I want you to think about the two themes that dominate the material we are covering in class:

process and canon.

how those things have impacted the creative processes of composers at the middle of the 20th Century,

and how that has impacted the creation of music and culture.

Think critically about the cultural and gendered roles of those composers whose work was / is elevated?

Consider the setting for various forms of music. 

Where is it performed?  Who is in attendance?  What is their cultural position?

How does this affect the way we think about / value those forms of music?

Consider the marginalized position of women composers and non-white musicians.

How does either enter the ‘high culture’ conversation?  Is it important to enter that conversation?

How does colonial mining factor into the mix?

Once we have identified what music is appreciated by whom,

what distinctions and hierarchies of race, class, and gender remain hidden or unspoken? 

How can they be exposed?  Shifted? 

Finally, how does the way we view popular and fine art impact the way we think about our social construction,

who should live where, attend what schools, have access to what jobs?