Singing the Books

Focused Topic in Vocal Performance: This workshop
will focus on facilitating processes of
constructing realizations of various 'songs'
included in the Song Books, along with an
overview of Cage's aesthetics. Students will
engage in substantial disciplined creative work,
action and research, especially as Cage
understood 'research' to mean experimental music
making. Course work will include discussion,
reading assignments, interpreting and
constructing pieces, and performing in class.
This work will lead toward public performances
and/or installations. It is anticipated that
students will gain an understanding of the
different types of compositional processes Cage
utilized in the Song Books. They also will
develop the capacity for intensely disciplined
action and creation; will develop an
understanding of non-ego based methods of
composition and performance; will explore their
capacity to develop and work within highly
rigorous constraints; will explore electronics as
they pertainto the Song Books; will learn how to
ask appropriate questions when realizing Cage's
work; and will work on the ability to perform in
a manner independent of self-expression.