World Music - Duncan Vinson

YouTube links for Latin America

2009-12-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

Button accordion player from contest in Colombia
Cumbia video from Colombia
Colombian schoolchildren dancing to cumbia "La Pollera Colorá"
Panpipe players - good example of hocket technique

YouTube links for sub-Saharan Africa

2009-11-16T11:00:00.001-05:00

Mbira performers in the United States
1932 film of so-called "Pygmies": good example of the "bad old days" of colonialism and racism
Batwa of Uganda: an attempt to raise money for an impoverished people
San of the Kalahari Desert: debatable arguments about the Kalahari as "contemporary ancestors"

Not in use
Talking drum (lunga) performance by Nigerian musician Rasaki Aladokun (good closeup at 0:23)

Faye Family of Senegal and the Géwël tradition

2009-11-04T15:01:00.004-05:00

For more information about the residency at Suffolk University of the Faye Family, practitioners of the géwël tradition in Senegal, see their blog.

The Góralski dance in the Tatra Mountains of Poland

2009-10-28T09:43:00.003-04:00

Video of a góralski dance, similar to that described in Worlds of Music. The leading male dancer calls out to a woman to join him. Another man escorts the woman and dances a few steps with her, then turns her over to the leading man to dance more steps.

Links for Middle East

2009-10-19T10:14:00.005-04:00

Hakim, "is-Salamu 'Alaykum" ("Peace be with you" - a common Islamic greeting. This song was controversial among some strict Muslims in Egypt.)

Performance on buzuq (plucked stringed instrument) and tombak (drum):

Mosque in Cordoba, Spain - one of the most visible legacies of Muslim rule in Spain before 1492

--- Not in use below this point. ---

Sufi Zikr in Turkey - in the center are the dancers commonly known as "whirling dervishes"
Zikr - not certain of location
Kawala player in Turkey - very different style from our madh example!
Omaima el-Khalil, singer, accompanied by Marcel Khalife. A combination of Arabic art music and a jazz ballad.
Dina, Egyptian belly dancer

Course outline

2009-10-09T09:49:00.002-04:00

The course outline has been revised. The link is under Course Documents at right.

Exam 1 postponed

2009-09-30T13:57:00.000-04:00

Exam 1 has been postponed until Friday, October 16. Please be sure to view the latest version of the syllabus on Blackboard.

Films for Balinese gamelan

2009-09-30T11:00:00.002-04:00

Bali and Beyond Gamelan - excellent Balinese gamelan examples. See 2:27 and 6:35 for good examples of kotekan (interlocking).
Gamelan gong kebyar - excellent closeups
Compare kotekan (interlocking) in Balinese gamelan with the music of a handbell choir:

YouTube films for Javanese gamelan

2009-09-23T09:29:00.001-04:00

This is part of a 10-video series of a wayang kulit (shadow puppet) performance.

Suling player - notice the circular breathing technique
Javanese gamelan - soft style with singers. Notice the following places:

0:21: Gender (left foreground) plays rapid, high notes, while slenthem (right foreground) plays the skeleton slowly, one note at a time
2:57: Closeup of rebab (spike fiddle)
3:30: Closeup of kenongs (large kettle gongs) and kethuk (kettle gong that keeps the beat with a dull tap; in red frame)

Three Variations on Yang Pass

2009-09-15T09:31:00.003-04:00

A complete performance of "Yangguan san die" ("Three Variations on Yang Pass") on the qin. This performance is at a lower pitch than the one included on the Worlds of Music CD set.

Chinese popular music videos

2009-09-15T09:25:00.002-04:00

Cui Jian and the Tienanmen Square protests of 1989:

The Twelve Girls Band performing Coldplay and Mozart:

Welcome to World Music

2009-09-07T08:58:00.002-04:00

Welcome to World Music, MUH 223, Fall 2009.

Final exam review

2008-12-01T17:03:00.002-05:00

The review guide for the final exam is now posted. Update 12/3/08: The link under Course Documents is now fixed.

Syllabus update 11/28/08

2008-11-28T16:06:00.002-05:00

Please note that the final two days of class will conclude our study of Latin America. There is a new reading on Colombian music posted for Wednesday. Short assignment 12 is now due on Wednesday, along with the final project.

YouTube links for African American music

2008-11-14T10:00:00.000-05:00

A provocative argument on the minstrel show
Minstrel show performance on TV (1960s?)
Rev. Clay Evans, whooping sermon

Obituary for Miriam Makeba

2008-11-10T16:16:00.003-05:00

Miriam Makeba, South African singer, died recently. More information here.

