Schedule & Syllabus
Please note: This residential summer institute will be held at the University of Maryland, College Park from 27 July to 9 August 2025. Below is the preliminary schedule, which is subject to change. More scheduling information will be released with the final schedule in early 2025.
Module 1: Stories of American Music
During this module, all institute participants meet-together for a series of lectures, seminars, workshops, and field trips. Participants are recommended to arrive on Sunday 27 July. Each day will include ample time for meal breaks, self-study, and group conversation.
Morning: Orientation and Institute Welcome
Afternoon: Seminar with Dr. Tammy Kernodle
Dr. Kernodle will lead an interactive conversation about the challenges that confront us in telling the story of American musics. This conversation will introduce the institute’s core themes and questions and will draw on scholarship about how storytelling creates meaning.
Morning: Lecture and Seminar with Dr. Birgitta Johnson
Dr. Johnson will present a talk and lead a conversation that discusses the African roots of Black music in America, gives examples of African traditions in early colonial America, and shares contemporary histories of how Black music continues to reflect and affirm Black life while bringing diverse communities together around the world.
Afternoon: Workshop with Dr. Birgitta Johnson
Dr. Johnson will lead a collaborative workshop that engages with a variety of audiovisual materials pertinent to the morning seminar and encourages interactive interpretation and discussion.
All Day: Site Visit to the Library of Congress Music Division
Participants will be provided with transportation to the Library of Congress. The day will include planned activities with music division staff and guided access to important archival sources in American music. In addition to exploring the in-house collection, participants will gain experience with the library’s digital tools and discuss methods of course implementation. In the afternoon, participants will have a few hours to conduct further research at the Library of Congress or to freely explore the Capitol Hill area before arranged transportation back to Maryland.
Morning: Seminar with Dr. Katie Graber
Dr. Graber will lead a morning seminar discussing her innovative courses at Ohio State University such as “Musical Citizenship” and “Soundscapes of Central Ohio.” She will lead a discussion about musical storytelling and how to meet the needs of today’s students.
Afternoon: Workshop Session on Primary Sources in American Music
Institute faculty will lead a workshop on incorporating primary sources that illuminate histories of American musical life into course design. This session may occur with an archival partner offsite, in which case transportation will be provided.
All Day: Site Visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian
Participants will be provided with transportation to the museum. The day will include planned activities with Smithsonian curator staff and plenty of time for free-exploration of the collections. As participants explore the museum, they will be provided with guiding questions to consider that focus on actionable strategies to mobilize the museum’s in-person/digital collection in their course-design.
All Day: Site Visit to the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture
Participants will be provided transportation to the museum. The day will include planned activities with Smithsonian curator staff and plenty of time for free-exploration of the collections. As participants explore the museum, they will be provided with guiding questions to consider that focus on actionable strategies to mobilize the museum’s in-person/digital collection in their course-design.
Free day for rest, reading, and reflection
Morning: Lecture and Seminar with Dr. Deborah Wong
Dr. Wong will lead a seminar on topics in Asian American music, the body politic, and performance studies.
Afternoon: Workshop with Dr. Deborah Wong
Dr. Wong will lead an interactive workshop that introduces methods from performance studies and invites participants to experiment with describing artistic performance in a variety of ways.
Module 2: Building New Stories
During this module, institute participants will divide into their assigned workshop teams to develop curricular materials. Periodically, the institute will meet to share findings. At the end of the module, individual teams will present their findings to the full group. As part of a participant’s application, they will indicate which workshop team they are most interested in joining.
Morning: Group orientation and introduction to institute workshop leaders. Then, hand-on workshop sessions for each team.
Afternoon: Individual and small group work to develop materials
Morning: Hands-on workshop sessions for each team
Afternoon: Full institute meeting for workshop check-in and Q&A. Then, individual and small group work to develop materials
Morning: Individual and small group work to develop materials.
Afternoon: Full institute meeting for workshop check-in and Q&A. Then, individual and small group work to develop materials and prepare presentations.
Morning: Workshop team meetings to discuss findings and provide constructive feedback
Afternoon: Individual and small group work to develop materials and to prepare next-day’s presentations
Morning: Full team meeting where small groups present materials and findings as lightening talks. Final remarks from project directors.
Afternoon: Departure
Workshop Teams
As part of the institute, participants will join one of three workshop teams focused on developing specific skills and interests. During the second module, each team will participate in collaborative workshops and create curricular materials to share with the rest of the institute participants. When applying for institute participation, please rank each of the workshop teams in order of preference.
Team 1: Teaching Within and Against Canons
Facilitator: Kristen Turner
About the Team: This workshop team will focus on developing storytelling-driven pedagogical tools for use in higher ed classrooms as well as practical strategies for advancing curricular change. Participants will collaborate to design specific lessons plans, modules, and assessments about American musical stories that are suitable for use in a wide variety of class and institution types.
Goals: New modules, courses, or curriculum designs that advance new narratives.
Team 2: Teaching with Rare Materials
Facilitator: Marcus Pyle
About the Team: This workshop team will focus on engaging with rare materials by understudied American composers such as those in the Library of Congress collection. Participants will gain experience in making performing/teaching editions of unpublished musical scores and develop lesson plans surrounding these new materials. Participants will also explore ways to integrate the skills they develop into interactive classroom activities that encourage students to engage with rare materials themselves.
Output: Newly accessible materials based on rare collections of American music suitable for classroom and performance use.
Team 3: Teaching through Digital Methods
Facilitator: Louis K. Epstein
About the Team: This workshop team will focus on developing skills in the digital humanities to tell interactive stories with historical data. Participants will gain experience with interactive digital tools to incorporate into their classroom and create active-learning activities that encourage critical and analytical thinking about American music and history.
Output: Course/activity designs that integrate digital humanities tools to tell American musical stories.