Can one get a degree in Rock History? (I mean rock music) nt

[raccoon]

[old mark]

1. I believe the University of Mississippi has Blues and Jazz studies,

but I don't know if you can get a degree in specificly that or if anyone offers a course of study in Rock Music History.

What a great idea, though....


mark

[mitchum]

2. Terrible idea; they have already dumbed down higher education enough

[raccoon]

3. Figured I might as well get another useless degree.

but this one would be fun, at least.

[jobycom]

5. Then he can elevate higher education by making it more relevant.

And by elevating the subject of rock history. Not too long ago in world history fiction was considered a base topic, beneath the dignity of higher education. Rock and Roll and has been the most significant cultural element in the world for the last fifty years, there's nothing "dumbed down" about studying it, analyzing it, and applying the techniques of serious scholarship to it. The lawn isn't ruined just because kids are on it.

[mitchum]

11. I can probably spout off more rockandroll trivia, theories, etc...

than anyone you know.
However, the fact remains that it is still low culture.
Obviously, I think that the ivory tower should remain an ivory tower :)

[jobycom]

13. Trivia and theories isn't history.

You can't understand late 20th century culture in most of the west without understanding rock and roll. Rock is both a reflection of and a motivating force in everything that has happened in America. It's more than learning about the personal lives of the Beatles or the stages in the electrification of sound, it's also about understanding the changing mindset on race, sex, gender, money, war, and politics over the last 50 years. It's an American Renaissance, or an American Romance era, and rock and roll (and in that category I include all popular forms of music influenced by it, including rap) has touched all aspects of the way America reacts with the world.

As for "ivory towers," universities are places of learning and research. There is no such thing as "low culture." Everything is culture. A good scholar studies all knowledge. Conservatives always try to limit the understanding of knowledge to some recognized cannon that they believe represents "higher learning," never grasping that the cannon they love was once a liberal interest that conservatives of a previous era wanted to stifle. Literature, business, most forms of music, dance, Impressionist art, philosophy, science, even gender and social history, were all held back at one time by those who thought they were "low culture."

Bob Dylan and U2 do now what Shakespeare and Milton once did, what Euripides did, what Mozart and Wagner once did. They transmit human ideals into a timeless artistic form for the masses. That's always worthy of study.

[mitchum]

17. One certainly needs to know the history of a genre before one can formulate theories...

and I do know my history.
Actually, I believe rockandroll's (if one defines rockandroll as white appropriation and transmutation of African forms) roots lie in Stephen Foster
and
middle class merchant's daughters from Ohio in the mid 19th century (it didn't just start in the Delta in the 1920s or Memphis in the 50s or Liverpool in the 60s)
Ask me about it sometime :)

One correction, though:
Rockandroll WAS a dominant cultural force, but is no longer that (and has not been for quite awhile now)However, it is still near and dear to the hearts of the Boomers, so that canard about its ongoing relevance will continue to be pushed for awhile longer. In light of the Boomer connection, I'm actually surprised that it hasn't been added to the academic canon.

[jobycom]

25. People have been defining rock as "finished" since the early sixties.

the Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, metal, disco, hip-hop, have all signified the end of rock for some people. Others see hip-hop and rap as another evolution of the same movement started by Muddy Waters and popularized by Elvis.

That's the kind of thing historians love to argue over. While I was in grad school, we argued over when the Roman Empire really fell, when the Middle Ages really began and ended, what characterized the Middle Ages. If you take too narrow a view, the whole concept is limited to a narrow time frame, if you take too grand a view there's no distinction between what came before and after.

That's what a rock historian would do. Define. Classify. Argue what exactly was meant by "rock and roll." My daughter's class on history of rock has talked about Andy Kaufman, SNL, the origins of hip-hop, Joni Mitchel, the Raconteurs and Black Keys. It's not limited to early Beatles, or Led Zepplin, or the rise of hip-hop. Her teacher sees hip-hop and rap as rising from the same attitude created by rock, and therefore an extension of it. There was some recent hip-hop song that said something about wanting to rock--can't remember it now.

[BOSSHOG]

19. What was Peter Frampton's first band??

Speaking of little known rock and roll trivia...

[mitchum]

21. Was it not St George and The Dragons when he and David Jones were...

still schoolmates?

[mitchum]

27. Drat! It was the Little Ravens who played on the bill WITH George and The Dragons...

that was still pretty damn impressive, though...wasn't it? :)

[BOSSHOG]

28. Yes It Was

I was living in England in 67 when he played with The Herd and they were extremely popular for a short period of time.

[blueraven95]

15. why would this be a dumbing down of education?

it is a study of an artform, similar to any other study of any other art or literary form. :shrug:

[jobycom]

4. You can construct a degree in just about anything.

You might have to get a degree with a traditional label, like history or music, but you can focus courses on rock historY. If you are talking about becoming a rock historian and want to get an advanced degree, I'm sure there are universities that will help that. For instance, you can get a PhD in American history with a specialization in late 20th century culture. Then you focus your publications on rock history, and market yourself that way. To get hired by a university, you would apply as an American history professor and submit a suggestion for a history of rock course. A few publications would help--don't worry, there are journals for everything.

My daughter is taking a history of rock course at her high school, taught by her music teacher, who I think has some coursework in history. So there are all kinds of possibilities. Don't fall into the trap of thinking you have to do something that someone has already done, or fit into a category in the classifieds. Make your own path. Ask questions, make your own rules. Sometimes just claiming you are something will make you that. Look at Hunter S Thompson. Dude couldn't write worth a crap, and half the time I read him I thought he was lying. But he told everyone he invented Gonzo journalism and everyone worshipped him as the greatest Gonzo journalist ever. What was Gonzo journalism? Whatever the Hell Hunter S Thompson wrote in his drug-addled binges.

