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Shaping American Cultural Identities Through Music

Seminar Leader: Christopher Shultis, Professor of Music History, Department of Music 

This seminar looked at music made in the United States as a shaping cultural force throughout its history. Using a new textbook on American music by Richard Crawford, one of the most distinguished Americanists working in the discipline of music today, we listened to and discussed music from the many cultures that have contributed to its change and development. We, in particular, discussed the role music plays as both a cultural marker (the way in which music participates in the identity formation of individual cultures) and as a cultural influence (how different musics and cultures interact and change as a result). Finally, we looked at ways in which teachers can include the study of American music in a wide variety of content fields.