My music criticism class

I've been preparing for tomorrow's session, so this class is on my mind. It's a graduate course at Juilliard, about music criticism. Last year my students were half classical musicians, and half jazz musicians; it looks like the mix this year will be pretty much the same. Which, if I'd expected it, might have led me to change what I teach a little. But on the other hand, the curriculum I made up seems to work, and the jazz students last year seemed to get into it. And apparently they recommended the course to their friends, which is really flattering.

If you'd like go see what goes on in the course -- and even do the reading yourself -- go here. You'll find the class schedule, with links to the reading. I haven't finished putting all the reading online yet, so if you want to read something that isn't yet there, check back in a couple of weeks.

I love teaching, by the way. I probably learn more from doing it than from anything else.

And, also by the way, what I was preparing tonight was to talk about some of my own writing that I assigned. I don't hold myself up as a model; that's not why I start by assigning my own work. I just think that the students -- since we're going to be dishing criticism all semester long -- have ought to know (for better or worse) what kind of critic their teacher has been. And you, too, can read my old reviews, if you follow the links.