History of Rock: New MOOC Presents the Music of Elvis, Dylan, Beatles, Stones, Hendrix & More

Here’s something I can get pretty jazzed about. Er, maybe that’s not quite the right verb. But close enough….

On May 13, the Eastman School of Music at the University of Rochester will launch the first of two MOOCs that will trace the history of rock music. Taught by John Covach, a professor of music theory, The History of Rock, Part One will revisit the 1950s and 1960s, the halcyon days of rock ‘n’ roll, which gave us the music of Elvis Presley, Chuck Berry, Phil Spector, Bob Dylan, the Beatles, the Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Cream, and other bands. The course will focus on the music itself, the cultural context from which rock emerged, and how changes in the music business and music technology shaped this new musical form. The second course (scheduled to start on July 8) will move forward to the 1970, 80s and 90s and cover the music of Led Zeppelin, the Allman Brothers, Carole King, Bob Marley, the Sex Pistols, Donna Summer, Michael Jackson, Madonna, Prince, Metallica, Run-DMC, Nirvana, and other artists. Students who successfully complete the course will receive a “Statement of Accomplishment” signed by the instructor.

Other music courses listed in our collection of 300 Free MOOCs from Great Universities include Introduction to Guitar and Introduction to Improvisation. They’re both created by the Berklee College of Music and start on April 22.

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