Live Music in Context

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

This course engages students in three manners: 1) They study and experience live music, from a diverse array of traditions and cultures, performed by professionals in various modes of digital delivery, and conditions permitting, select in-person performances,. 2) They engage with material in lectures, reading assignments (generally essays) and discussions that explore the cultural context of the music. 3) They develop a broader knowledge of music in the Metro area through interaction with professional musicians who have established ways to perform their music in the context of pandemic. Each week will involve one lecture and discussion section, and one session devoted to either a live musical performance (usually via digital mode) or a live discussion with professional musicians and producers focused on different approaches to music-making during the pandemic. As a rule, Wednesday will be devoted to lecture and discussion, and Friday to live music and/or engagement with professional musicians. The music presented this semester will draw on diverse genres including Jazz, Classical, Hip Hop, Brazilian, sacred as well as others. Students will write brief response essays to each event. For the final project, students can either design a concert music series or create an annotated playlist based around a specific theme/topic. Throughout, we will remain attentive to the ways in which professional musicians have risen to the multiple challenges presented by the pandemic in order to make their music heard.