Damascus Kafumbe
Assistant Professor of Music
Email: dkafumbe@middlebury.edu
Phone: work802.443.5578
Office Hours: Mon. 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. & Tue. 4:30 - 5:30 p.m., or by appointment
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In addition to teaching courses in ethnomusicology and world music, Dr. Damascus Kafumbe directs the Middlebury African Music and Dance Ensemble. Dr. Kafumbe holds a B.A. in music from Makerere University (2004) and a M.M. (2006) and Ph.D (2011), both in musicology, from Florida State University. He is an expert performer on various East African musical instruments and of numerous East African dance traditions. Dr. Kafumbe has presented nationally and internationally, contributed to world music textbooks, composed and produced world music albums, and built/maintained East African musical instruments for various academic and cultural institutions in the United States. He is also an active member of the Society for Ethnomusicology (SEM), the African Studies Association (ASA), and the International Council for Traditional Music (ICTM).
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
INTL 0703 - LAS Senior Thesis
Latin American Studies Senior Thesis
(Approval Required)
Winter 2012, Spring 2012
MUSC 0134 - Introduction to World Music
Introduction to Music in World Cultures
In this course we will survey traditional and popular musics of Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, and Latin America with the goal of understanding non-Western music as sound and as culture. Since this is an introductory course, we will review fundamentals of music theory and use them as a framework for analyzing world music and exploring its cultural importance. We will discuss assigned readings, listen to and analyze musical works, view and study video recordings, and participate in necessary hands-on activities. Through these activities, students will acquire knowledge of non-Western music and develop an understanding how to relate it to universal sociocultural issues.
Spring 2012
MUSC 0234 - Music in World Cultures
Music in World Cultures
In this course we will develop skills for analyzing music and appreciating its social, economic, and political importance within societies other than their own. We will explore world musical styles through readings, lectures, discussions, film screenings, listening sessions, workshops, concerts, and hands-on activities. Assuming a strong background in music, this course will be open to music majors and others by approval.
Fall 2011, Fall 2012
MUSC 0235 - Ethnomusicological Research
Introduction to Field and Laboratory Techniques in Ethnomusicology
In this course we will study various methods for conducting ethnomusicological research. Field activities will include writing ethnographic notes, making audio/video recordings, conducting interviews, and photography. Students will learn how to design feasible music research projects, acquire research clearance through the Institution Review Board (IRB), document musical cultures and practices, analyze and interpret collected data, and present our findings through written research reports and oral presentations. Students will need access to digital cameras, audio/video recording devices, and editing software. Some music background will be assumed.
Winter 2013
MUSC 0236 - African Soundscapes ▲
African Soundscapes
This course will introduce students to musical cultures and practices from the African continent with a focus on particular regional styles. Through readings, lectures, discussions, film screenings, listening sessions, concerts, and hands-on activities, we will develop skills for analyzing and appreciating the diversity of African musical practices and their social, economic, and political value in traditional and contemporary contexts. Some background in music may be necessary.
Spring 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013
MUSC 0244 / DANC 0244 - African Music Dance & Perform. ▲
African Music and Dance Performance
This course will introduce students to various techniques of performing East African (primarily Ugandan) musical and dance traditions through regular rehearsals, culminating in an end-of-semester concert. As an ensemble, we will learn and master how to play and sing/dance to bow-harps, thumb-pianos, xylophones, tube-fiddles, bowl-lyres, gourd shakers, reed-box rattles, ankle bells, and various types of drums. Prior knowledge of performing African music and dance is not required.
Fall 2011, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Spring 2013, Fall 2013
MUSC 0500 - Independent Study ▲ ▹
Independent Study
Admission by approval. Please consult published departmental guidelines and paragraph below.
Project and budget proposals for Independent Study and Senior Work should be submitted by the previous April 1 for fall and winter term projects, and the previous October 15 for spring term projects. Budget proposals will not be considered after those dates. Project proposals will be considered after the deadline but are more likely not to be approved due to previous commitments of faculty advisors or other scheduling reasons.
Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
MUSC 0704 - Senior Work ▲ ▹
Senior Work
Senior work is not required of all music majors and joint majors. However, students interested in and eligible for departmental honors (see guideline above, in "Departmental Honors" section) may propose one or two-semester Senior Work projects. Projects may be in history, composition, theory, ethnomusicology, performance, or electronic music, and should culminate in a written presentation, a public performance, or a combination of the two. MUSC0704 does not count as a course toward fulfillment of the music major.
Project and budget proposals for Independent Study and Senior Work should be submitted by the previous April 1 for fall and winter term projects, and the previous October 15 for spring term projects. Budget proposals will not be considered after those dates. Project proposals will be considered after the deadline but are more likely not to be approved due to previous commitments of faculty advisors or other scheduling reasons.
Fall 2011, Winter 2012, Spring 2012, Fall 2012, Winter 2013, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014
