May 29 - June 2, 2007
Institute on the Pedagogies of World Music Theories
University of Colorado (Boulder, Colorado)
This year marks the second season of a unique professional development institute that has earned enthusiastic praise since its inaugural offering in 2005. Building upon the successes of that event, the 2007 Institute expands the range of its purview in response to a growing interest among university-level instructors of music who seek to infuse their courses with concepts and pedagogies from a variety of world traditions.
We live and work in an era in which the value of teaching music theory from a global perspective has become increasingly self-evident, an era in which composers and performers of extraordinarily diverse cultural origins create works that suggest new compositional possibilities and engage new listeners in new ways.
The 2007 Institute is a site for investigating the compelling resources that support the teaching and study of music theory from a global perspective. As such, it can be expected to be of particular interest to members of the College Music Society and the Society for Ethnomusicology.
Registration
Registration cost is $365.00 for CMS Members and $390.00 for non-members. Registration deadline was Thursday, May 24.
Faculty and Course Content
This year's Institute will feature previous presenters Paul Humphreys, Brenda M. Romero, Kwasi Ampene, Jonathon Grasse, and John Hajda; a new presenter this year will be Michael Tenzer.
 Composer-Ethnomusicologist Paul Humphreys will be the main presenter. He was instrumental in developing a multi-cultural focus in musicianship classes in the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) undergraduate ethnomusicology program. Paul has continued to develop concepts and teaching strategies that incorporate a multi-cultural focus at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. Fieldwork and world music performance are decisive influences on his original compositions; among these, Requiem Karuna Agung for Balinese gamelan angklung and Western SATB chorus was recently premiered during the Los Angeles World Festival of Sacred Music.
Workshop description: six sessions (1' 30" each in duration), each focusing upon performance and discussion of music that can be integrated within a world-based course in music fundamentals.
Session One. Foundational and methodological premises; the diffusion of panpipes in world music cultures as rationale for its use as an instrument of learning.
Session Two. Assembling the instrument kit; using panpipes to perform songs from selected music cultures of North America by ear and from solfa notation; acoustics of aerophone family.
Session Three. Building on performance experience to identify deep structural elements in traditional American musics; oral notations of rhythm in South Asia and West Africa.
Session Four. Oral notations of pitch: sargams in Karnatic South Asia, "catch syllables" in the Native American Pueblo Southwest, syoga in Japanese court music.
Session Five. The cycle of fifths in three music cultures: China; Western Europe; the Near East; mathematical derivations of pentatonic and diatonic scales.
Session Six. Cyclic and sectional process in songs of the Pueblo Southwest; current practice and prospect for teaching music theory from a world perspective.
During one or two evenings, institute participants will also have the opportunity to learn and perform a short composition for Balinese gamelan angklung.
 Ethnomusicologist-Composer Brenda M. Romero conceived of the Institute and was proactive in organizing and hosting the first one at the University of Colorado, Boulder (CU) in summer of 2005. She has been central to the development of the ethnomusicology program at CU, including a doctoral emphasis in ethnomusicology and an undergraduate emphasis in Musicology and World Musics. By popular demand from 2005 participants, this year Brenda will conduct more sessions, focusing on a variety of theoretical applications.
Workshop description: four sessions (1' 30" each in duration)
Session I: This session will explore a Comparative Music Theory course syllabus designed by Victoria Lindsay Levine for music students in a liberal arts school. With a variety of additions, the course subsequently formed the basis for a doctoral musicology seminar at CU Boulder, the results of which are also examined in this session.
Session II: This session will examine the use of transcription as a means of determining theoretical elements in music of cultures in which oral transmission is the norm, including identifying cyclical elements in American Indian and other music of the Americas.
Session III: This session will explore rhythmic cycles and compare them to ideas of Western meter. Taking off from work by Simha Arom, this session will examine various kinds of rhythmic structures and argue for particular terminology and conceptual parameters. Central African rhythmic cycles will be examined.
Session IV: A continuation of the exploration of rhythmic cycles, this session will be focused on rhythmic cycles in Java and India.
 Ethnomusicologist Kwasi Ampene's research focuses on the compositional theories in the orally based cultures of Africa, particularly the Akan of Ghana. He is a recognized authority on the rich musical traditions of the Akan, and is the author of the book, Female Song Tradition and the Akan of Ghana: The Creative Process in Nnwonkoro (Ashgate, 2005). This book is part of the Musicology Series at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS), University of London. Kwasi directs the only West African Highlife Ensemble in the U.S.
Workshop description: two sessions (1' 30" each in duration)
Session I: Call and Response in Theory: focus on compositional theories associated with call and response in the Akan (Ghana) nnwonkoro song tradition. In order to comprehend the textual and structural makeup of songs and the compositional conventions guiding performer-composers in Akan, Dr. Kwasi Ampene refers to call and response as "formal templates," demonstrating the ways in which these templates are based on prescribed procedures in Akan oral-based compositions.
Session II: In this interactive workshop, participants will learn seven short songs from the nnwonkoro repertoire.
