Ethnomusicologist | Vocalist | Educator | Phd Student

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Abigail is a Jamaican-born, African American vocalist and ethnomusicologist in her second year of PhD studies at the University of Florida. A former music educator, Lindo taught instrumental and choral music in Lee and Charlotte County, Florida for six years, simultaneously facilitating private lessons and earning her Master in Music Education before coming to UF in Summer 2019 to begin her PhD. Her current dissertation topic deals with the Portuguese archipelago of the Azores and how festival culture has aided in the creation of a distinct musical identity in the region, considering notions of individuality, collective experience, and citizenship. She is a classically trained mezzo-soprano and enjoys writing songs in her downtime.
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Experience

EDUCATIONPhD in Ethnomusicology: University of Florida, 2024 (expected)M.M. in Music Education, University of Florida, August 2017Bachelor of Art in Music, New College of Florida, May 2012

FELLOWSHIPS, GRANTS, AND AWARDSFulbright U.S. Student Fellowship 2022-23: Institute of International EducationDale A. Olsen Paper Prize 2021: The Society for Ethnomusicology, Southeast ConferenceForeign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship 2021-22: University of FloridaForeign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship 2020-21: University of FloridaSouthern Regional Board of Education Fellowship 2019: University of FloridaBoard of Education Summer Fellowship 2019: University of FloridaCollege of the Arts Fellowship for PhD Study 2019: University of Florida

SERVICE EXPERIENCE
Student Board Member - Society for Ethnomusicology, Southeastern and Caribbean Chapter: 2022 - PresentGraduate Mentor - Board of Education Summer Graduate Fellowship: University of Florida, 2021Graduate Mentor/Leadership Coach - LeadUF Leadership Program: University of Florida, 2021Graduate Rep. for the School of Music - College of the Arts DEI Committee: University of Florida, 2019 – 2021Treasurer - Student Society for Musicology: University of Florida, 2019 – PresentVocal Consultant - UF Popular Music Ensemble: University of Florida, Spring 2020 – 2021Event Assistant - Student Society for Musicology: University of Florida, 2019 – Present

PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONSAmerican Association of University Women
American Musicological Society
Society for American Music
Society for Christian Scholarship in Music
Society for Ethnomusicology (National and Southeaster Chapter)
Southern Regional Board of Education~ back to top ~

Talks, Presentations, and Publications

Conferences and Presentations

Society for American Music Annual Conference
“Tucson’s Black Renaissance and the Cultural Rupture It Shaped”
University of Arizona (Virtual)
2022Society for Christian Scholarship in Music Annual Conference
“The Sound of Covid-19 Grief: Jamaican Gospel Music as Surrogate to Touch in Pandemic Mourning”
Mercer University (Virtual and In-Person)
2022Diversity & Belonging: Unsung Keyboard Stories
"Simone on the Keys: A Protest Dressed in Black Feminine Identity"
University of Michigan (Virtual and In-Person)
2022The Society for Ethnomusicology Annual Meeting
“The Sound of Covid-19 Grief: Jamaican Gospel Music as Surrogate to Touch in Pandemic Mourning
Indiana University (Virtual)
2021Transformations of Musical Creativity in the 21st Century Conference
“Portuguese Sonic Connectivity: Conducting Virtual Music Research in the COVID Era”
University of Bristol and Istanbul Technical University (Virtual)
2021Columbia Music Scholarship Conference
“Verzuz and Black Pandemic Music-Making”
Columbia University (Virtual)
2021Midwest Graduate Music Consortium Conference
“Beyond” Black and White: Humanizing Black Bodies with Hip Hop Videos in the BLM Era”
University of Michigan (Virtual)
2021Music, Sound, and Media in Times of Crisis International Study Day
“Black Musical Nostalgia Verzuz Pandemic Isolation”
Carleton University (Virtual)
2021Society for Ethnomusicology Southeast and Caribbean Chapter Annual Meeting
“Black Musical Nostalgia Verzuz Pandemic Isolation:
How Webcast Concert Competitions Connect African American Social Media Users”
Various Institutions (Virtual)
2021American Musicological Society Southern Chapter, Annual Meeting
“Jay-Z Samples Nina’s Burden: Cross-Generational Messages of African American Angst”
University of Alabama (Virtual)
2021Southern Graduate Music Research Symposium
“Jamaican Dancehall Masculinity: Misogynoir, Violence, and National Identity”
The University of Georgia (Virtual)
2020American Musicological Society Southern Chapter Annual Meeting
“Jamaican Dancehall Masculinity: Negotiating Gender and National Identity Through Sound”
Florida State University
2020- INVITED TALKS -Graduate Alternative Career Roundtable
Society for Christian Scholarship in Music
Mercer University
2022Center for European Studies Lunchtime Symposium Speakers Series
"Trying to Tremor: Meanings of Alternative Identity and Alternative Music in São Miguel"
University of Florida
2021LeadUF Fall Semester Kick-Off
Brown Center for Leadership and Service
University of Florida
2021

