MUS 147 ONE NATION UNDER A GROOVE

An exploration of the concept and development of groove, with an emphasis on the backbeat, a quintessentially American rhythm that appears in pop music throughout the world. Listening to and performing rhythms that have contributed to the development of the backbeat — from the second line to Swift, blues to the Beatles, Funkadelic to Kendrick — will be accompanied by reading from the fields of music theory, musicology, anthropology, American studies, and ethnomusicology. By focusing on the social, geographic, cultural, racial, and artistic synthesis of strikingly diverse cultures from across the globe, students will confront the question of what it means to be making music in America, and will challenge concepts of appropriation and ownership. The ability to read music is not required.