Syllabus
Annotation
A multi-disciplinary and international examination of the string band as a musical means for mediating between the global and the local. Case studies include bluegrass, Latin American norteno/frontera, son jarocho,
Indonesian kroncong, afropop, blues, various representations of Balkan music, and versions of
“European/Western Art Music.” This course will use the vocabulary of "Scenes" as it has been developed in music studies, as well as the frameworks for considering the music business and music movement from Taylor, Born, and Hesmondhalgh, and will use specialized literature about various specific scenes and local situations. This course emerges from the instructor’s conviction that music making (or "musicking" per Christopher Small)— especially in string band contexts—is inevitably about people and their relationships, not only those produced in sound. As we examine many sounds, places, and scales of production, this course will remain grounded in the human and relational aspects of musicking. No formal musical experience necessary. Participation in the related
String Band Ensemble strongly recommended.