Global Arc

The practice and examination of unconventional approaches to theater and music/theater. This is not a history course, although some exemplary work will be dealt with. Largely, we will be making things, playing, looking, listening and analyzing. We will examine different theatrical approaches to music, narrative, poetic, gestalt, metaphor, sculpture and design. We will write, improvise, compose and critique.

This course examines the aesthetics and reception of popular music genres in Japan, including children's songs, war songs, enka, jazz, rock, hip-hop, reggae, Okinawan pop, J-Pop, and music for anime and video games. Through listening exercises, analyses of translated lyrics, and readings, we will consider the ways in which music has reflected Japanese identity in changing international contexts and the reception of Japanese artists overseas. Issues examined include nationalism, the music industry, language, cultural hegemony, subcultures, and technology.

This course explores the music, history, politics, and cultural meanings of taiko (Japanese drum) from a transpacific perspective. Rooted in festival traditions, ensemble drumming developed into a performance art in the postwar era, featuring coordinated choreography. Taiko is also popular in North America. Students participate in a hands-on workshop, learning techniques, choreography, and three pieces of traditional and modern styles.

An introduction to the melodic types (raga), metric types (tala), and the principal vocal and instrumental genres of South Asian art music. One three-hour class. Prerequisite: instructor's permission.

Introduction to the vocal and instrumental music of Africa south of the Sahara. Topics include the place of music in society, the influence of language on musical composition, principles of rhythmic organization, urban popular music, "art" music as a response to colonialism, and the impact of African music on the earliest forms of African American music. Two 90-minute lectures.

Performance course in West African drumming with focus on music from Mandé Empire (Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Guinea Bissau and Senegal.) Taught by master drummer and exponent of Mogo Kele Foli drumming technique. Course provides hands-on experience on two instruments, Djembe and Dun dun. Students acquire performance experience, skills and techniques on Wassolon and Diansa, and develop appreciation for integrity of drumming in daily life of West Africa.

This course will delve into the many historical themes, social issues, and musical aspects that arise from surveying and comparing the diverse musical traditions of Mexico, the U.S., and Canada.

In this course, we'll examine how horizontal activity (melody) in multiple voices generates vertical structure (harmony), and how horizontal and vertical activity combine to yield musical architecture (form). We'll explore the building blocks of melody, harmony, counterpoint, rhythm, and form using practical examples, exercises, transcriptions, and composition/arranging projects as a means to internalize concepts.We'll examine representative works by important jazz composers and arrangers, and develop strategies for writing idiomatically for jazz ensembles of up to 9 musicians.

An introduction survey examining the historical development of jazz from its African origins through the present. The course will place emphasis on the acquisition of listening skills and explore related musical and social issues.

In this course, we'll explore key concepts in arranging, orchestrating, and composing for large jazz ensemble through close study of representative works by important composers and arrangers, including Duke Ellington, Billy Strayhorn, Mary Lou Williams, Gil Evans, Melba Liston, Bill Holman, Frank Foster, Bob Brookmeyer, Thad Jones, Carla Bley, Kenny Wheeler, Maria Schneider, and others, and develop strategies for writing idiomatically for large jazz ensembles of between 13-20 musicians. The final project is an original arrangement or composition for large ensemble, recorded remotely by Princeton faculty and other professionals.