MUSIC 3360

Improvisation and Social Change in the U.S.

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2016-2017.

Everyone improvises. Whether in jazz band or walking down the street, on the concert stage or through GarageBand, we all make music on the fly. Yet how and why people do so remains shrouded in mystery. Drawing on examples from jazz, experimental music, silent film accompaniment, hip-hop, and classical music, this course examines how improvisatory music is made and what it means. Why is improvisation unique, and by comparison, what does improvisation share with other forms of music making? Focusing on American examples, we will ask how improvised music channeled the social agency of its practitioners and gave voice to some of the most important social struggles of the last century. The ability to read music is not required.

When Offered Fall.

Distribution Category (LA-AS)

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