NCID-1116
Lester Monts
Arthur F Thurnau Professor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of Music, School of Music, Theatre & Dance
University of Michigan
Education/Degree:
1 Ethnomusicology (University of Minnesota)
About
Lester Monts is an Arthur F. Thurnau professor of music (ethnomusicology). From 1993 until 2014, he served as senior vice provost for academic affairs and senior counselor to the president for the arts, diversity, and undergraduate affairs. He is currently director of the Stearns Collection of Musical Instruments, a diverse array of more than 3000 instruments from around the world. He is the project director of the Michigan Musical Heritage Project that seeks to capture on film the state's folk, ethnic, and immigrant music traditions. Monts received a bachelor's in music education from Arkansas Polytechnic College, a master's degree in trumpet performance from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, and a doctorate in ethnomusicology from the University of Minnesota.
Current Work
Professor Monts is completing a film project on the funerary rites of the Ashanti Queen Mother and working on a publication on the effect of Islam and African American Settler culture on music of the Vai people of Liberia.
Research Area Keyword(s)
African music, Islam and music, masking traditions, tradition and change in African music