MUC 324 - Structure and Style in the Music of the African Diaspora, 2 credit hours

Prerequisite(s): MUA 310 & MUA 320
This course introduces musicians to the system of complex musical counterpoint of Sub Saharan Africa and its descendants in the African Diaspora. The purpose of this course will be to provide students with the ability to decode the dense layers of this music and incorporate it into their own musicianship. Both an applied and an analytical/historical approach will be employed. While the ample rhythmic elements of West African, Afro-Caribbean, and African-American music will be the primary focus, the melodic and harmonic components of these traditions will also be studied.