Dave Matthews Band fans now have a new forum for sharing their affection for the popular musical group: the college classroom. Oberlin College, a small college located in Ohio, now offers the first ever college-accredited course on the ubiquitous Charlottesville-based jam band.
"Dave Matthews Band: Music and History" was taught for the first time last fall by Oberlin junior Tim McKay.
"I love the band. They're pretty much my life, and I wanted to share that," explained McKay. "Just kind of spread the love."
The class is part of Oberlin's Experimental College (ExCo) program, a system that allows students to teach classes for credit.
According to ExCo's Web site, the program was started at the midwestern college with a progressive reputation in 1968 as "an experiment in alternative education." ExCo is run by a student organization and typically offers between 60 and 90 courses a semester. The courses are open to students, faculty members and even local residents.
This spring, Oberlin students plan to teach courses on every topic imaginable. Students at the Ohio college can enroll in classes ranging from "Video Game Strategies and History" to "Beginning Knitting"; from "Ancient Egyptian Heiroglyphics" to "Business Planning"; from "Remedial Childhood" -required skills include riding bikes, climbing trees and "Marxism" - to "Advanced Topics in Object Oriented Programming."
McKay, a percussion major in Oberlin's Conservatory of Music, decided to teach his two-credit class in "davematthewsbandology" - as he calls his area of expertise - in part because of a dearth of courses on popular music in Oberlin's music curriculum.
"The conservatory should probably offer something like this," McKay added, but it faces obstacles such as a lack of Dave Matthews expertise on the part of faculty members and little student interest.
Thirteen students took "Dave Matthews Band" in the fall. However, "If I were going to a school like U.Va. [where DMB is very popular] I could probably fill up a whole lecture hall," he said.
The University's music department has never offered a course on a particular musical group, Music Department Chairwoman Judith Shatin said.
But the department does offer a number of courses in popular music, she said.
For instance, the department has offered courses on popular culture and music, Afro-American popular music and a graduate seminar called "Popular Music," as well as courses in jazz and folk music. Music in the Twentieth Century, a required course for music majors, studies topics such as popular music.
"There's a lot of interest in popular music" among University music students, Shatin said. "In addition, there's still a strong interest in a wide spectrum," from popular to classical to electronic to Appalachian.
"What strikes me as a professor is how broad student interest is and how lively it is," she added.
McKay's class included listening to Dave Matthews Band albums and live performances to examining how the band's songs evolved. Students also analyzed lyrics line-by-line and discussed the relationship between lyrics and music.
Read More
U.Va. loses over $60 million in federal research cuts
By Bertie Azqueta | 8 hours agoThe impacted grants include three from the NIH, seven from the NEH, one from the United States Agency for International Development and four from the State Department.
Department of Education reverses course, awards Federal Executive Institute to U.Va.
By Ford McCracken | 3 days agoThe ED had previously awarded the institute to Charlottesville City Schools.
Students reflect on the life and legacy of Pope Francis
By Bertie Azqueta | 3 days agoAt the University, students shared a range of perspectives on his legacy of reform, inclusivity and his impact on the global Catholic community.