Fieldwork opportunity

2008-11-08T10:16:00.001-05:00

Distinguished Visiting Scholars
College of Arts & Sciences
Suffolk University
&
The Lowell Lecture Series

presents the Flamenco Show
Ida y Vuelta
(Coming and Going)

Fundación
Conservatorio Flamenco
Casa Patas

Monday, Nov. 24, 2008
4:00pm
C. Walsh Theatre
55 Temple Street Boston

This event is free and open to the public. Seating is limited: for tickets, please visit www.brownpapertickets.com

Arab World, China presentations posted

2008-11-03T16:39:00.001-05:00

I have posted PowerPoint presentations for the music of the Arab World, as well as a presentation on Beijing opera, to Blackboard.

Syllabus update 10/29/08

2008-10-29T11:49:00.002-04:00

I have removed most of the material dealing with China in order to get us caught up in the course. If you have printed the syllabus, please be sure to update your copy.

PowerPoint presentations for Europe, India

2008-10-26T21:27:00.002-04:00

I have provided PowerPoint presentations for Europe and India to complement the classroom instruction you received from Ben Teitelbaum. They are available from this course's Blackboard site.

Exam 2 postponed

2008-10-26T10:57:00.001-04:00

Exam 2 is postponed until Friday, November 7. We will cover the unit on China before this exam, and I will shortly add concepts from the China unit to the review guide that is already posted.

Update on fieldwork project

2008-10-25T19:58:00.003-04:00

In response to your questions I have made two slight modifications in the fieldwork assignment:

I have indicated a maximum length as well as a minimum length.
For the photography option, I have provided more detail on the purpose of the assignment.

The assignment specifications are available under Course Documents at right, or from a link on the syllabus.

Fieldwork project opportunity in Latin American music

2008-10-24T11:07:00.001-04:00

Dear colleagues,

We hope that you will inform your students about the Noche de Muertos concerts and reception on November 1. A limited number of subsidized [$8] tickets are available at the HUB this week and part of next week.

Noche de Muertos: Welcoming Our Ancestors Home

Saturday, November 1 at 5:00 & 8.00 at the C. Walsh Theatre

Boston Music Award winning ensemble Sol y Canto will present concerts exploring one of the most popular Mexican holidays, Day of the Dead, when families pay homage to beloved ancestors and poke fun at the grim reaper. The program will feature traditional and original music played against a photographic backdrop of beautiful images of the holiday as celebrated in Michoacán, Mexico.

Between the concerts, Sol y Canto and Suffolk University will host a reception featuring a performance by the oldest Mexican dance ensemble in New England, Xuchipilli Danza y Cultura, and traditional Mexican Day of the Dead foods including tamales, pan de muertos bread and hot chocolate. Sol y Canto and members of the Suffolk community will erect a traditional altar in the lobby of the Donahue building where members of the Suffolk community can leave "realia" to remember deceased loved ones.

These events, and an earlier participatory workshop about the roots of Latin American music, were made possible by the cooperation of many offices and academic departments on campus.

Thank you! Jim Kaufman, Theatre Department, x 5351

Exam 2 review is posted

2008-10-13T13:22:00.002-04:00

The review guide for exam 2 is now available from Course Documents at right, or through a link on the syllabus.

Assignments received

2008-10-04T12:21:00.000-04:00

I have received assignment 4 from most of you via e-mail. I am at a public internet terminal and cannot individually acknowledge these, but I plan to have them graded within a few days.

YouTube links for African pop music

2008-09-19T13:07:00.004-04:00

Angélique Kidjo, "Gimme Shelter", featuring Joss Stone (cover of Rolling Stones song)
Angélique Kidjo, "Voodoo Child" (cover of Jimi Hendrix song)

Africa PowerPoint update

2008-09-19T13:07:00.001-04:00

I have made a few small updates to the Africa PowerPoint presentation. The updated version is now posted to Blackboard.

Exam 1 review is posted

2008-09-18T11:58:00.002-04:00

I have posted a review guide for Exam 1. It is available from a link on the syllabus, or from Course Documents at right.

Syllabus update 9/17/08

2008-09-17T14:27:00.002-04:00

The syllabus is now finalized until October 1, when you will have your first exam. I will have a review guide for exam 1 posted shortly.

