POPULAR MUSIC STUDIES

The course will introduce the main themes of the young discipline better known in English as "Popular Music Studies", which deals with those music that are "Popular" (Pop) for their vast audience, for the their worldwide distribution and sales numbers.
In this sense, the course intends to provide a series of conceptual tools useful for dealing critically with the musical products of contemporary popular music production, reflecting on some general themes such as: the relationship of contemporary popular music with the media and their cultural dimension; the structural construction of Pop Music; the formation of meaning and the attribution of aesthetic value to the Popular songs.
From this general introduction, we will move on to a monographic part entitled "I Woke Up this Morning: the Blues and its transcultural variations" dedicated to the birth of Blues in the USA from African roots, to its influences in Jazz, in R&B , in Soul, in R&R and, finally, in British Pop. From these cases, we will take into consideration the eventual vitality of the Blues in our days.

According to the framework for the European Higher Education, the so called Dublin descriptors, the expected results are:
1. Knowledge and Understanding
a) To know the basic terms and concepts of the young discipline and to understand the texts that use such terms and concepts.
b) To understand the peculiarities of the approaches of the so called "Popular Music Studies" and their new approach.

2. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding
a) Being capable of a simple analysis of some given musical examples, being aware of the singles musical languages and cultures.
b) Ability to connect a musical tune with its cultural framework.

3. Judgement's ability
a) Being capable to formulate and to argument simples hypothesis.

4. Communicational Skills
a) Being able to communicate the peculiarities of the ethnomusicological approach to music, using an appropriate terminology.

5. Learning Ability
● Being able to take notes and to share them in a collaborative form.
● Being able to consult the texts critically and the Bibliography immanent.

No particular prerequisites are required but curiosity and attention.

Introduction to the main themes of the young discipline called "Popular Music Studies".

Amiri BARAKA (Leroi Jones), Blues People: Negro Music in White America, New York, William Morrow & Company, 1963.
Alan LOMAX, The Land where the Blues Began, New York, The New Press, 2002.
Richard MIDDLETON, Studying Popular Music, Buckingam, Open University Press, 1990.

Oral Examination on the Bibliography and on the notes from the lessons.

Lesson with abundant use of audio and video materials

Italian

oral

This subject deals with topics related to the macro-area "Poverty and inequalities" and contributes to the achievement of one or more goals of U. N. Agenda for Sustainable Development