NEW COURSE! Spring 2015: AMST 395 American Music & Culture

Tue, 18 Nov 2014 16:13:04 -0500

What is American Roots Music? To some, the term conjures up well-known musical categories of American vernacular music: gospel, soul, hip-hop, funk, country, rockabilly, bluegrass, jazz, and blues. Push a little bit, and some will include polka, Cajun, zydeco, and conjunto/tejano music. But who is left out, and why? This course will survey musical styles deeply rooted in specific cultural communities in the U.S. that have developed in the age of recorded sound and will examine how roots music develops as a form of community expression. Students do not need formal musical training but should be committed to listening closely to music. Cliff Murphy is the director of Maryland Traditions, the state’s folklife program and author of Yankee Twang: Country and Western Music in New England (University of Illinois Press, 2014).