15. Whose Music? Diversity in a First-Year Foundation Course

Abstract

Students come to university with diverse tastes, experiences, and backgrounds, yet we often want them to embrace a body of aesthetics, philosophies, and ideologies that reflect the material we and our established disciplines value as central. However, by using their own backgrounds as a basis for exploration, discovery, and sharing, students can learn a great amount from each other’s tastes and experiences. Two assignments designed for a first-year foundation course in music history and literature draw on personal backgrounds. Personal Music History and Music Repertoire Assignment allow students to bring the music they know and love, as well as their life experiences to the study of a new body of musical literature. Although music-specific, these assignments can be tailored to virtually any field of study within a first-year foundation course. Engagement on a personal level with course-related material makes the transition from high school to a university-level course smoother.