Locate additional audio or video examples of women drummers in African or Afro-Caribbean music (other than those on the listening list) that we can look at as a group. Post these examples in the “Drummers” thread on Blackboard before class so that I can access them. Then, be prepared to say a bit about your example in class.
Due:
You will learn from today’s reading that in some African and Afro-Carribean cultures, women are restricted from playing certain drums, particularly in religious contexts, and that the drums themselves are thought of as gendered. The packet of readings for today includes four brief excerpts from articles about this topic by ethnomusicologists. Two are writing about their native cultures, and two are not.
Write out brief answers to the following questions, and be prepared to discuss your responses in class:
(1) What methods do these scholars use to investigate the relationship between gender and drumming, and do these methods ever depend on being a cultural insider or outsider?
(2) How does knowing the gender and nationality of each author shape your response to their arguments?
Due:
Write out answers to the following questions, and be prepared to discuss your responses in class:
According to Sherrie Tucker, what is the “dominant swing discourse”? In other words, why are women swing musicians so often left out of jazz history?
What challenges does Tucker face in revising jazz history to include all-girl bands, and what strategies does she plan to use to overcome them?
Due:
Listen to the pieces/excerpts on today’s listening list, and—without thinking too much about it—make a list ordering them from most to least “feminine.” After you have done this, write a one-page paper considering what features of the music may have caused you to attribute gendered qualities to it.
Due:
Critics like George Upton who thought that women could not write great music were faced by a number of counterexamples: women who could and did compose well. Find at least three examples of women composers active at any time before Upton wrote his essay in 1880.
In the “Composers” thread on Blackboard, give a brief bio of each composer and include links to reliable sources about her life and work (books, scholarly articles, etc.) and, if possible, recordings of her music.
Due: