An Experiment in Interdisciplinary Teaching: The Music Theatre of Frank Zappa
Richard Hand, University of Glamorgan
Paul Carr, University of Glamorgan
Disciplines: Music, Drama
Status: Complete
Start date: 30/1/2006
Outcome format: Report, Report
Outcome available: Yes
This project is an investigation into interdisciplinary teaching practice. The intention is towork with undergraduates in the area of Drama and Popular Music, two separate programs of study at the University of Glamorgan. The work of Frank Zappa has been selected as the focus for 2006 for BA Drama III module on “American Drama”, BA Drama II module this project and will form a practical workshop session in February on “Directing for Stage 2” and BA Popular Music II module on “Ensemble Studies”. The work will also inform a seminar on teaching practice (including practical demonstration with participants from the workshop) to be delivered after the February workshop. It is hoped that this experiment in interdisciplinary teaching will, if successful, lead to the development of a full interdisciplinary module and will ultimately pave the way for a full degree programme in the area of Music Theatre.
Initially, figures such as Bob Dylan, Jimi Hendrix and the 1969 Woodstock Festival were considered closely as resonant icons of the chosen era. However, discussion led to the selection of one figure: Frank Zappa (1940-93). Zappa’s comparative longevity as a creative force in popular music presents a figure whose work reflects and responds to everything from Vietnam through to censorship issues and the rise of AIDS. Zappa was not just an icon but an outspoken and active figure who imbues his lyrics, his autobiography and his many interviews with a social, satirical and political consciousness equivalent to any contemporaneous playwright. Moreover, Zappa is also equally rich, and better known, as a composer and musician.
One of the most eclectic, prolific, and original composers to emerge in the history of the popular music canon, Zappa’s oeuvre is instantly recognisable, seamlessly fusing doo wop, rock & roll, jazz, and contemporary classical techniques into an integrated style of his own. Musicological analysis of much of his portfolio reveals a unique juxtaposition of these styles, a factor which is largely responsible for the erratic genre labelling his music often receives. His pervasive incorporation of satire, political commentary, and theatrical visuals further accentuates a unique confluence of what Philip Tagg has entitled “extra musical fields of association”.
It is envisaged that research will enable our team to investigate factors such as the effect that dramatic elements have on the perceived stylistic traits of the music, as well as the preconceived and improvised musicological mechanisms that support dramatic events on stage. The ultimate aim of this project is to establish the foundation for further research into the potential interdisciplinary symbiosis of music and drama, potentially leading to a full award in this area.
In summary, this project intends to:
Enable staff and students from different disciplines to work together
Facilitate the assimilation and awareness of sister disciplines in order to discover commonality and learn from each other
Present a professional and creative challenge for teaching staff who have extensive teaching experience in their own discipline but are new to academic investigation of colleagues' expertise
Explore the experimental and radical extension of the existing curricula with view to developing other interdisciplinary modules and, ultimately, degree programmes
There is also a blog, Popular Musing, related to the project.
Report
- An Experiment in Interdisciplinary Teaching: The Music Theatre of Frank Zappa (2006, 52.06 KB, PDF document)
Richard Hand, University of Glamorgan, Paul Carr, University of Glamorgan