I will have the syllabus for October finalized within the next few days.

Syllabus update 9/6/08

2008-09-06T19:51:00.003-04:00

Because the bookstore will not have textbooks available until Wednesday, September 10, I have made some adjustments to the syllabus:

On Monday, 9/8, we will spend the class watching and discussing the film Buena Vista Social Club.
On Wednesday, 9/10, we will begin our discussion of techniques for describing musical sound. If you do not have access to a textbook, please prepare for this class by reviewing the PowerPoint slides that I have posted on Blackboard.

Remember that there are still two ways that you can access the textbook, even if the bookstore is out:

[Update 9/17/08: there are problems with the availability of the e-book.] The textbook is available for purchase as an e-book. I have given the details in a post below this one.
According to the bookstore staff, the library has two copies of the textbook on reserve.
The CD set is available in the Language Lab, Fenton 530.

Welcome

2008-09-03T11:24:00.000-04:00

Welcome to World Music, Humanities 223, fall 2008.

E-book for Worlds of Music, 5th edition

2008-08-08T08:51:00.005-04:00

[Update 9/12/08: Though I viewed the e-book during the summer, it appears that it is not available at the moment, for some reason. I suggest making sure that you have access to a printed copy of the textbook.]

Worlds of Music, 5th edition is available as an e-book at CourseSmart. You may use either the printed textbook or the e-book, as you prefer.

The e-book does not include the set of companion recordings. Regardless of whether you buy the printed book or e-book, you must purchase the 4 CD set of companion recordings (ISBN-10: 0495009717 | ISBN-13: 9780495009719).

YouTube links for Japan

2008-04-24T14:50:00.001-04:00

Iron Chef (the original Japanese version, dubbed in English for the Food Network)
Another example of Japanese pop music: Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra
Gagaku performance (close-ups begin at 2:40)
Bunraku performance

YouTube links for cumbia

2008-04-17T15:02:00.001-04:00

Cumbia video from Colombia - this example uses horns instead of accordion
Vallenato, a Colombian genre of music related to cumbia

Updates 4/11/08

2008-04-11T12:29:00.004-04:00

I have uploaded revised PowerPoint presentations for African American music to Blackboard. Also, I have uploaded the presentation for Japanese art music, including the kabuki film we will study next Thursday.
I have revised the final exam review guide to remove material we have had to omit from the syllabus.

Updates for 4/3/08

2008-04-03T16:38:00.003-04:00

PowerPoint presentations for African American and Latin American musics have been posted to Blackboard. Be sure to use the "Custom Show" feature when viewing these. I use these presentations for my courses on jazz and blues, and in those settings I need to go into more detail than is necessary for the World Music course. Selecting the custom show for MUS 351 omits unnecessary slides.
The "panpipe demonstration" mp3 file is posted to Blackboard.

Updates 3/30/08

2008-03-30T11:51:00.002-04:00

Three updates to note:

The unabridged PowerPoint presentation for hymns and gospel songs is now on Blackboard.
The PowerPoint presentation for reggae (for the second half of Thursday's class) is on Blackboard.
I have updated the review sheet for exam 2 to remove a few items that we had to omit from the original syllabus. The link to the review sheet from the syllabus is now fixed.

PowerPoint presentations uploaded

2008-03-14T14:03:00.003-04:00

I have uploaded the revised version of the Africa PowerPoint presentation that we used in class yesterday.

I have also uploaded the presentations on North American music for the next class.

Syllabus update 3/14/08

2008-03-14T13:32:00.002-04:00

I have updated the syllabus to correct for the extra week that had been included in the previous syllabus. As you will see, items that have been grayed out have been removed from the syllabus. If you have printed a copy, please be sure to update your copy.

Syllabus update 3/4/08 (including POSTPONEMENT OF EXAM 2)

2008-03-04T22:51:00.004-05:00

Please note that I have made a major change to the syllabus. I have decided to postpone exam 2 for a week, so that you will not have to take a test after returning from the Easter break.

Also, as discussed in class last Thursday, I have removed some of the listening assignments in future classes. On the syllabus, the removed assignments are crossed out with a line through them.

If you have printed out a copy of the syllabus, please be sure to update your copy.

PowerPoint for Sub-Saharan Africa uploaded

2008-03-04T22:49:00.002-05:00

I hope you are having a good spring break. The PowerPoint presentation for sub-Saharan Africa has been uploaded to Blackboard.

