Location:

Port-Of-Spain, Trinidad and Tobago

Program Type:

Study Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Term:

Winter Semester

Program Overview

Program Description:

The School of Fine Arts Islands Sounds Study Abroad Program invites students from all majors to join us for a remarkable arts experience in Trinidad and Tobago during Winter Session 2015. With faculty and students from the University of Trinidad and Tobago as our partners, students will experience, examine and compare the cultural and social significance of various forms of artistic expression (music, dance, and costume/art) associated with varied music styles as performed in Trinidad and Tobago. Though the emphasis is placed on the traditional and contemporary forms of musical expression associated with popular festivals such as Carnival, attention also will be given to the interdependent and inter-related nature of the music, dance, puppetry and visual arts as media of cultural expression. Students will be actively engaged in singing folk, calypso and Orisha songs, playing steel pans, dancing Indian classical and traditional forms, observing Mas preparations for Carnival and visiting pan yards and cultural and religious sites.

sland Sounds is open to sophomores, juniors and seniors in all majors who have a minimum GPA of 2.75. Priority will be given to students enrolled in the Minor in Global Arts & Culture. Students will earn a total of 3 credits for this program. It will be a requirement to enroll in a 1 credit course during the fall 2014 semester in preparation for the trip. Students can register either for MUSI 1193 (1 credit) or LAMS 1193 (1 credit). This fall course will meet one night per week during the last seven weeks of the semester. During this course students will learn about Trinidadian history and culture; well-known folk, Calypso and Orisha songs; and fundamental steel pan skills. The day/time of this course will be determined soon. Students will later earn 2 credits for MUSI 3993/LAM 3293 upon completion of the program during the winter session. The program will be held from Monday, January 5th to Friday, January 16th, 2015 in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad.

During the Island Sounds program, you will live, study and be immersed in the arts in one of the most interesting and unique cultures in the world. Working with world-renown musicians, dancers and artists at the University of Trinidad and Tobago will provide for a rich artistic and cultural experience. The preliminary program includes excursions to Pan Yards, Mas Camps, Calypso Tents, and historical and religious sites such as Lopinot Cultural Heritage Site, Sewdass Sadhu Shiv Mandir and Hanuman Temple. We intend to travel to the neighboring island of Tobago for a day. The daily interaction with professional artists and UTT faculty and students will make for memories that will last a lifetime. Good music, good people, good vibes.