A.T. Simpson Jr., an associate professor at Bellarmine University, will teach a condensed version of his Music in the Black Church course through the Louisville Free Public Library next month.
The course will explore traditional African music, American folk music, European classical music and American pop music, and will touch on everything from traditional Negro spirituals to hip hop.
“There’s so much stuff out there and Louisville has such a rich tradition of black churches,” Simpson said.
Students in the course will observe how the black church is portrayed in popular media by listening to music recordings, watching movie and television clips and experiencing the live in-class performances Simpson has scheduled with local musicians.
“We talk about the musical component in the black church. We talk about its history and its varying periods, its stylistic kinds of categories. We sort of watch it evolve over 100 or so years,” Simpson said.
Simpson says he designed Music in the Black Church Short Course to be an introduction to the topic, but will tailor it to suit the expertise and interests of students it attracts.
Library Short Courses are taught like college courses by professors and experts in their fields, for an hour and a half each week. They are free and open to anyone.
Music in the Black Church is being offered on four Tuesdays, starting October 9, from 5:45 -7:15 p.m.
To register, call 574-1635.
