American Popular Music
MUSI 1310
Welcome to our study of America's popular music. This course will cover the development of American popular music from its early days before the American Civil War up to today’s styles. Along with the excellent and easy-to-understand textbook, there will be a great deal of listening to the music of all styles of pop music and their influences, discussion of the creators and artists behind the songs, as well as viewing important video footage chronicling the history and development of this unique art form.
COURSE GOALS
The goal of this class is to help develop an appreciation for the popular music of the past and to provide a context for the music we listen to today. Some of the material presented in this course will be new, but with a solid perspective on all the styles of music we cover, both familiar and unfamiliar, the student will be a more discerning listener to our great popular music.
THE TEACHER
Dr. John Irish, Professor of Music in the Department of Visual and Performing Arts, teaches this course. A veteran, professional performer in numerous big bands and other popular musical styles, he is able to bring extensive practical knowledge to the course. Fascinating, behind-the-scenes knowledge of the subject, lots of great music and an in-depth look at musicians and groups of all eras of popular music will provide a very interesting perspective of America's great popular music. He has also taught courses on the History of Jazz, the American Musical Theater, a Survey of Rock and Roll, as well as an Introduction to Music.
ENGAGING ACTIVITIES
Expanding beyond the classroom, we have attended live performances of blues and jazz in the San Angelo area, written songs with a nationally-acclaimed singer/songwriter, authored lyrics to songs, as well as explored the instruments, music, and forms of rock and jazz. In May, 2011, the class visited a prominent site in the world of rock and roll: the Buddy Holly Center in Lubbock. We also visited a local recording studio and saw the fascinating inner workings of the pop music industry.
IMPORTANT SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE OF THE COURSE
Important general information on the course is given by the author of our text. Included here are highlights of the areas of knowledge and skills the student should acquire:
Understand definitions of musical terms, both in word and sound.
Become familiar with the instruments of popular music and how they are played and the impact of technology on instruments themselves.
Develop an awareness of musical style.
Know some names, major figures in the history of popular music.
Become chronologically aware: dates-places-people and how they are related.
Grasp the main trends in popular music history.
Acquire some sense of the place of popular music in American society; connections between popular music and society.