Teaching two jazz history classes next year

[ghost of miles]

Pretty exciting news that I thought I'd pass along--I'll be teaching two jazz history courses next year in my local university's Continuing Studies division. Each class lasts for five 1.5-2 hour sessions; the spring class will be "Big Bands in American Popular Culture," and the autumn class will be "History of Indiana Jazz." I'll probably solicit advice/input from the Organissimo round-table when I go to prepare the syllabi...

[JSngry]

Congratulations!

Will Glenn Miller be covered in both classes, just one, or neither?

[ghost of miles]

Congratulations!

Will Glenn Miller be covered in both classes, just one, or neither?

Thanks, but please don't ask me about Glenn Miller, Father Jim... I've been a baaaaaddd boy. In the past week I've nabbed el cheapo copies of SECRET BROADCASTS and the AAF Bluebird box--I will indeed be talking about Miller & the AAF band in one class. (There'll be five classes in all.) The timespan I have in mind will probably cover 1925-1960 or 1970. I don't think I'll be able to require students to buy specific books, but I will be allowed to put together a "reader." So far I plan to include excerpts from Lewis Erenberg's SWINGIN' THE DREAM: BIG BANDS AND THE REBIRTH OF AMERICAN CULTURE and Sherri Tucker's SWING SHIFT, among others. I'll also probably include something from George Simon; I'm not a big fan of his work, but he was an early authority on the subject, and I still turn to his BIG BANDS book from time to time.

[Dan Gould]

Congratulations, David.

[RainyDay]

Congratulations! That's very cool.

Will the Jazz Taliban be after you for not teaching anything post 1960/70? Remember Ken Burns and be very afraid...

[catesta]

Good for you!

[Peter Johnson]

Nice work, Ghost--I'm sure you'll find plenty of resources here to fill in gaps!

[JSngry]

Yo, Ghost - if you don't already know it, be sure to at least have a look at Gene Lees' essay Pavillion In The Rain. It's in his Singers and the Song, or whatever that book is called.

Trust me.

(and is that Miller AAF band interesting or what? )

[JSngry]

And really, the whole post, say, 1965 or so big band thing bears mentioning, because it was sort of a mini-revival of the whole thing, and simultaneously spurred on and was spurred on by the just-beginning-to-get-its-legs jazz education movement, which in turn has a a profound effect on so much (too much, if you ask me) of the jazz of the last 25 years (and every bit as much on the general public's perception of jazz as an esoteric, dry, "musician's" music instead of a populist art of immediate and general significance as the avant-garde supposedly has had). There is a connection.

But maybe you can assign a paper on that to the smartass in your class who keeps asking questions that they already know the answer to just to see if you know them.

Edited June 16, 2004 by JSngry

[brownie]

Wish I had jazz courses when I was young/old enough to attend University. Ghost, yours students will be very lucky!

[jack]

Congratulations!! I will be taking a jazz history course this semester at college. Can't wait.

[David Ayers]

I have occasionally lectured on jazz to American Studies students. It is a tough call to decide how much to say about music to people who maybe don't necessarily have a musical background. These days people want you to do everything from the point of view of social history, so that you don't have to demand any specialist knowledge of any of the arts from anyone. That said, in my lectures I have played 'In the Mood' and explained its attraction in terms of the instrumentation, but also by counting it out in terms of the novelty, 'shock' bar lengths. I'll be interested to hear what you get into these classes.

The secret of teaching is don't try to do too much!

PS as you may already know, Continuing Education presents its own challenges and pitfalls...

Edited June 17, 2004 by David Ayers

[John L]

Sounds good!

Those are two tough subjects.

[chris olivarez]

Too bad I'm not in your neck of the woods. That's a good reason to go to school.

[ghost of miles]

Jim, I probably will talk somewhat about post-1970 big bands... the trick is trying to get everything into, at most, five two-hour classes. Ten hours total sounds like a lot of time, but there's so much to cover in this subject!

