Nomad, which explores Black music in spaces beyond the U.S. The capacity to apply skills across projects amplifies her contribution to CME.

“With Genevieve's research background in ethnomusicology, her input into this unique project about resilience in remote places and public policy is particularly valuable in several ways — not least by her ability to develop comprehensive and culturally sensitive approaches to address the challenges faced by these communities. Her analytical ability, communications skills, and ability to pull a narrative from the sometimes complex and broad nature of this research is second to none.” – Angharad Cooper, Head of Projects, Center for Music Ecosystems

Our Fellowship Partner

The mission of the Center for Music Ecosystems is to conduct globally relevant research that demonstrates how music can be a catalyst for social change and support communities to use music to foster sustainable development at a local, national and global level. Our mission is to ensure communities, policymakers and leaders use music to its fullest extent to make places better.

Learn More About GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowships

GradFUTURES Social Impact Fellowships are bespoke opportunities for Princeton graduate students with nonprofit organizations that have partnered with the Graduate School. Host organizations work closely with the Graduate School to determine the learning outcomes and professional development goals for these immersive experiences. Each fellowship is custom-designed, allowing graduate students to apply discipline-specific skills, gain interdisciplinary project team experience, and receive one-on-one mentoring while contributing to the social impact mission of the organization.