It also depends on what you want to do. If it's just for a hobby, you can learn on your own, there are thousands of books out there already. If you want to make a living at it, decide how. You can write books without a degree. If you want to teach high school, you'll need a teaching certificate. If you want a job at a college, you'll need at least a masters, and probably a PhD, especially if you want to teach at a university. The degree doesn't have to be in "Rock History" for you to become recognized as a rock historian.

If you want a job at a museum or just want to travel the country and be honored as a rock historian, you can do that on your own. Freelance, write articles, publish books, get invited to do interviews, read everything else that's out there. Get a job as a DJ to spread your name. Read bios of others who have done it. Call your local college and JuCos and find out if they have specialists already, and talk to them. Learn what others have done and are doing. And don't let anyone tell you you can't, they just mean they can't.

Or, just jump in and do it. Write an article on an original idea. "How Bob Dylan and Woodie Guthrie shaped politics." "Is Rock and Roll the only significant American cultural contribution to the world?" "Is Mississippi the birthplace of American culture?" Whatever you are thinking about.

Historians don't memorize history, they write history. They discover it. The good ones shape what people believe is history. Figure out what you want to do, and do it. Impress people, and they'll give you money for it.

[raccoon]

6. Thanks for the input! I was thinking more as a hobby. But writing articles isn't a bad idea. nt

[jobycom]

8. Ahem. (see what I meant about people telling you you can't?)

:eyes:

If it's a hobby, there are tons of books out there. Or you could do like my teen does, and spend every waking moment on the Internet tracking down information and forming ideas. (Come to think of it, that's pretty much what I do, too.) She picks a topic and learns so much that the teacher asks her questions he doesn't know the answer to. Of course, she's failing everything else. :(

[no name no slogan]

20. Sounds like me in high school, jobycom

except that it was ten years before the web, and all I had was a set of encyclopedias and a library card. I was that kid in class whom the teacher asked about obscure subjects (especially history). I actually got a perfect score in a geography class one semester because I was so into geography at that point in my life.

Don't worry-- I later went on to a good college, got a 3.0 while being drunk most the time, and ended up getting a good job afterwards. Your teen will turn out fine. :)

[BOSSHOG]

24. As Henry Ford once said a long time ago

"WHETHER YOU THINK YOU CAN OR YOU CAN'T YOU'RE RIGHT" I had that carved in stone and it sat proudly on my desk. My Sailors hated it.

Always a pleasure to read your posts My Friend.

[RoyGBiv]

10. This is an excellent post ...

... just excellent.

I was going to post something similar, but I wouldn't have worded it as well.

One of my early mentors was a traditional southern historian, but his first love was playing bass. He played in bands when he could and just on his own all the time. Anyway, he was eventually able to talk the university into approving two courses he designed, one a mid-level survey called Rock and Roll in History and an upper level seminar on the Jazz Age that focused heavily on the music.

We spent more time in the survey course listening to music and watching clips and even our professor and some musician friends playing than on anything else. It was awesome.

[Lost in CT]

7. Probably but good luck on that job search. nt

[av8rdave]

9. My daughter took a class in it....but I don't know if you can get a degree in it

[XemaSab]

12. Do you really want the student loan debt that would entail?

:shrug:

[Bake]

14. What exactly does one DO with such a degree?

Other than hang it on the wall, of course.

Bake

[mitchum]

18. Idunno...become a courtier for Jann Wenner?

[BOSSHOG]

22. Pick up hot chicks in the history of rock class you are teaching??

[jobycom]

26. That's about as rockandroll as you can get.

:rofl:

[Bake]

29. Sounds like a plan!

:hi:

Bake

[old mark]

30. What many with a degree do - teach the same shit to others. nt

[Jamastiene]

16. I wish.

Great idea. :thumbsup:

[mzteris]

23. not exactly

For the most part, there are classes in "rock history" or contemporary music or popular music at most of music school. What you would generally do is major in music history and you would/could focus on rock. Especially as a grad student. There are certainly plenty of resources available. Here is one "Degree program" I found that might suit you, though. And one other school. Most schools just have classes you would take as part of your musicology program.

******


Bachelor of Music: Contemporary, Urban & Popular Music

Columbia College Music now offers a unique and innovative performance degree in Contemporary, Urban and Popular Music (CUP). This Bachelor of Music program is for instrumentalists, singers and songwriters, and includes courses in Music Technology and Music Business in addition to specialized courses in Music History, Music Theory and Keyboard.

The number of students accepted into the CUP program each year is limited. Acceptance is based on a committee review of a candidate’s application and the quality of his/her audition. Generally, students should apply for the program during their fourth semester, as they near completion of their Music Core studies (see below).

If you are interested in applying and auditioning for the upcoming fall semester, contact CUP program director Gary Yerkins at [e-mail] to discuss the program details or to set up an advising appointment and audition. Download PDF of 4-year plan.
http://www.colum.edu/Academics/Music/undergrad_programs/index.php



*******
As a music history and literature major, you will study the forms and styles of music from the earliest known music to the present. You also may take courses in popular music in American culture; music of Africa, Asia and the Middle East; symphonic, operatic, choral, concerto and chamber music from the Baroque to the present; and music of American composers from colonial times to the present. During your senior year, you may take courses that specialize in music history and literature of Western cultures or in ethnomusicology - music history and literature of non-Western cultures.

http://www.unt.edu/majors/umuhl.htm.