ONLINE COURSE: Synchronous class meetings via Zoom 4:30pm-6:20pm. Classes held on Jan 5, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 19. The class will also include 20+ hours of asynchronous content. Please note: Students should expect some readings and assignments to be due during winter break, prior to the beginning of Winter Session class meetings. This course is a study of how jazz works, developing the awareness and tools that allow us to understand and evaluate what we are hearing when we listen to live or recorded jazz--how and why the musicians do what they do and the larger context into which a performance fits. We explore historical developments and chronology, the structures that govern jazz improvisation and other performance practices and the instrument roles and sub-styles that typically make up the music. Though there will be ample relevant information for musicians, a background in music theory or performance is not at all necessary for this course. Syllabi for Winter Session courses will be posted to https://www.wesleyan.edu/wintersession/courses.html as soon as they are available. |