Dominika's Journey of Collection

by Dominika Ciesielska

In this blog post, I would like to share my experience with a recording session for this project. First of all, after our team established the specific topic of the project and the necessary steps to follow, being a native speaker of Polish, I decided to contribute by recording in this language. However, since I’m fascinated by different dialects of Polish, I craved to find somebody who would sing a folk song in a dialect. Fortunately, I didn’t need to search far, as Marcin, one of the members of our team, enthusiastically volunteered for the task. To ensure optimal recording conditions, we have decided to meet at his place. Given our prior experience with this kind of endeavors, it was easier to carry this session out as he understood the objectives, the overall process, how informed consent worked, and what was going to be done with all the materials and data. Before we started, we first engaged in a conversation about Polish dialects, as Marcin, also passionate about dialects, had a lot to share about their different aspects and history. This conversation also helped us to establish a sense of comfort so that the recording session was less contrived. With Marcin’s informed consent signed, I started recording and he sang the regional folk song of the Podhale region in Poland. Once the recording was complete, we listened to the recording once again, ensuring we met quality standards. It was also an opportunity for Marcin to assess his satisfaction with the results. After that, we also discussed in detail the facts about this specific song. Although I had previously participated in recording sessions for empirical research purposes, each session and participant offers unique experiences. This session provided me with valuable insights, enriching my understanding of this field. The exchange between Marcin and me proved to be exceptionally fruitful, as it offered us both an opportunity to learn from one another. I am genuinely hopeful that the final outcome of our entire project will not only benefit our team but also captivate the audience. We eagerly anticipate any feedback or insights that people may wish to share, as it will contribute to our growth and improvement.