Susan C. Cook

Director

Mead Witter School of Music

Susan C. Cook is a music historian and dance scholar whose published work and current research engages with American musical repertories of all kinds. She is particularly interested in the social contexts of art, musical and dance practices as well as the regional practices of Wisconsin.

Talks:

Wisconsin has a remarkable musical past, one that shows the individual and collective power of its native and emigrant peoples, and its regional, national and international connections and relationships. This talk presents snapshots from the state’s historical and current soundscapes identifying the circumstances under which musical practices were made, remembered and changed.

Approximate Length of Talk: 20-30 minutes, but can be flexible
Most of us would probably agree that the arts-broadly understood-enhance our lives on a daily basis. But what other roles could and should they play for us? What does the current work of scientists and arts practitioners tell us about the importance of the arts and how they matter now more than ever? Susan Cook, who has spent most of her life teaching music history and working with artists of all kinds, explores the larger issues of how, what and why the arts matter.

Approximate Length of Talk: 20-30 minutes, but can be flexible
Ragtime Culture, 1890–1910
Why do we sing stories?