| Message from the Chair: Spring 2010 | | Print | |
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March 30, 2010 Message from the Chair
Dear Students, There is both excitement and uncertainty in the air. For some students, the excitement is because they will be graduating and leaving UCLA. While it is nice to bring closure to years of hard work, studying, and preparing for a career, deciding what to do after leaving UCLA brings uncertainty because of difficult economic times. Although we live in uncertain times, we believe your UCLA education has prepared you for whatever the world has to offer. If you need assistance in planning for the future, please don't hesitate to meet and talk with your faculty advisor, staff advisors, or the Directors of Graduate and Undergraduate Studies in our Department. In addition, there are many resources you can access at the UCLA Career Center (click on the link below for information). http://career.ucla.edu/Homepage.aspx For others, the excitement is due to the upcoming celebration of 50 years of ethnomusicology at UCLA. To celebrate this important moment in the history of our Department and the discipline of ethnomusicology, the 55th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) will take place in Los Angeles in fall quarter (November 11-14, 2010). For information about SEM 2010, click on the link below: http://www.indiana.edu/~semhome/2010/index.shtml There is also excitement because the Department is planning a yearlong series of activities and events to celebrate the 50th anniversary of ethnomusicology at UCLA. Because the plans have not been finalized, you will need to wait until later in spring quarter to learn the details. However, for information on the history of ethnomusicology at UCLA, click on the following link: http://www.ethnomusic.ucla.edu/celebrating50years/index.htm
Before discussing events and other activities, I want to re-emphasize the importance of meeting with your advisor at least twice each quarter. Although I have mentioned meeting with advisors many times, it is worth repeating because of its importance. The meeting at the beginning of the quarter (week 1 or 2) is an opportunity to discuss the progress made during previous quarters and other issues. When you meet during the middle of the quarter (week 6 or 7), you can discuss the courses you plan to take before the Schedule of Classes is published (normally in week 8). Meeting with advisors is particularly important for students planning to complete their degrees, qualifying exams, or dissertations, because too often students do not know the requirements for these important rites of passage. So please consult your faculty advisors on a regular basis. When you meet, make sure that you take an up-to-date transcript so you can carefully review it for errors and discuss how best to correct them. In addition to your faculty advisors, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, the Director of Graduate Studies, and the two staff advisors are available to assist you (see below for their contact information). Director of Undergraduate Studies Steven Loza Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Phone: 310-206-1082
Roger A. Kendall Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Phone: 310-206-6080
Alfred Bradley Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Phone: 310-825-4768
Sandra McKerroll Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Phone: 310-825-4769
If you do not know the name of your faculty advisor, Al or Sandra can provide you with this information.
As part of the admissions process, several prospective graduate students will be visiting our Department during the second week of class -- April 5-7, 2010. Most students are visiting because they want to tour UCLA's campus, attend classes, meet faculty, and interact with students before making a final decision about registering for graduate school. Therefore, if you see someone who appears to be new, please assist him or her in whatever way you can.
Similar to past years, the UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music (HASOM) will provide funds to support the educational experience of undergraduate and graduate students outside the classroom. The guidelines and application will be available later this spring quarter. HASOM Director Timothy Rice will be contacting you soon with information on how to apply for these funds.
