Alison Arnold

Dr. Alison Arnold is a Teaching Professor in the Arts Studies program and Lecturer in the Music Department at North Carolina State University. She teaches world music, Asian music, Celtic music, and cross-cultural arts. Her research focuses on Indian film music, Asian Indian diaspora music in the U.S., and Vietnamese Montagnard music in North Carolina. She co-authored What In The World Is Music? (Routledge, 2016) and edited the South Asia Volume of The Garland Encyclopedia of World Music (2000). She was a nominee for the Gertrude Cox award for innovative teaching (2007-2008) and a keynote speaker at the Asian Popular Music International Workshop (2010).

Education: PhD in Musicology (Ethnomusicology) from the University of Illinois (1991), MMus from the same institution (1982), and B.A. Hons. Music from the University of Liverpool (1974). Prior to NC State, she taught at Colorado College, Penn State Abington, Drexel University, and UNC Chapel Hill.

She runs a traditional Irish Music Session at NC State since 2005, open to students, faculty, and the community. An active performer, she plays in four Celtic bands and previously served on the editorial staff of The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.