No musical background is required for this class, only a curiosity about how composers use the elements of music (intervals, chords, melody) to fashion metaphors in sound for the experiences of life. Rick will share these elements ‘before your very ears,’ demonstrating and improvising on a keyboard in the classroom. We’ll also listen to scores, some by Rick, to discover composers’ “tricks.” We’ll tackle some Big Questions: Does music mean anything? If musical gestures “metaphorize” life experiences and states of mind, then how? What is greatness in music?

Moderator: Rick Sowash terms himself “a composer of American classical music.” He has written 600 works of chamber, choral, and orchestral music and produced 18 CDs of his own compositions. He distributes these, free of charge, to American classical music radio stations. He has written eight books, the newest—“How Music Means”—grew out of his teaching this OLLI course. He is a recipient of the Stephen Appel Award for Excellence in Teaching from OLLI.