The Department welcomes two visiting professors for spring quarter 2010: Visiting Associate Professor Amy Catlin-Jairazbhoy who will be teaching Ethnomu 20C (Musical Cultures of the World: Asia), and Visiting Professor Eddie S. Meadows, who will be teaching Ethnomu 120B (Development of Jazz). For additional information about both professors, click on the following links:
New Courses Two new courses will be offered this quarter. We hope that you will take advantage of these new offerings, particularly since they will not be offered on a regular basis. 1. Selected Topics in Ethnomusicology: Pathways to Improvisation Ethnomu C165/C270, MW 1:00-2:50pm SMB 1535 Instructor: Tamir Hendelman The purpose of this course is to expose students from a variety of backgrounds and skill levels to the world of improvisation in a fresh and exciting way. Students will improvise on their instruments and with their voices in and out of class. By drawing on a multitude of sources and techniques, students will gain a diverse knowledge of this living art form. Classes will explore improvisation over scales, modes, chord structures, intervals and free improvisation. We will explore call and response, blues form, motivic development, and a variety of rhythmic grooves. Chord progressions from the common practice era and jazz repertoire as well as modes will serve as a springboard to individual and group improvisation. We will also utilize improvisation as a tool for composition and arranging. Students will improvise both vocally and instrumentally. The class will also create improvisations based on various moods, images and dramatic storylines. We will interweave musical ideas with concepts from visual art, drama and film. By the end of this course, students will gain a greater understanding of improvisation and tools to improvise with other musicians in a thoughtful and articulate manner. 2. Music and the Brain Ethnomu 188, W 6:30-9:30pm, SMB B544 Instructor: Mark Jude Tramo “Music and the Brain” takes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding brain mechanisms mediating music perception, performance, and cognition. Students’ natural interest in music serves as a springboard for learning basic concepts about how the brain works. Individual seminars focus on specific themes, such as harmony perception, rhythm perception, emotion and meaning in music, and creativity. Seminars are designed to help students understand methodologies currently used to investigate brain-behavior correlates. By the end of the course, students will (1) have a broad understanding of research topics in cognitive neuroscience, one of the three main sub-disciplines of neuroscience; (2) be familiar with fundamental principles in neurophysiology, psychophysiology, and neuroanatomy, whose basics form the foundation for brain imaging, social psychology and, increasingly, marketing research; and (3) possess specific knowledge about brain mechanisms mediating music-related cognitive and emotional functions. Mark Jude Tramo, M.D. Ph.D., is the Director of the Institute for Music and Brain Science, a Neurology Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, a Faculty Fellow at the Harvard Mind Brain & Behavior Program, and a Songwriter Member of ASCAP. Events Over the next few months, the Department is sponsoring several exciting events (see below). We hope you can attend most, if not all.
Spring 2010 1. Pizza Social Friday, April 2 Green Room, SMB 1230 3 pm All students and faculty are welcome to our Spring Pizza Social. Volunteers are needed to set up and clean up!!!!! Please contact Donna Armstrong ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ), the Chair's Assistant, to let us know if you can help.
2. Nazir Ali Jairazbhoy Colloquium Series The Department’s Colloquium Series will take place in SMB B544 on selected Wednesdays. Speakers for Spring 2010 include: March 31 - Elizabeth Macy (1-3 pm) April 14 - Timothy Taylor (1-3 pm) April 28 - Deborah Wong (1-3 pm) May 12 - Nancy Guy (1-3 pm) May 26 - Timothy Cooley (1-3 pm)
3. Concerts - Hammer Museum Spring Festival of World Music and Jazz On three Saturdays (April 24, May 1, and May 8), faculty and students from our Department will perform at the Hammer Museum at 2:00 pm and 3:30 pm. On April 24, the concert will feature the Music of China Ensemble and Bluegrass and Old-Time String Ensemble; on May 1, our student jazz combos will perform; and on May 8, the concert features two groups: Music of the Balkans Ensemble and Music of Brazil Ensemble.
4. Concerts - Spring Festival of World Music and Jazz 2010 The Department’s world music and jazz ensembles will perform in Schoenberg Hall (May 14-18 and May 21-23). All concerts begin at 7pm.
Summer 2010 2010 World Music Summer Institute The Department's Fifth Annual World Music Summer Institute (WMSI) will be held June 20-26, 2010. Our performance faculty will teach performance courses on the Music of African Americans, China, Korea, and Mexico. If you know individuals who will benefit from such an experience, please inform them. Students who participated in past summers have stated that it was a fantastic experience. For more details, click on the links below: WMSI Overview WMSI Student Quotes Fall 2010 UCLA will serve as host for the 55th Annual Meeting of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM) that will be held November 11-14, 2010. For details, click on the following links: SEM Welcome SEM Location and Accommodations News We are always delighted to know and share your activities, achievements, and awards with others. If you want your news posted on the Department’s website and/or in the newsletter, please send to Donna ( This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ) . To see recent news, please go to News. I wish you a very successful quarter. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions or comments. Best regards, Jacqueline Cogdell DjeDje
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