Syllabus update and slides for Arabic art music

2008-02-22T13:25:00.003-05:00

The slides for next Thursday's class on Arabic art music are now installed on Blackboard.

In addition, I have reduced the listening assignment for next Thursday so that you can listen more carefully to a smaller selection. I will also be reducing the listening assignments for future courses and will post a notice here when the syllabus is modified. Please update your syllabus if you have printed it out.

Dana Center concerts

2008-02-07T14:53:00.000-05:00

I have added to the syllabus several concerts that the Dana Center is hosting this semester. A number of them take place on Thursday evenings immediately after our class. While attendance at a concert is not required, it would be an excellent opportunity to complete your fieldwork project (which is due on the last day of class).

Exam 1 review

2008-02-06T12:50:00.001-05:00

The review for exam 1 is now posted. It is available under Course Documents at right, or from a link on the syllabus.

Format of the exam:
1/3 listening questions, based on excerpts from the assigned listening (and also one listening question based on an excerpt you were not assigned)
1/3 short answer questions
1/3 essay questions

Update on listening assignments for Indian art music

2008-01-30T14:30:00.000-05:00

On certain equipment, "Sarasiruha" may be hard to listen to, since it is a single track over 22:00 long. I have divided this track into five parts and posted them under Additional Listening in Blackboard.
For 2/7/08, I am adding to the syllabus a short Carnatic vocal performance, "Banturiti," which is now available under Additional Listening in Blackboard. We will use this performance in class tomorrow, and it will help you to be able to listen to it on your own afterward.

Death of Suharto

2008-01-28T11:40:00.000-05:00

News coverage of death of Suharto, 2nd President of Indonesia

Beatles listening uploaded

2008-01-26T16:34:00.001-05:00

The two Beatles songs, "Love You To" and "Within You Without You," that are part of the assigned listening for 2/7/08 are now uploaded to Blackboard.

Revised syllabus

2008-01-20T09:20:00.000-05:00

I have changed the syllabus to indicate that certain listening assignments will be found on Blackboard rather than in the library. I have also increased the font size so that it will be easier to read in the classroom.

Welcome to World Music

2008-01-08T09:47:00.000-05:00

Welcome to World Music, St. Anselm College, spring 2008.

Moving

2007-12-09T13:37:00.001-05:00

I am in the middle of moving to another house right now. I am doing my best to check e-mail when I have a chance, but calling me will be your easiest way to get in touch with me. The phone number is on the course information sheet I gave you the first day.

BC students: right now my first priority is to help Suffolk students with their exams (which are December 11-12). I will begin grading your fieldwork projects and assignments after that.

Suffolk students: I am making every effort to grade your fieldwork projects by Tuesday morning. Assignment 11 may or may not be graded at that point.

Final exam review

2007-12-04T15:49:00.000-05:00

The list of terms to review for the final exam is now available under Course Documents at right.

YouTube links for final class

2007-12-03T12:19:00.000-05:00

Barack Obama Bollywood video
Delta Air Lines ad featuring Adiemus, Finnish vocal group that sings in an invented language

YouTube links for reggae

2007-11-27T12:25:00.001-05:00

Jimmy Cliff, "The Harder They Come" from 1972 film of same name: the first exposure many North Americans had to reggae
Jimmy Cliff, "I Can See Clearly" from 1993 Disney film Cool Runnings, about the Jamaican bobsled team

BC: Syllabus correction

2007-11-26T14:53:00.001-05:00

BC students: I have fixed the incorrect dates on the syllabus. The version on the website now is correct.

Suffolk: No class Monday, 11/26/07

2007-11-26T09:36:00.000-05:00

Suffolk students: I will not be able to hold class today, Monday, November 26, because my wife had a medical emergency this morning and is in the emergency room. Within the next few minutes, I will upload a revised syllabus for the remaining days.

YouTube links for African American music

2007-11-16T10:23:00.001-05:00

Rev. Clay Evans, whooping sermon
A provocative argument on the minstrel show

YouTube links for Native America

2007-11-06T12:43:00.000-05:00

Navajo Song and Dance contest - see p. 51 of Titon.
Navajo grass dance
Powwow in Oklahoma

BC: Exam 2 clarification

2007-11-05T12:12:00.000-05:00

BC students:

Please do not worry about the material on North America and Balinese gamelan on the exam 2 review. This material had to be included on the Suffolk exam but is not on yours.

