Class Schedule: January 22, 27, & 29, 2026 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

The 1960s may be remembered for the British Invasion, soul, and the birth of the Beatles and art rock. However, the early-to-mid 1960s is also known for its “girl groups,” trios or quartets singing Brill Building compositions and other pop.  Motown also perfected the girl group formula, with the Supremes reigning as one of the most successful and influential acts of the 1960s. Indeed, the girl group tradition continues today with Fifth Harmony, Blackpink, and many others.  However, the genre’s roots extend back even further, to the 1960s.

Part one of the “Girl Groups” course will trace the beginnings of these acts, with the 1920s and 1930s producing singers such as the Andrews Sisters and the Boswell Sisters.  By the 1950s the McGuire Sisters and the Chordettes picked up the baton, lending a pop sheen to an otherwise jazz-dominated genre.  The early 1960s kicked off the genre’s peak, with UK and US acts such as the Vernons Girls, the Shirelles, and the Shangri-Las scoring hits on the charts. Perhaps no one defined the early girl group era like Phil Spector, who produced such groups as the Ronettes and the Crystals. The course will explore these roots and the earliest girl group successes through multimedia presentations and discussion.

Zoom Link will be provided upon registration.

Class Schedule: December 11, 16, & 18, 2025 | 7:30 – 9:00 PM

By the late 1970s, disco dominated the airwaves and conquered film, television, advertising, and fashion. Its ubiquity, however, led to an inevitable backlash in the form of Chicago’s infamous “Disco Demolition Night” event at Comiskey Park.  Did that signal the end of the genre?  Hardly—it merely changed labels, transforming its sound and becoming “House” or “Electronic Dance Music (EDM).”  In the present day, artists such as Dua Lipa, Beyoncé, and Sabrina Carpenter have incorporated the sound into their own music.

Part two of Disco Inferno continues the journey through the history of disco, moving from the late 1970s peak into House music and through the present day.  How did disco evolve through the 1970s?  How did the genre alter music and popular culture?  Why has the music endured?  All of these questions will be explored through multimedia presentations and class discussions.  Students will learn about the peak of disco and its longevity, key artists, and how the genre evolved into House and EDM.