Course Info: HACU-0205
| Course | HACU-0205 American Strings |
| Long Title | American Strings: Old Time and Bluegrass |
| Term | 2018S |
| Note(s) |
Satisfies Distribution Textbook information |
| Meeting Info | Music and Dance Building RECITAL on T,TH from 2:00-3:20 |
| Faculty | Rebecca (Becky) Miller |
| Capacity | 23 |
| Available | 12 |
| Waitlist | 0 |
| Distribution(s) |
Arts, Design, and Media |
| Cumulative Skill(s) | Multiple Cultural Perspectives Writing and Research |
| Additional Info | In this course, students are expected to spend approximately 8 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time. |
| Description | This course focused on American southern old-time string band music, bluegrass, and early country song. We drew on cultural theory to explore the growth of these musics throughout the 20th/21st centuries as well as the influences of African-American musical expression, class, gender, and music revivalism. We considered old time and bluegrass both from an historical perspective and ethnographically as vital forms in communities today. The course included weekly reading/listening assignments; occasional evening film screenings; and weekly (or every other week) writing assignments (2-4 pages each based on the reading); and a midterm essay (5-7 pages). While this course was primarily academic, there was also a performance component: students learned to play old time music by ear and develop a repertoire of traditional dance music. In addition to learning instrumental music by ear during class music sessions, students were divided into bands half way through the semester and were responsible for rehearsing with their bandmates outside of class and, ultimately, performing in the end of semester concert. |