American popular music
Bachelor's degree
In Maynard (USA)
Description
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Type
Bachelor's degree
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Location
Maynard (USA)
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Start date
Different dates available
This course surveys the development of popular music in the United States and in a cross-cultural milieu relative to the history and sociology of the last two hundred years. It examines the ethnic mixture that characterizes modern music, how it reflects many rich traditions and styles, and provides a background for understanding the musical vocabulary of current popular music styles.
Facilities
Location
Start date
Start date
Reviews
Subjects
- Musical
- Music
Course programme
Lectures: 2 sessions / week, 1.5 hours / session
There are no prerequisites for this course.
This course is a history of pop music in America, starting with the minstrel era of the 1840s and continuing until the present. The survey of the more recent popular styles will result from student presentations. The trends in American popular music will be studied in relation to other cultural and historical events, but the focus will be on the music.
Listening is vital to this course. Initially, you should listen to each assignment before and after the class meeting. Then listen again (and again), in order to familiarize yourself with each piece. The class work, reading, essays, and final project will all center on the listening assignments.
Listening and reading assignments are listed in the Reading and Listening section.
The text for this class is:
Starr, Larry, and Christopher Waterman. American Popular Music: From Minstrelsy to MP3. 4th ed. Oxford University Press, 2014. ISBN: 9780199859115.
The majority of assigned readings will be taken from this text, with some additional readings. The recordings can also be found at your local public or university library.
When preparing each assignment, I find starting with the music a more rewarding experience. Therefore, I suggest you start by listening to one of the assigned compositions, then read about the piece, composer, etc. in the text, taking notes about both the music and context. Next, listen again to the work and take notes on the musical characteristics.
You will write three types of papers for this class: A short research essay, a final project paper, and listening outlines. See the Assignments section for format guidelines and assignment details.
There will be two exams. Each exam will cover the assigned listening and reading as well as material discussed in class. Exam 1 covers material from Sessions 1–10 and Exam 2 covers Sessions 11–22. Questions will feature excerpts from the assigned listening for identification, description, and comparison. Additional questions will deal with concepts (describing musical forms, historical significance, etc.) and terms.
Students are required to attend each class meeting and participate actively. In addition, all students will be asked to lead the discussions on specific pieces from the assigned listening.
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American popular music