Getting started
Music is such an integral part of our lives that we do not always step back to examine its deeper social meanings. This course examines music as an inherently social act, illustrating how music is informed by – and conversely informs – historical, political, cultural, and economic processes. It will challenge the ways you think about music, what it means to the people who make and interact with it, and how you listen to it.
Using selected case studies from around the world, we will examine music in both historical and contemporary contexts and encounter musical styles ranging from indigenous practices to classical traditions and pop genres. We will pay particular attention to the transformation of sounds and their meanings resulting from colonialism, nationalism, technological innovations, and/or the expansion of trans-state music markets. The course material will also address issues of cultural representation; taking into account how recordings, articles, web, and video material frame the discussion or presentation of music. At the same time, we will explore the variety of ways these musics are structured, developing critical listening skills in the process.
This site is dedicated to writing about and sharing our experiences interacting with musics of the world. Blogging here is designed to allow you to reflect on what strikes you as you encounter new (and perhaps very foreign) sounds and to trace how this perspective changes with knowledge about the structure of the musics and the contexts in which they are made.
Sound, however, is just one component of music. I want to encourage you to go beyond just writing about sounds in your blogs and assignments, to engage with and reflect on a multimedia form in a multimedia forum. Work to include images, video clips, audio clips, media article etc. in your posts and assignments.
Feel free to also post interesting tidbits (concerts, articles, clips etc) related to the themes and goals of the class as we go alone.
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