Some (unsolicited) thoughts/musings on ethnomusicology and the IRB process as someone who works with displaced children and young people:
1) Currently, IRB is a major deterrent for people wanting to include young people in their research--the hoops can be immeasurable. (1/6)

2) IRB makes it very difficult to do collaborative research with young people unless you make it clear that you are filming a "place," and not "individuals." This, essentially dismisses young people as human beings who capable of expressing their own thoughts via fieldwork. (2/6)

3) We should work to find ways to make IRB MORE inclusive for these "vulnerable" populations, and I am happy to see that included in SEM's new statement. (3/6)

4) At the same time, I sometimes worry that I am not being held accountable enough for the well-being of the children I am working with. "Oral History" is almost an invitation to dismiss ethical guidelines. It makes our work seem less legitimate. (4/6)

5) I don't want to advocate for more bureaucratic nonsense, but perhaps having alternate accountability systems in place/revising the IRB to be more flexible for ethnographic work (rather than making it exempt) could be beneficial. (5/6)

6) Then again, I recognize how this could still be harmful to the ethnographic process. I also recognize there are sets of ethical guidelines for ethnomusicologists outside of IRB. SEM has probably addressed all that it can at this juncture. Thoughts? (6/6)