Review for exam 2

2007-10-30T13:13:00.000-04:00

The review for exam 2 is now posted under Course Documents at right. I apologize for the delay.

Suffolk students: This exam will have some material from the North American music we study this week. I will add terms from this material to the review in the next few days.

YouTube links for Africa

2007-10-29T10:00:00.000-04:00

Jali performing on the kora at a festival in England
Mbira performers
1932 film of so-called "Pygmies": good example of the "bad old days" of colonialism and racism
Batwa of Uganda: current situation
San of the Kalahari Desert

Suffolk: exam 2 postponed

2007-10-28T19:02:00.000-04:00

Suffolk students:

I have postponed exam 2 until Monday, November 5. I should have a review guide posted by tomorrow afternoon.

Please note that this change means your next short assignment is due on Friday, November 2.

BC: Major syllabus update

2007-10-28T19:01:00.000-04:00

BC students:

I discovered a major mistake in the syllabus: I had scheduled one week more of classes than exist in the semester! The new syllabus posted under Course Documents corrects this problem. If you printed out the previous syllabus, be certain to update your copy.

Away at conference

2007-10-25T16:44:00.000-04:00

I am currently at the Society for Ethnomusicology conference in Columbus, Ohio. I can check e-mail but it may take longer than usual for a response.

Suffolk students: Remember that the next short assignment is due by 11:00 am tomorrow (Friday). Please do not expect an immediate acknowledgment message. I will try to have them graded by Monday.

Syllabus update 10/24/07

2007-10-24T16:33:00.000-04:00

I have finalized the listening and writing assignments for all classes up to the Thanksgiving break. If you have printed a copy of the syllabus, be sure to update your copy.

Upcoming concerts at MFA

2007-10-23T17:00:00.000-04:00

The Museum of Fine Arts is hosting two events that would both be excellent sites for the fieldwork project:

Demonstration of Japanese noh theater (the predecessor to kabuki). Sunday, November 18, 12:30-2:00. I believe this is free.
Tinariwen (west African rock band). Sunday, November 25, 7:30. $30.

BC students: Arts careers workshop

2007-10-19T15:27:00.000-04:00

CAREER NIGHT FOR THE ARTS
Tuesday, October 30
7:00-9:00 PM
McMullen Museum of Art, Devlin Hall
Informal night of networking with alumni working in the performing, visual, and literary arts
www.bc.edu/artscareers

Indian music at Suffolk

2007-10-18T21:24:00.000-04:00

There will be an excellent opportunity for those of you who are interested in Indian music. Shahid Parvez will perform on the sitar on Tuesday, October 30, 4:00-6:00, at the C. Walsh Theater.

(BC students: this is at 55 Temple St., Beacon Hill, behind the State House).

Admission is free.

Malaysia and Indonesia

2007-10-15T09:49:00.000-04:00

NPR ran an interesting story this morning that underlines the musical similarities between Indonesia and Malaysia.

Suffolk: syllabus update 10/12/07

2007-10-12T18:26:00.000-04:00

Suffolk students only:
My apologies for the confusion. When I revised the syllabus to account for my day away at a conference, I changed the wrong day. The syllabus currently posted is correct.

Syllabus change: Absence on Oct 25-26

2007-10-11T09:22:00.000-04:00

I will be attending the Society for Ethnomusicology conference on Thursday, October 25, and Friday, October 26. The absence requires small adjustments in both syllabuses. Please update your copy if you have printed it.

BC: You will have a class meeting on Thursday. You will watch a film that day, and one of my colleagues will show the film.

Suffolk: You will not have a class meeting on Friday, but you have a writing assignment to be turned in by e-mail by 11:00 on Friday morning.

BC: Updated Javanese gamelan PowerPoint

2007-10-04T21:29:00.000-04:00

BC students:
I prematurely uploaded the PowerPoint presentation for Javanese gamelan to the WebCT site. I have just uploaded the latest version of the file. Please be sure to update your copy.

Repost: Javanese gamelan video

2007-10-04T12:04:00.000-04:00

I thought I would repost the Javanese gamelan video with additional explanation, since it is such a rich source.

0:21 - gender (left foreground) plays rapid, high notes, while slenthem (right foreground) plays the skeleton slowly, one note at a time
1:50 - closeup of bonangs (kettle gongs)
2:57 - closeup of rebab (vertical spike fiddle)
3:30 - closeup of kenongs (large kettle gongs) and kethuk (in red frame)

Suffolk: Balinese gamelan not on exam 1

2007-10-01T13:29:00.000-04:00

Suffolk students only:

So that we are not rushed on Wednesday, I have decided to concentrate on reinforcing the material on Javanese gamelan that we introduced today. We will have a brief introduction to Balinese gamelan on Wednesday as well, so please do the indicated preparation on the syllabus. However, the Balinese gamelan material will be tested on Exam 2, not on Friday.

