Music History, One Piece at a Time

Welcome to Music History! This is a student-led, discussion-based ongoing cultural history class where students of history and music come together to discover how history shaped music, and how music shaped history. This class is great for history buffs who want to learn more about music and cultural history, and music students who want to learn more about the history behind their favorite pieces of music.

Learners can expect to listen to classical, folk, and experimental music from the Western musical tradition. This includes the music of from the European Medieval and Renaissance periods, all major genres and composers from the Baroque, Classical, and Romantic periods, American and European Experimentalism, and modern global music trends that stem from Western classical music.

Meetings are listening and discussion based, with students leading the discussion while learning about the historical and cultural context of the music. Learners will practice analyzing the links between music and politics, literature, the visual arts, and more. Students will also learn about famous composers and pieces of music that inspired stylistic and cultural changes. 
 
No Music Experience Required!
While this is listed as a music class, no musical experience is required to participate in this class. Learners do not need to be able to read music or play an instrument to enroll. Learners are welcome to attend a single class on a topic that interests them, or stay for multiple weeks to gain a broader understanding of the historical and cultural significance of classical music traditions. Class topics do not follow any specific historical sequence, so learners may enroll at any time and will not have to worry about "catching up."

Class topics and discussion are primarily student-driven. Learners are encouraged to suggest themes or specific pieces that are of interest to them and to participate in class discussion. The schedule below has our upcoming class topics.

Week of March 2: Stravinksy, "Rite of Spring" (1913)
Week of March 9: Vivaldi, "La Primavera" (Spring), from the Four Seasons (ca. 1723)
Week of March 16: Delibes, "Flower Duet" from Lakmé (1883)
Week of March 23: Copland, "Appalachian Spring" (1944)
Week of March 30: Vaughan Williams, "The Lark Ascending" (ca. 1914)

*class topics are subject to change up to one week in advance based on student interests.

Please make sure your student is using a device with a working camera. I ask that all learners turn their camera on once at the beginning of class for verification purposes, per Outschool Policy. After verifying, students can turn off the camera if they are more comfortable with it being off.