Music is among the many artistic expressions created by society. This course will investigate historical, societal, structural, and stylistic background of many genres of music and how each genre of music connects to one another. The social influence of music is vast. Music gets inserted into almost every group activity. It gets played at large arenas where we gather to watch sports. We have soundtracks for political campaigns, tv shows, movies, stores, elevators, and workplaces. It frames the tv news. Music plays in our cars, on airplanes and in our earplugs. We use it to offset a romantic dinner, to mourn at funerals, to praise our gods, to get married, and to workout at the gym. And then there’s dancing and concert going. These activities define our cultural identity, our happiness, our sadness. It defines our protests. It tells our stories. Its’ social influence is ubiquitous. It frames our mood and tells us how to feel. We live in a social era that is saturated with musical soundtracks, we barely notice them, but we keenly notice their absence and swiftly plug every silence hole. The goal of the class is to explore the impact that music has on society. This course will study music through classical and popular genres and will help the student to thoroughly discuss, intelligently listen, and more completely comprehend all music. We will also visit the University Center for the Performing Arts for a day in the keyboard lab. An introductory keyboard lesson will also lead to final performances and presentations in Organ Hall.