Fall 2024
 

MUH 6935: Topics in Music History
New American Musics: Composer-Performers and the Global South
Instructor: Payam Yousefi
Tuesday Period 9 - 11 (4:05 PM - 7:05 PM)
Location:  MUB 146

In this class we expand the definition of what is categorized as American music in the United States. We study the lives and works of contemporary artists who each possess distinct musical practices and come from different backgrounds and ethnicities. The course takes a transformational approach by highlighting contemporary artists with roots in the Global South whose musical careers exist primarily in North America. Histories of migration provide our course a lens with which to better understand each artist's unique practice and aesthetic world. Through our explorations of each artists works and their ties to multiple histories, we attempt to answer the question—What is American music today?
Structure: Each three-week unit is devoted to one artist. In each unit we study examples of their music in depth while simultaneously engaging with critical readings related to their work—covering the intersections of music with subjects such as activism, the prison industrial complex, memory, generational trauma, postcoloniality, global feminism, and heritage. Additionally, we overview musical systems and styles from around the world that explicitly and implicitly influence each artist's contemporary practices. At the end of each three-week unit, we will spend time with the artists, dedicating a class session to having a Q&A with them. The class will interface with the following artists: Martha Gonzales of the Quetzal Band, Aida Shirazi, Ganavya, and Samora Pinderhughes.

MUT 6936: Music Theory Seminar
Instructor: George Adams
Tuesday Period 9 - 11 (4:05 PM - 7:05 PM)
Location:  MUB 144
In this seminar we will explore varied concepts of form as applied in music analysis. We will begin with formal function and formal deviation in the music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, continue with the relationship between harmony, rhythm, meter, and form in popular genres including rock and hip hop, and conclude with the social/political formalisms of Cage, Ellington, and Monáe. The course draws from music theory and literary theory to cover both the influence of Formenlehre in North American music studies and new directions in the ever-expanding study of musical form.

MUS 6905: DMA Workshop "Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know About Working in Academia But Were Afraid to Ask" (or “Why Am I Getting a DMA Anyway?”)
Instructor: Chuck Pickeral
Thursday Period 9 - 11 (4:05 PM - 7:05 PM)
Location:  MUB 142
Summary: As the title indicates, this course is designed for DMA students in the early phases of their degree, although MM students are also welcome to enroll. Working collaboratively, we will address some of the key issues, challenges, and anxieties that are often encountered during and after graduate studies in applied music. Drawing upon the experiences of a wide range of guests from UF and beyond, as well as those of the students in the course, we will:
Clarify and refine goals for graduate study.
Consider opportunities to expand skill set for greater employability, both inside and outside of academia.
Address the soft skills essential for success that are often not directly addressed in coursework.
Work to develop strategies to articulate and market each student’s unique profile.
Most of the work is project-based and collaborative, with many opportunities for student-directed learning.