Among the dozens of music courses offered by York, the Black music styles don’t fail to impress
Laura Barnahard
contributor
As a school that specializes in the arts, it comes as no surprise that York offers a range of music courses, which are designed for students minoring in music or non-majors with a general interest, and no prior musical experience.
York has an exciting range of six-credit courses that span many different historically Black music styles including hip hop, reggae, dancehall, soul, and funk.
Last year I discovered a truly inspirational gem: FA/MUSI 2520: Contemporary Black Urban Music, a.k.a. Hip Hop 101. In this course, we examined how rap and hip hop developed from the socio-political movement in New York in the 1970s to the multimillion dollar industry it is today.
Along with his lectures concerning the lifelines of crucial hip hop artists like Biz Markie, Big Daddy Kane, N.W.A., and Public Enemy, Ron Nelson, course instructor, often disclosed his own candid recollections of being involved in bringing some of these same groundbreaking artists to perform at Regent Park in the early ’80s.
The importance of Nelson’s purpose as a pioneer in the Toronto hip-hop scene is undeniable. Among many notable contributions to the growth of hip-hop, Nelson’s Saturday afternoon show The Fantastic Voyage on Ryerson’s community radio station CKLN 88.1 was Canadian radio’s first all hip hop show. And after years of continued success, the show became a momentous archivement for many hip hop leaders and fans in the city. Nelson’s dedication has in many ways helped to form a strong foundation for Toronto to thrive in the hip hop world, and his credibility therefore leaves him with an unprecedented wealth of experience and knowledge where Black music is concerned.
I quickly realized that I was in
an extremely fortunate position to be granted an opportunity to sit and listen to Nelson tell stories about close personal relationships with industry giants. His class left me incredibly inspired.
This year, I’m halfway through Ray Williams’ FA/MUSI 1520: Rhythm and Blues, Soul, Funk and Rap course. This course puts these musical genres into context by looking at the African-American music that emerged during the 1920s, from a musicological, sociological, and theoretical angle.
FA/MUSI 1520 is an enjoyable change of pace from the sometimes repetitive, unvarying lectures we inevitably encounter in university classrooms. Williams is an engaging professor who takes care in telling stories as if he had experienced them first hand, providing a vivid image of periods in Black history.
These two courses are all executed in similar formats, with a weekly two-hour lecture, three tests throughout the year. They both involve an in-depth listening journal assignment worth the bulk of your grade. And a chunk of the grade attributed to attendance along with small participation assignments. We are extremely lucky to have these resources available at York.
“So we are not stripped of our Africanism, it is vital that we treat ourselves to self-knowledge,” says Nelson. “And York University providing Black history educational opportunities will offer the right vitamins for our diet.”
Self-knowledge is encouraged for all questioning students for learning their African history.
