Humanities Arts Cultural Stu 0229 - The Afrological Orchestra

This ensemble course will jump into the wide road of the African-American music continuum at the whistle stops commonly called Jazz, Blues, and Funk. As musical artists, we will look to meet its rigorous standards of performance practice. We will perform repertoire from the historical breadth of the music. This ensemble course requires weekly practice outside of the class meeting, individually and in groups, as well as reading, listening, and written assignments. We will present a concert of our work at the end of the semester. This course is open to all instrumentalists and singers. The final instrumentation of the ensemble will be determined after the first class. Course Objectives: To celebrate the great creativity of the artists who have trail blazed African-American music. To engage with their critical thoughts as artists, and to understand the contexts their work was created in. To deepen our skills as improvisers and musical interpreters. To deepen our skills as ensemble musicians. To make a powerful ensemble for public performance.

Independent Work Prerequisites: Div II and III students are given preference. Ability in reading music is required, and knowledge of music theory is of importance. There will be an informal audition for the ensemble the Tuesday before the first day of class. In this course, students are expected to spend an additional 6 hours weekly on work and preparation outside of class time.