Publications

“Beyond Black and White: Humanizing Black Bodies Through Hip Hop Videos in the BLM Era”
Scholarly Article, Music & Politics in the Moment (M&PITM)
University of Michigan
2021“The Black Female Voice and Visage in 20th Century American Popular Music”
Book Chapter, Singing Out: The Musical Voice in Audiovisual Media
Edinburgh University Press
2022

Symposium and Event Planning

Creative Resilience Symposium: Creative Expression and Community Connections Throughout COVID
Student Society for Musicology
University of Florida
October 2021Planned a schedule of events, including a panel, concert, resource showcase, and writing workshop
Communicated with all event participants, including university centers, performers, and facilitators
Planned a budget to cover costs of refreshments, keynote, programs, and other event resources
Led society members to execute the event by filling volunteer positions
Created a call for papers and organized a schedule of speakers along with a keynote~ back to top ~

Teaching

Teaching Experience and Instructional Design

"That's the Joint:" Hip-Hop History
Instructor/Course Designer
Duquesne University
2021 – 2022African American Popular Music in the K-12 Classroom
Instructor/Course Designer
Shenandoah University
Summer 2021Jazz, Hip-Hop, and African Culture
Research Assistant/ Course Designer
University of Florida
2019 – 2020Experiencing Music (Online)
Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of Florida
2020Experiencing Music
Graduate Teaching Assistant
University of Florida
2019 – 2020General Instrumental and Vocal Classes
Music Instructor
Charlotte County Public Schools
2014 – 2019Vocal and Piano Lessons
Vocal and Piano Instructor
(Private Studio Setting)
2013-2019General Elementary Instrumental and Secondary Choral Classes
Choral Instructor/ Elementary Music Director
School District of Lee County
2013 – 2014Various Educational Settings
Substitute Teacher
Charlotte County Public Schools
2013

Philosophy of Music Education

We are all lifelong learners: either actively or passively. As an educator, my role is to provoke students to enjoy the learning process and love music in a personal way through shared experiences. My pedological approach is student-centered, interdisciplinary, culturally and historically minded, and diverse in delivery. I use whole-brain teaching to deliver instruction in digestible morsels that are applicable in different contexts, intentionally structuring instructor-student interactions. Specific strategies are employed to elevate learning experiences for students’ abilities, backgrounds, and skill ranges. Appealing to auditory, kinesthetic, and visual learners, I often employ the use of technology and movement to illuminate concepts and develop meaningful and memorable learning experiences. Potentially, this is a result of my six years teaching elementary music and secondary choral classes, but university students still desire to be engaged in their learning and enjoy it in the process. Therefore, my instruction is not lecture-heavy.Connections: it is the stuff learning is made of. Students collaborate with one another and the materials through scaffolded instructions and varied activities inside and outside of class time. Students engage with new ideas and build understanding through discussion and peer-collaboration, with assessment manifesting through project-based assignments and critical thinking demonstrated through independent written work. In the classroom environment I encourage students to strengthen their musicianship and understanding through creation, in the form of written papers, compositions, projects, and presentations. It is through active participation in discussion and the creation of these products that students demonstrate the application of their skills in critical thinking and understanding of the material. Differences are embraced, with instruction designed to suit various ability levels.~ back to top ~

