School of Music
Vernacular Music Center
Activities for students
activities for students
The VMC believes in providing opportunities, experience, and knowledge to students, educators, and the community through means of participating in ensembles; engaging with the various degree plans, certificates, and courses; in-service professional development tools; and other resources.
Sample Courses from VMC Staff
The Vernacular Music Center sponsors a range of innovative courses addressing many art forms, cultures, and learning approaches. From courses on composers like Hildegard von Bingen, Frank Zappa, and Duke Ellington; to topics like film music, American radical politics, music and movement in various cultures and places; to collaborations with teaching colleagues in Theatre, Dance, Honors, and Humanities, VMC-sponsored courses are committed to honoring and studying all the world’s cultures and expressive traditions.
Sample courses
- MUHL2310 History of Rock and Roll
- MUHL5306 Pedagogy of Music History
- MUHL5313 Great Composer Seminar(s): Ives, Ellington, Zappa, Hildegard
- MUHL5320 Music and Movement in the Cultural History of New Orleans
- MUHL5320 Music, Climate, Environment, Empire
- MUHL5321 Constructs in Ethnomusicology
- MUHL5322 Historical Performance Research and Practice
- MUHL5323 Music, Folklore, and Tradition in Irish Cultural History (Study Abroad)
- MUHL5326 Music and the Contemplative Min
- MUHL5330 Music in the United States
- MUHL5331 Medieval Music
- MUHL5336 Twentieth Century Music
- MUHL5337 World Music
- MUHL5339 Music and American Radio
- VPA70000 Arts Practice Research
Scholarships
The Vernacular Music Center sponsors its own scholarship program, specifically earmarked for students participating in our work. These VMC are awarded by merit, in addition to those a student may win from other SOM, TCVPA, or University programs.
Study Abroad
The VMC has a long and successful track record of sponsoring and leading international study by students, in both full semester and short semester configurations. VMC faculty members have led study abroad experiences in England, Ireland, and Mexico, in collaboration wit faculty colleagues from across the College and from other universities. The VMC sponsored Dr Smith’s seminar “Music, Folklore, and Tradition in Irish Cultural History, which between 2004-2019 brought small groups of Honors students on Maymester field trips to the west of Ireland. The VMC has also sponsored student music and dance study abroad at CESMECA (Mexico) and at the University of Bedford (UK), and in the summer of 2026 will lead a group of student instrumentalists, singers, and dancers on a tour and Study Abroad trip to the UK. The VMC can advise on funding such study and has an excellent track record in sponsoring student applicants to Texas Tech’s Study Abroad Competitive Scholarship, which can fund the majority of travel costs.
ENSEMBLES
The Vernacular Music Center integrates diverse student experiences and global arts traditions to create accessible, engaging, and participatory music and dance events. VMC Ensembles are led by genre experts, trained in the traditional pedagogies, and seek to create learning environments uniquely suited to both the individual art forms and to the students engaging with them. All VMC Ensembles incorporate dance, storytelling, and related modes of expression within their performances, teach the arts of improvisation and performance practice, and provide training and mentoring for student participants and leaders.
Vernacular Music Center Staff
School of Music
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Address
18th and Boston Avenue Box 42033, Lubbock TX 79409-2033 -
Phone
806.742.2274 | Fax: 806.742.2294 -
Email
schoolofmusic@ttu.edu