African music class
offered for summer
MUS 407 is one of a few
classes focusing on non
European music
By Maggie Young
Oregon Daily Emerald
A deep and powerful drum beat
fills and expands a hot afternoon
—African music is in the air.
This June marks the beginning
of the sixth year of MUS 407, the
African music class. Only offered
as a summer course, this program
strays from the traditional Univer
sity music curriculum. While most
music courses focus on European
culture, this is the first class which
centers on African music, said eth
nomusicologist Don Addison,
course designer and instructor.
The course is taught as an an
thropology of music, Addison
said. He teaches music that cele
brates such topics as female el
ders, births, funerals and singing
while working.
“I take an interdisciplinary ap
proach to Africa as a continent with
people and artistic traditions such
as music,” Addison said. “I teach
how music functions in culture.”
Spending three years researching
music and culture in Nigeria boost
ed his enthusiasm for the subject.
“I saw how music functioned
in the cultures,” Addison said.
“There are more uses to music
than entertainment. I found that it
is important that people use mu
sic in all parts of their daily lives. ”
The concept of ethnomusicology
involves music and its cultural con
text. This concept has only been
around for about the last 50 years.
The focus has traditionally been on
European music, but more effort has
been put into attracting non-Euro
pean music as of late, Addison said.
“There has been more prolifera
tion of non-Westem music cours
es in the last five years than in the
123 years since the University was
founded,” he said.
Addison said that by expanding
the number of multicultural
courses the focus is not taken off
of European music. Instead, the
focus is widened and the students
have a greater ability to cope in a
multicultural world.
“Without multicultural experi
ence, students are not prepared for
a world that is so diversified,” Ad
dison said. “It makes good busi
ness sense to have an understand
ing of other peoples and cultures.”
The shift away from a Euro
pean-centered curriculum has
also affected students.
“The change towards multicul
tural classes is an important
move,” said Yumi Ishii, sopho
more pre-business administration
major. “There are people out there
who want to learn about music
and culture that is not European.”
Overgrown vegetation
could dent pocket book
Grass Das grown
slower due to La Nina,
but that could change
By Sara Jarrett
Oregon Daily Emerald
A week of warm weather can be
more hassle than it’s worth - if you
own a lawn.
Overgrown vegetation, includ
ing grass, weeds and vines become
major problems in the spring be
cause they block vision, become
fire risks and annoy the public.
Failure to mow and trim can
cost property owners a minimum
of $166 dollars, according to Eu
gene City Codes.
Property owners are responsi
ble for keeping vegetation below
10 inches in height. If the vegeta
tion becomes too obnoxious or
dangerous, city officials have the
right to remove it at the owner’s
expense.
La Nina caused a colder spring
than usual in Eugene, said Eric
Cariaga, vegetation manager for
the City of Eugene Department of
Public Works. In response to the
weather, the grass has grown slow
er than in previous years.
Cariaga projects that as the
ground thaws, however, the sud
den amount of moisture will cause
the grass and other vegetation to
grow very rapidly. This could
cause a “visibility problem, side
walk obstruction and street ob
struction,” Cariaga said.
Today’s Events
Wednesday, June 2
m Graduating Master of Fine Arts
degree students will give free
gallery talks on their work from
5:30 to 8 p.m. during the weekly
MusEvenings! program at the Mu
seum of Art
■cidkexs
CHcdP
rib
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Invest it.
classes • workshops • mini-courses
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It’s a good investment.
summer
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