YouTube links for Indonesia

2007-10-01T10:41:00.001-04:00

Javanese gamelan - soft style with singers
Suling player - notice that he is not able to perform the circular breathing technique that many suling players use to produce a continuous tone
Bali and Beyond Gamelan - excellent Balinese gamelan examples. See 2:27 and 6:35 for good examples of kotekan (interlocking).

Updated PowerPoint slide for Beijing opera

2007-09-26T10:31:00.000-04:00

After grading your assignments on Beijing opera, I have added another slide to the PowerPoint presentation for that day's class, in order to provide more detail on the history of China in the 20th century. In particular, a number of you confused the Communist Revolution (1949) with the Cultural Revolution (1966-1969). The portions of Farewell, My Concubine that we watched do not address the Cultural Revolution.

Be sure to update your copy of the slides if you have downloaded them.

Terms for review for Exam One

2007-09-25T12:14:00.001-04:00

I have compiled a list of terms you can use to review for the first exam. This is available at a link on the syllabus (find the date of the exam), or with this link.

BC: Listening assignments on WebCT

2007-09-21T15:22:00.000-04:00

BC students only:

In a few cases, assigned listening is not available at sites like Rhapsody, Napster, and iTunes. You will need to log on to the course's WebCT site to listen to these tracks as streaming audio.

The Beatles songs assigned for Thursday are now posted to WebCT. Click on the "Listening Assignments" graphic.

Suffolk: syllabus update 9/20/07

2007-09-20T22:20:00.000-04:00

Suffolk students only:

I would like to show about 15 minutes more of Farewell, My Concubine in class on Friday and then conduct discussion based on your assignments. Most of our scheduled material on Indian art music will have to wait until Monday. I have updated the syllabus to reflect this change. Dates of assignments and exams are not affected.

Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

2007-09-20T07:23:00.000-04:00

Another example of Japanese pop music:
Tokyo Ska Paradise Orchestra

YouTube links for Japanese art music

2007-09-12T10:30:00.000-04:00

Gagaku performance (close-ups begin at 2:40)
Bunraku performance

PowerPoint presentations

2007-09-10T13:28:00.000-04:00

The PowerPoint presentations used in class are now available to both BC and Suffolk students.

BC: Click on "WebCT" at right and select MUS 301.

Suffolk: Click on "Blackboard" at right, log in to Campus Cruiser, select Blackboard, then select HUM 223. (Warning: Blackboard will not open if your web browser is set to block popup windows.)

These files generally will be uploaded to the site after class.

Suffolk syllabus update 9/7/07

2007-09-07T10:13:00.000-04:00

Suffolk students only:

On the HUM 223 syllabus, I have removed some old assignments that were inadvertently left in the document for some days in October and November. Please update your copy if you have printed it.

YouTube links for 9/4/07

2007-09-04T12:50:00.000-04:00

Here are links to two YouTube videos for traditions we will not have a chance to study in depth during this course:

Mongolian overtone singing
Australian aboriginal didjeridu

Course overview

2007-08-14T21:21:00.000-04:00

This course provides an overview of the world’s musics, using in-depth case studies from around the world. In each case, we will be sure to relate musical expression to its cultural context. While most of us primarily consider music a source of entertainment, in this course we will encounter many other contexts for the production of music: education, work, politics, religion, ethnic identity. A major concern will be globalization: what happens to a musical tradition when it comes into contact with the international music business and is commodified for American listeners? Our ultimate goal is to encourage critical thinking about the role of music in our own lives, in part by coming into contact with ways of life in which the role of music is different from what we take for granted.

This is a course in music history, not music theory or performance. This course assumes no particular background in music, such as the ability to read notation or to perform on an instrument. Therefore, listening assignments, both in class and on your own, are essential to the course experience. You will learn new concepts and techniques for listening to musical performances and analyzing them. At the conclusion of the course, you will apply these techniques by writing about a performance of your choice.

While the purpose of this course is primarily to broaden your background, rather than to provide specific job skills, nevertheless you will find that employers find broadly educated people more desirable as job applicants.