Cynthia Dempster's Field

I have been developing here on the blog a proposal for research in a piano studio.  The piano studio that I work in is not far away. It is not a distant or new field. However, from the point of view of knowledge, my research may open up new vistas.  I have done field research.   I wrote a novel about a homeless teenager.  When I researched the book,  I spent a lot of time in the parks and talked to young people living on the streets.  In this context, there were ethical issues that concerned me the researcher.  I needed to protect myself.  I needed to make sure I didn't stay too late or go anyplace too dangerous.  I also needed to protect my own privacy.  I didn't give out my own name or discuss the fact that I was researching a novel.  I also developed the characters before going out in the field to do the research.  I invented the characters.  I did not think it would be ethical to model any of the characters on the young people I was meeting.  It would be interesting to develop an academic research project on homeless teenagers and compare how field work would be planned and accomplished.