Contact

Email: [email protected]
Text and Voice Messages: 941-882-0812Institutional Mailing Address
435 Newell Drive (MUB 130)
Gainesville, FL 32611-7900Other Sites
Writing Page
abbylindo music

Research

Proposed Dissertation Topic
My research is guided by the idea that the Azores, an autonomous region of Portugal, possesses distinct and identifiable musical indicators of Portuguese connectedness while fostering its own distinct sonic and cultural identity outside of mainland Portugal that is worthy of study. These indicators include the collective memory of musical (and literary) saudade, or nostalgic longing, presented in vocal and instrumental performance. I argue that the distinct cultural identity elevates and problematizes issues related to belonging, class, gender, race, citizenship, and identity overall. I will test this hypothesis by conducting studies in Lisbon, the capital city of Portugal, and in Ponta Delgada, the capital of the Azores located on São Miguel Island.Current Research Interests
Portuguese Folk and Vernacular Music Practices
African American Sonic Expression and Embodiment in Popular Musics
Music and Grief, Music Festival Culture
Jamaican Vernacular Music
Performance Practice and Identity Formation
Gender and Identity StudiesPrevious Research Topics
2021
Black Musical Nostalgia Verzuz Pandemic Isolation:
How Webcast Concert Competitions Connect African American Social Media Users
Since March 2020, Verzuz live social media concerts have provided the predominantly black viewer-base with a brief period of levity in the face of the emotional trauma and fatigue of #BlackLivesMatter, #SayHerName, pandemic-related financial distress, and the emotional wear of isolation. Centering my argument on the concepts of ritual and affirmation as theorized by Christopher Small in his hallmark work Musicking: The Meanings of Performing and Listening (1998), I discuss the complexities of African American musicking in times of difficulty, cultural practices in these concerts, technological liberation and limitation through social media, the idea of temporality and novelty in this context, and the creation of collaborative musical spaces in the face of an isolated existence.2021
"Jay-Z Samples Nina’s Burden: Cross-Generational Messages of African American Angst"
How does Jay-Z’s use of Simone’s voice and song transmit similar messages of black angst in the US across generations despite its lyrical and visual reproduction of negative stereotypes? How does this legitimize his position as a black culture bearer and influential figure? Why does Simone’s voice matter and what power does it possesses in this application? Jay-Z’s use of Nina’s voice supports his messages about black self-empowerment in spite of the contradictory nature of each of their personal and aesthetic politics. Jay-Z’s use of Simone’s resounding voice of Africana womanism (Clenora Hudson-Weems, 1994) in the era of cultural movements like Black Lives Matter and Say Her Name elevates her blackness while limiting the power of her voice as a woman and the gendered nature of her protest.2020
"Jamaican Dancehall Masculinity: Misogynoir, Violence, and National Identity"
Toxic masculinity in dancehall posits men as violent and sexually aggressive while women are relegated to the role of erotic objects given agency through their male counterparts and liberation through sexual performance. Analysis of dancehall song lyrics by artists Vybz Kartel and Mavado demonstrates toxic masculinity in dancehall music and its negative impact on gender relations and perceived national identity. This research will build on work completed by Donna P. Hope and Sonjah Stanley Niaah regarding the history of Jamaica’s musical landscape to define “dancehall masculinity” and contextualize its impact.2017
“The Evolving Musical Preferences of Elementary School Students”
This thorough review of literature analyzes the listening preferences of elementary-aged students to identify a shift in perception, if any, of what is musically acceptable, to determine the motivators for musical preferences in young listeners. Beyond this, the review looks at different musical aspects, comparing how the responses of younger listeners in research situations differed from the responses of older listeners to identify any shift in thought over time.2012
"Genre vs Individualism: Claude Debussy and Shifts in Parisian Artistic Consumption in the Late-19th Century"
This research centered on Debussy and his musical identity during the fin de siècle, influenced by disrupting the boundaries of romantic composition, inspired by the 1989 world exposition, and motivated by nationalist ideals.