New B.A. in Music with a Concentration in Traditional Music

Visit the UL Lafayette and School of Music websites to learn about the Traditional Music Curriculum.

Traditional Music Courses at
UL Lafayette

Fall 2013 (August 26 - December 13)

Cajun and Zydeco Music - MUS 360
Premier Online Offering
Mark DeWitt, Professor

Here is your chance to learn about the music that has made Lafayette and the rest of Acadiana world-famous, from old French ballads and Creole juré singing to the latest Cajun and zydeco crossover experiments. This course affords the opportunity read about and listen to a lot of music: commercial and field recordings, live music in the classroom, and out around town.

Ethnomusicologist Mark F. DeWitt, holds the Dr. Tommy Comeaux Endowed Chair in Traditional Music. He is author of the book, Cajun and Zydeco Dance Music in Northern California (2008) and a contributor to The Accordion in the Americas: Klezmer, Polka, Tango, Zydeco, and More! (2012) 

For the Fall 2013 semester, this course will be offered online only. Course content will include occasional synchronous sessions and video recordings of artists who have visited the course in the past. A traditional classroom version of the class will be offered in the spring.

Not a UL student?  Contact University College, universitycollege@louisiana.edu or 337-482-6729,
to learn how to enroll.

Contact Dr. DeWitt for more information, dewitt@louisiana.edu

Beginning Cajun Fiddle - MUS 327
Tues & Thurs, 5 – 6:15pm
Mathew Doucet, Instructor

f you have never played the fiddle before but have an instrument and are ready to learn, you are ready for UL Lafayette’s Beginning Cajun Fiddle class.

Instructor Matthew Doucet is a native of Lafayette and grew up immersed in the Cajun and Creole music of Louisiana. Known for his work with The Lost Bayou Ramblers and other groups around Acadiana and even up in Maine, Mr. Doucet is also a luthier who has made fourteen fiddles.

Beginning Button Accordion - MUS 329
Mon & Wed, 5 – 6:15pm
Instructor TBA

If you have a button accordion in the key of C and are wondering what to do with it, you are ready for one of UL Lafayette’s traditional music courses, Beginning Button Accordion. You will receive instruction in traditional Cajun and Creole French dance music from a local master musician.

Traditional Music Ensemble - AMUS 160, Cajun Music
Time TBD
Kristi Guillory, Instructor
Section 001 - Cajun Music 

UL Lafayette students who play violin, accordion, or guitar: here is your chance to play Cajun French music for credit. We are also open to having other instruments. If you are interested in the ensemble but play another instrument, please consider auditioning. The ensemble meets for two hours a week for one credit.

Well known as a musician around Acadiana since she was a precocious teen, instructor Kristi Guillory has gone on to make several recordings and earn a masters degree in folklore at UL Lafayette. Currently, she is out rocking the house with Bonsoir Catin wherever they go.

Sign up for a 10-minute audition time by phone (482-1020), email (dewitt@louisiana.edu), or in person outside the door of Angelle 247. Audition time slots are available Tuesday, August 27, 4-6 pm or by appointment. Regular rehearsal time will be set after auditions.

Traditional Music Ensemble - AMUS 160, Bluegrass Music
Time TBD
Len Springer, Instructor
Section 003 - Bluegrass Music

UL Lafayette students who play violin, banjo, mandolin, upright bass, dobro or guitar: here is your chance to play bluegrass music for credit. Singers welcome. The ensemble meets for two hours a week for one credit.

Instructor Len Springer is the leader and fiddler for the Louisiana Purchase Bluegrass Band. Their most recent CD is Story to Tell. Len toured widely with several Nashville-based artists including Brenda Lee, Donna Fargo, Ronnie Reno and Ray Price. He also worked as a staff fiddler for Top Tracks demo studio in Nashville. He was the founder and director of the South Louisiana Bluegrass Association, Inc.

Sign up for a 10-minute audition time by phone (482-1020), email (dewitt@louisiana.edu), or in person outside the door of Angelle 247. Audition time slots TBA or by appointment. Regular rehearsal time will be set after auditions.

Traditional Music Ensemble - AMUS 160, Irish Music
Time TBD
Mitch Reed, Instructor
Section 004 - Irish Music

UL Lafayette students who play violin, accordion, flute, penny whistle, concertina, mandolin, bouzouki, uilleann pipes or guitar: here is your chance to play Irish music for credit. The ensemble meets for two hours a week for one credit.

Instructor Mitch Reed started playing the fiddle at age 15. Through his father he became acquainted with some of Acadiana's great masters such as Canray Fontenot, Wade Frugé and Dewey Balfa. Mitch is also an accomplished player of Irish music and has appeared with the Cajun/Irish band, Celjun. Mitch currently plays bass and fiddle with BeauSoleil avec Michael Doucet. Since 2008 he has performed on four Grammy Nominated albums and in 2009 he was awarded a Grammy with BeauSoleil for their album "Live at the 2008 New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival". In addition to performing, Mitch is also a Traditional Music Instructor. Over the years, he has taught at several Fiddle Camps, including those hosted by Jay Ungar and Mark O'Connor. 

Sign up for a 10-minute audition time by phone (482-1020), email (dewitt@louisiana.edu), or in person outside the door of Angelle 247. Audition time slots TBA or by appointment. Regular rehearsal time will be set after auditions.

MUS 565
Topics in Ethnomusicology: Orality and Literacy
Wed 1 -4pm
Mark DeWitt, Professor
For graduates students only

Using Walter J. Ong’s classic text Orality and Literacy as a point of departure, this graduate seminar will serve as a vehicle for faculty and students alike to explore this interdisciplinary topic as it applies to music of both oral and written traditions. It is meant to appeal to graduate students in music, music education, folkloristics, Francophone studies, and any others with an interest in music as a universal human activity.

Case studies from a broad sampling of musical traditions from the ethnomusicological literature will be used throughout the course. Western traditions such as classical music, jazz, and popular music will not be left out. Facets that are certain to be covered include musical transmission and music education, the role of literacy and texts in oral traditions, the role of orality in written traditions, what musical transcription and analysis can and cannot tell us about oral traditions, and a review of findings from various branches of music psychology. Other aspects may be developed based on student interests.

Not a UL student?  Contact University College, universitycollege@louisiana.edu or 337-482-6729, to learn how to enroll. Beginning Cajun Fiddle, Beginning Button Accordion and Cajun and Zydeco Music 360 online are all open to non-University students. Register for these courses through University College.

Don’t read music?  No problem! All hands-on courses are taught by ear. If you are not accustomed to learning by ear, prepare to add a new facet to your musicianship.