Music 116 - Experiencing Music

Most of us listen to music by putting on our headphones and connecting to the internet, but not that long ago, such a feat was physically and technologically impossible. In the space of little more than a generation, there has been a sea change in how we listen to music. What are some of the implications of this transformation? If we are usually alone when we’re doing it, can listening to music still be considered a communal activity? Have we privatized the musical space? Have we democratized it? Has live music become a quaint vestige of the past?

In this course, we will closely examine what is at stake for performers and listeners in live music settings.

Through attendance at live rehearsals and performances, as well as lectures and panel discussions by guest speakers, we will engage the communities of musicians and listeners in the Pioneer Valley and familiarize ourselves with the rich heritages of music found here. Through reading and writing assignments, we will critically examine how the live music experience changes or stays the same across formats, styles, and cultures: a metal concert in a bar, a hip hop concert in a stadium, a singer-songwriter’s performance in a café, a symphony performance in a concert hall. We will also examine ideas about virtual music communities going back to the nineteenth century (imagine, for instance, a family in 1890 gathering in its parlor to listen to a performance on a player piano where the piano is in the room, but not the pianist!). Coursework includes attendance at roughly one live music event per week outside of class and a final research project.

Limited to 30 students. Fall Semester. Professor Harper.