Music 259: Music, Performance, and Community
Spring 2022
Course Description
This is an advanced seminar for music majors as well as majors focusing on the arts who are considering careers in performance, composition, or arts administration. Students in this seminar will work either individually or in teams on a single semester-long project such as a concert, composition, lecture/recital, multimedia project, or a film. Students will be offered opportunities to develop important skills vital to the performing arts through experiential learning, i.e. the process of learning through doing. It will require intensive rehearsals, coachings, workshops, and most importantly, masterclasses with world-class musicians. This seminar also has a significant community engagement component. All students in this class will present their work in an off-campus community setting. Performance venues may include the Renaissance Court or other galleries in the Worcester Art Museum and the Pop-Up Gallery at the Jean McDonough Arts Center. We will also examine how artists and arts organizations are responding to larger societal issues such as climate change and issues related to diversity, representation, and inclusion in the arts.