Dis/Abilities in Musical Contexts

(4 Credits)

This course asks what dis/Ability is and considers how this concept plays out within a variety of musical contexts. Our focus is not just on musicians with disabilities, but also on a wide spectrum of human musical capabilities. Some scholars argue that our relationship to music is necessarily embodied. In other words, we bring a unique set of physical, sensory, cognitive, and affective capabilities into any musical situation. In this way of thinking, the body, with all its unique characteristics is a central focus of our inquiry. Further into the semester, there will be a unit on Deaf musicians. Students will be exposed to a cultural view of music that remains largely unseen by the hearing world. Thereafter, through self-initiated final research projects, students will work to find their own ways of making meaning of people's varied musical capabilities.