 Composer-Ethnomusicologist Jonathon Grasse has taught undergraduate courses in music theory for the music and ethnomusicology departments at UCLA, incorporating a global approach to the understanding of musical concepts and conceptualization. Jonathon's ideas were essential to the planning and development of the first Institute in 2005. He is currently an assistant professor in the music department at California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Workshop description: two sessions (1' 30" each in duration)
Session I: Five Aspects of World Music Theories: This session examines topics that can be incorporated into the undergraduate theory curriculum and include tuning, texture, time structures, pitch/mode arrays, and issues of 'improvisational composition'.
Session II: Teaching "Complex" Rhythms Using Brazilian Percussion styles: This session is a hands-on percussion workshop aimed at creatively incorporating batucada-type samba idioms into methods of teaching what are, to beginning and some intermediate undergraduate students, "complex" rhythms.
 Systematic Musicologist John Hajda brings an empirical perspective to the psychoacoustics of musical timbre and film music cognition. He will help guide the discussion on curricular design that incorporates world music theories and he will give a presentation on the intersection between empirical research in psychology and acoustics and music theory. John is currently on the music faculty at the University of California, Santa Barbara.
Workshop description: two sessions (1' 30" each in duration)
Session I: Ethnomusicology and the Undergraduate Curriculum: This session presents a look at some real and imaginary approaches to an integrated world music theory curriculum. Sample questions to be asked:
- How do we balance Western classical (i.e. 1600 CE - 1900 CE) music theory and
other music theory?
- What are Western classical music theorists saying about this topic?
- What is an ideal music theory curriculum?
- What is a realistic music theory curriculum?
- How does a world music theory curriculum impact other approaches to music study
(e.g. music history, ethnomusicology, composition, performance)?
Session II: Integrating Principles of Perception and Cognition into Music Theory: Certain aspects of music may be universal in that they are based on pre-musical or non-musical capabilities and limits of human perception and cognition. Sample topics to be covered:
- Model of Music as a Communication Process
- Basic psychophysics (how the ear works)
- Cognitive properties of scales
- Music cognition
 Composer-Ethnomusicologist Michael Tenzer will focus on the concept of periodicity as a theoretical construct with sufficient flexibility to frame an approach to all music making, but potentially with enough rigor to allow for meaningful categorization of musics. Michael is a co-founder of Gamelan Sekar Jaya (Berkeley, 1979), and taught at the Yale Department of Music (1986-96). He is Professor of Music at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Workshop description: two sessions (1' 30" each in duration)
Session I:
- A brief rationale for and definition of a world music theory centered on the concept of
periodicity, and its potential applications
- Music Theory literature survey, definitions of terms, and tools for analysis of tempo,
meter, and grouping
Session II:
- Categorizing periodicity as form and process: the application of a few simple elements.
Synchronic and diachronic perspectives. Problems of defining periodicity,
transformation, contrast, linearity, and other related words.
- Analysis of a selection of repertoire keyed to concepts discussed
- Prospectus for future research
Things to Do in Boulder in June
The Colorado Shakespeare Festival was once named as one of the top three Shakespeare festivals in the nation by TIME Magazine. Under the stars on the University of Colorado campus: www.coloradoshakes.org
Boulder's summer classic music festival at the historic Chautauqua park
http://www.coloradomusicfest.org
The largest friendliest farmers market in Colorado in the heart of downtown Boulder.
http://boulderfarmers.org/
The Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art
http://www.bmoca.org
The Dushanbe Teahouse, the only structure of its kind in the Western Hemisphere. The stunning teahouse was given to the city of Boulder by its sister city of Dushanbe, Tajikistan as a symbol of U.S. and Soviet relations. In downtown Boulder, open daily for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
www.BoulderTeaHouse.com
The Boulder Outdoor Cinema - Movies under the stars on a beautiful Boulder night
http://boulderoutdoorcinema.com
Boulder's only professional resident theatre
http://www.nomadstage.com
Housing
Interested in finding a roommate to share expenses? Visit the CMS Roommate Finder.
Housing is available on the campus of the University of Colorado at Boulder. Please download, complete, and mail this form to reserve your lodging.
Boulder Inn
770 28th Street
Boulder, CO 80303
Phone: 303-449-3800
Fax: 303-402-9118
Prominently located directly across from The University of Colorado, the Boulder Inn gives guests easy access to the city's principal attractions, premier shopping, and fabulous dining. Stylish, well-appointed rooms reflect a gracious ambiance, found throughout the hotel.
During your visit, enjoy our complimentary continental breakfast, free in-room high speed internet access, and 24-hour business center. Other guest facilities include a large seasonal outdoor pool, sauna, hot tub, and conference center.
Our multilingual staff is well known for exceptional personalized service to both business and leisure guests. Unmatched levels of courtesy and comfort, coupled with the captivating backdrop of the majestic Rocky Mountains, will guarantee your perfect stay.
Complimentary breakfast served 6:30 AM to 10:00 AM - Includes: juices, 3 cereals, English muffins, bagels, doughnuts, assorted fresh fruit, and coffee.
Reservations
Call 800-233-8469 and reference code "CMS"
Arrival Date: Monday, May 28, 2007
Check in: 3:00 PM
Departure Date: Saturday, June 2nd, 2007
Check out: 11:00 AM
Rates
$84 King Bed
$89 Two Queen Beds
** $20 surcharge will be added on the evening of Sunday, May 27th due to a special event
Directions and Campus Information
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