Digital Projects

The following capstone projects are from various seminars and represent collaborative efforts from between 11 and 25 students. In each case, students were responsible for producing content, as well as “staffing” the project itself (student responsibilities included everything from project editors and project manager to content managers and a marketing team). I merely facilitated the project (editor-in-chief!).

Sound and Religion Seminar: The Oklahoma Sound and Religion Project

This project represents the culmination of semester-long ethnographic research among Oklahoma City’s religious communities. We spent a semester asking, What is the role of sound in religious life today? Can religious expression be located in sound itself, or is sound merely ancillary to the experience? Students were responsible for choosing two religious communities and observing each community in two separate settings—ideally one sacred and the other secular (e.g., protests, parades, or potlucks). Their results are catalogued here, and hopefully will be part of an ongoing effort to map the place of sound among the Bible Belt’s religious communities.

Writing about Music: Skills for the 21st Century Musician

Students in my Writing about Music class spent a semester learning about music history by studying the writings of those who were directly implicated in its making—composers, performers, patrons, critics, and even the occasional (and helpful!) eavesdropper. The class culminated with an “editorial workshop” where students used historical and experiential evidence to name, categorize, and offer commentary upon key skills essential for musicians in the 21st century.

Writing about Music: Skills for the 21st Century Musician (Section 2)

Students in my Writing about Music class spent a semester learning about music history by studying the writings of those who were directly implicated in its making—composers, performers, patrons, critics, and even the occasional (and helpful!) eavesdropper. The class culminated with an “editorial workshop” where students used historical and experiential evidence to name, categorize, and offer commentary upon key skills essential for musicians in the 21st century.