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Disclaimer: This post will be a rant that refers to political events. However, the issue eat stake is not the said events.


So I went to one of my graduate seminar classes yesterday, a Music Since 1945 class. The prof (He's tenured) is usually quite eccentric and eclectic in his approach to the subject matter. Just to give an idea of what I mean, after listening to a certain piece he turned to us and said: "This piece is a glimpse of the universe" in a very solemn tone.

So, yesterday in class, he decided to show some John Cage, and start talking about "Order" and "Chaos" in music and after about 2 minutes he went off on a tangent to start a discussion about: Canadian Politics, American politics, the health care system, Ron Paul, the state of composers nowadays, the lack of talent in orchestras...etc, He proceeded to also insult today's youth, all pop music, and a ton of other stuff...

His rant lasted 45 minutes (The lecture is 3hrs/week, divided into 2 90 minutes segments).

So my questions are as follows:
1. Has this ever happened to you?
2. How did you react? (Meet with the prof, Meet with another prof, etc...)
3. Any thoughts in general on about how much irrelevant material a prof should incorporate in a lecture?

FWIW, I felt it was a waste of time in class. I do think that socio-historical context can provide a certain backdrop for a lecture, but I fail to see the connection/or lack of between John Cage's Music and the policies of Ron Paul.

Hrmm...eccentric, eclectic, occasionally insulting, political, and not always good...actually, that sounds *exactly* like Music Since 1945 to me!

I think it's fine. I had plenty of weirdo lectures in college, it comes with the territory. I dunno, I say just shrug it off and move on. It's still September, you've got a few more months with the guy, so make the best of it.

Actually, I was forgetting the best part, he was pissed because an orchestra asked him for a piece for one of their concerts. However they only wanted an "easy" 8-10 minute piece. He answered to them saying that he had a 20-min work in which every single instrument was used in a soloist manner, that some of the musicians had to wrap their instruments in tin foil and that there was a choreography to go along with it...

I can't help but laugh...

We students are not held hostage by lecturers! If that's going on, I'd just bust out the old "Regarding what you mentioned earlier" and ask a Pulitzer Prize-winning question about whatever it is that I want to talk about.

Some of the most memorable and thought provoking discussions I've ever had in University took place due to tangents like this.

Rochester2013 wrote:Some of the most memorable and thought provoking discussions I've ever had in University took place due to tangents like this.

I'm glad to hear that, I have experienced some nice tangents in other classes but this one was like being trapped in a bad replay of Bill Maher...

I'd bring my iPad lend cursory attention to the lectures (rants) and focus my attention on something REALLY important, like Facebook!

tclements wrote:I'd bring my iPad lend cursory attention to the lectures (rants) and focus my attention on something REALLY important, like Facebook!

I get your point, that the issues were discussing are important. However, I believe neither 45 minutes spent on Facebook or Discussion Politics contributes a lot to a Lecture on music since 1945. The relevance of US politics today is off-topic. (Had he discussed McCarthyism, JFK, and other events of that nature, I would have been fine)

If you have read any of my posts, you may realize that I tend to digress and I also point out tiny minutiae that exist. However, I never really hold anyone hostage to this because you can choose to turn the page or to refute as you please.

FWIW, the curriculum and the book both stop at about 1990, so the course is essentially a music between 1945-1990. Hence the politics of the last 10 years should not really be an issue...


On a side note, 4 years ago, at another institution, I sat in a lecture hall that was built on risers or stairs. When I would sit in back, I would notice the students doing "important things" like Facebook, and car games and vacation planners, etc...