Just curious, David--what are some of the challenges & pitfalls of continuing education? I've never taught it (or anything else) before. Fortunately my wife is a former associate instructor, and I'm friends w/a professor here who's an expert on this period of American culture, and who's also extremely knowledgeable about music & jazz in particular.

[JSngry]

Sorry, I missed in the opening post that this was a Continuing Education class.

But check out that Lees essay anyway for possible inclusionin your reader - it in many ways cuts right to the quick of "Big Bands in American Popular Culture" .

[ghost of miles]

Thanks, I surely will! I don't have that particular book, but I can copy the essay from the library volume that we have here.

[Dan Gould]

Just curious, David--what are some of the challenges & pitfalls of continuing education?

I'd be curious to know, too. After all, students who enroll in a Continuing Ed class have to be interested in the subject matter-its not like they're satisfying some requirement for a diploma or degree and will veg out in class. I'd expect a significant proportion of older students some of whom may even have memories of the era and things to share with the class.

[ghost of miles]

I'd expect a significant proportion of older students some of whom may even have memories of the era and things to share with the class.

Should help keep me on my toes.... "Listen, whippersnapper, I was there and I know it ain't so!"

[David Ayers]

Just curious, David--what are some of the challenges & pitfalls of continuing education?

Well, you can get a range of backgrounds in Continuing Education. People are older so they bring more to it. You can get a large contrast of approaches. You might get a very well informed person who has come to tell YOU a thing or two and show off to others. Or you might get others who have no idea what you are talking about but will carry discussion off in just ANY direction at all. I'd say a main *potential* problem is dealing with a domineering group member, whether they are knowledgeable or not. Such a person can prevent you from getting your material out and irritate or intimidate others.

Pitching at the right level, keeping focus , catering to differing expectations, and preventing war breaking out are some of the possible challenges. That said, continuing ed. class members are usually generous to their instructors, who are frequently people younger than they are , and whom they therefore feel protective towards.

[ghost of miles]

Yo, Ghost - if you don't already know it, be sure to at least have a look at Gene Lees' essay Pavillion In The Rain. It's in his Singers and the Song, or whatever that book is called.

Trust me.

Jim,

I had completely forgotten your recommendation... happened across a copy of a Lees book at a local bookstore a couple of months ago, read that essay, and thought, "Hot damn!" Then remembered your rec when I came back to view this thread today. You're absolutely right.

[medjuck]

Ghost: There's a good Smithsonian box set about post 40's bands which goes up through the 70's. It's called "Big Band Renaissance".

My first University teaching gigs were in contnuing education. Usually people are there to learn something rather than to get a degree. That's the good news. The bad news is that they don't always do the work you might assign since they have nothing at stake. (That I assigned Joyce's Ulysses to them might have something to do with it. I told them they had to read 100 pages. I didn't care which 100 pages.

BTW Is Freddy Webster from Indiana?

[ghost of miles]

BTW Is Freddy Webster from Indiana?

D'oh! He was from Cleveland... but I know what you're getting at. And thanks for the rec on the box-set--I'll look around to see if we have a copy at the station.

Edited April 17, 2005 by ghost of miles

[frank m]

I have but one suggestion. The big band era was primarily for dancing, not just listening. Perhaps you could find some kids who know how to lindy, or maybe a film of some kids lindying to a swing number of the time. Best of luck with the kids.

[ghost of miles]

I have but one suggestion. The big band era was primarily for dancing, not just listening. Perhaps you could find some kids who know how to lindy, or maybe a film of some kids lindying to a swing number of the time. Best of luck with the kids.

Yes, I have a couple of clips along those lines. A friend loaned me a DVD compilation of movie excerpts; unfortunately they're not ID'ed, so I'm trying to figure them out. One clip is titled "Swing Fever" and comes from a movie with Tommy Dorsey, Harry James, and a bandleader who looks a lot like Kay Kyser (not actually Kyser, though, I don't believe); there's a good dance sequence with one woman and two men to a tune called "Undecided." Also some great, funny stuff titled "Dancing Co-Ed" that comes from a flick with Artie Shaw.