The lyrics of "World's Greatest Man" grapple with the paradoxes of participant-observation as well as the ambiguity of development work in Thailand.
JoinedJuly 14, 2023
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Benjamin Fairfield received his MA and PhD in ethnomusicology from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where he serves as lecturer and founder of the MUS311 Thai Ensemble (a sustainability-focused course where students repurpose found objects into Thai musical instruments). He also taught music at Ala Wai Elementary School, produced a high school garage band rock album in Thailand as a Peace Corps volunteer, and has published various academic articles on music in Ethnomusicology, The Malaysian Journal of Music, Asian Music, and Ethnomusicology Review. His trash-turned-instruments can be seen and heard on instagram (#MUS311) and the full album Kani Ka ʻōpala (recorded using only his home-made junk instruments) can be heard on various streaming platforms, including YouTube.
