MUS392

Among a variety of functions, musical experiences contribute distinctively to well-being across our lifespan. This course introduces students to historical and contemporary ideas about relationships between music and well-being from scientific and humanistic perspectives, and provides a community-engaged research experience through which students assess such ideas in the lives of others with cultural and personal histories different from their own. Working with community partners, and engaging relevant methodologies from oral history and applied ethnomusicology, students co-construct life "soundtracks" with a cross-generational circle of Lewiston-Auburn residents, helping to understand the sociohistorical embeddedness and highly personalized semiotic density of selected musical tracks. Recommended background: MU/PY 253; course work in music, health, or psychology; or community-engaged learning or research experience.