Introductory Music History Redefined

FAIN: FW-50041-09

Laura R. Nash
Fairfield University (Fairfield, CT 06824-5195)

My project reinvigorates the introductory music history course, an important course within the curriculum because it prepares students for more advanced learning in the humanities. The traditional pedagogy of lecturing on a canon of great works does not engage today's students or give them the tools they need for analytic, critical, and speculative humanistic inquiry. I propose realigning the canon into a more accessible format using digital technology to facilitate teaching the humanities and creating a multi-layered approach that uses 19th- and 20th-century American popular music in conjunction with the traditional canon to create a platform that makes studying music history and the humanities compelling and relevant for today's students. This approach will strengthen the link between research and teaching and will foster excellence in undergraduate instruction, as well as increase overall student learning.