American Music and Arts Tell America’s History
This two-semester online course will take you on a journey through American music, architecture, art, literature, history, theater and dance, and social culture. From the Puritans and Native Americans; through the founders and pioneers; to the immigrants of Ellis Island and today’s newest immigrants, Americans have used music, paintings, poetry, dance and architecture to express the essence of life in America.
The study of America’s Artistic Legacy helps solidify, and intensify the learner’s understanding of geography, general history, culture, and political development.
The course is based on lectures that feature dozens of colorful video sequences filmed by Professor Carol on location across the country.Each of the 24 course modules includes approximately 1 hour of video instruction with extensive materials for additional exploration. The course spans the period from Native Americans and the earliest European Settlers through Jazz and Broadway.
All members of the Circle of Scholars are invited to join Professor Carol for this ongoing course taught via streaming video with written lesson assignments. You may join the course at any time and work at your own pace.
Suitable for grades 8-12 and college prep. Two semesters/24 sessions; H.S. Credit 1.0 (History, Fine Arts, or Humanities)
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Our American Music, Arts, and History Is Not an Elective!
Too often the arts are taught merely as an elective—something to fill up leisure time and as a “break” from serious study. But the arts are our historical record and the key to understanding many subjects.
Art comes about when civilization progresses to the point where it can shift its focus from survival to the creation of beautiful things that tell us about the world the artist lived in. And because an artist uses his knowledge of technology, economics, philosophy, theology, and anatomy to tell us about his world, art is one of the best ways to teach all of these subjects.
Course Excerpts
Need a DVD course instead? Compare our two American History courses.
Courses in Music History and Fine Arts from Carol Reynolds, Ph.D.
“Professor Carol” enjoys an international reputation for teaching music history and fine arts. After years as a tenured professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Carol now travels across Europe as an expert for Smithsonian Journeys. She also appears as a frequent concert lecturer for prominent arts organizations such as The Dallas Symphony, The Dallas Winds, Van Cliburn Foundation, and numerous museums.
Carol works closely and appears jointly with her colleagues in the Classical Education movement: Memoria Press, CiRCE Institute, Classical Academic Press, and the Institute for Classical Education. Read more.