During my final semester at UC in spring 2017, I took an honors seminar entitled Listen To The Music. In this course I learned how to actively and critically listen to music, taking note of technical qualities such as meter and texture, as well as the sociocultural context in which the pieces/songs were originally created. I had the chance to study various music genres and streams in depth, and discovered the history of music with origins traceable to the African and Jewish diasporas. Not only did I learn more about Blues and Rock 'n' Roll, I also had the opportunity to clarify my previous misconceptions about "classical music."
The class was heavily centered around discussions, and there were additional essays and listening assignments outside of class. During these class discussions, we often talked about how to identify and address the biases we have towards particular types of music and, by extension, groups of people. We recognized that we must confront such biases by asking why we formed them initially, while also considering that even though such prejudices may sometimes hold true, it is impossible to be correct in assigning any qualities to an entire group. In addition to stereotyping and bias-forming, we also touched on cultural appropriation--a hot topic in today's global society. In order to prevent such a practice, it is important to be aware that it occurs when part of a culture is stripped from the people who created it and used by others in a way that causes it to lose its original meaning and purpose.
Listen To The Music changed the way I listened to music. It not only provided me with the opportunity to learn more about the history of genres I was only vaguely familiar with before, but also challenged me to confront my own faults in the way I might judge a group of people based on the music I associate with them (or vice versa). When I signed up for this class, I thought I would only be learning about music. My expectations were blown out of the water, and I gained knowledge in a much wider range of areas through interactions with my classmates and professor. I will carry what I learned in this course throughout my life, as I continue to meet new people from all walks of life. I will approach new elements of culture with an open, yet informed mind, so that I may best appreciate each and every opportunity.
You can view my analysis of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" below.
The class was heavily centered around discussions, and there were additional essays and listening assignments outside of class. During these class discussions, we often talked about how to identify and address the biases we have towards particular types of music and, by extension, groups of people. We recognized that we must confront such biases by asking why we formed them initially, while also considering that even though such prejudices may sometimes hold true, it is impossible to be correct in assigning any qualities to an entire group. In addition to stereotyping and bias-forming, we also touched on cultural appropriation--a hot topic in today's global society. In order to prevent such a practice, it is important to be aware that it occurs when part of a culture is stripped from the people who created it and used by others in a way that causes it to lose its original meaning and purpose.
Listen To The Music changed the way I listened to music. It not only provided me with the opportunity to learn more about the history of genres I was only vaguely familiar with before, but also challenged me to confront my own faults in the way I might judge a group of people based on the music I associate with them (or vice versa). When I signed up for this class, I thought I would only be learning about music. My expectations were blown out of the water, and I gained knowledge in a much wider range of areas through interactions with my classmates and professor. I will carry what I learned in this course throughout my life, as I continue to meet new people from all walks of life. I will approach new elements of culture with an open, yet informed mind, so that I may best appreciate each and every opportunity.
You can view my analysis of Aretha Franklin's "Respect" below.