MUS 3020History of Jazz

Catalog

Pre-requisite(s): ENG 1020 or ENG 1021 with "D-" or above. In this class, students explore the many facets of American jazz as a history of African American musical expression. Through a survey of important events and major figures, including their effect on music through their actions and those of their followers, students learn the tools of active listening by gaining a greater understanding of the musical elements through listening, reading, and performing. The course covers minstrelsy, ragtime, blues, New Orleans and classic jazz, bebop and related movements, as well as current trends of the genre. This course centralizes the perspective that jazz is inexorably tied to the experience of African American musicians, who simultaneously were influenced by and responded to the dominant culture of popular music in the creation of something new.