Select one of the options below:
Beginning with a study of the African-American musical styles that led to the creation of rock and roll, the course focuses on rock styles from the early blues-based rock and roll of the 1950s and the British Invasion of the 1960s, to Folk Rock, Psychedelia, Heavy Metal, Punk and New Wave, and other styles of the late twentieth century. Featured music and artists are examined from cultural, societal and analytic perspectives, with a special focus on how each genre not only represented its specific cultural era, but how individual artists and songs contributed to the perception of those same time periods.
Course content is divided into weekly units that have set deadlines for assignment submission, discussion contribution and scheduled exams, but the organizational structure allows each student to manage his or her own time in preparing work required for each deadline. Active listening to songs from a pre-determined musical example list is a major component of the course, and lecture content is delivered in the form of textbook and supplemental readings.
Section 801
Required
Originally from Cleveland, Ohio, Jeff LaQuatra has been described as “a guitarist of enormous talent, both musically and technically” (Classical Guitar Magazine). In 1996, Jeff was awarded first prize in the Oswald Rantucci Guitar Competition in Buffalo, New York. He has also won top prize in competitions sponsored by The Fortnightly Music Club of Cleveland and The Three Arts Club of Lakewood (Ohio).
An avid chamber musician, Jeff has performed as a member of Denver’s Mountain Chamber Music Society and has appeared with the Boulder Philharmonic Orchestra and Colorado’s Central City Opera. Jeff maintains a busy concert schedule as a member of the flute and guitar duo, Quatra Duo with flutist Michelle Stanley. Recently, Quatra Duo completed a tour of concerts in China, performing in Shaoxing, Dalian, Jilin, Fuzhou, Nantong and Liuzhou. Their debut recording will be released by Parma Records in 2020, and will feature works by Osvaldo Golijov, Phillip Houghton, Bryan Johanson, and James McGuire.
In 2002, Iznaola Guitar Works released Jeff’s debut solo recording entitled Twilight: Guitar Music at the End of the Century, which includes world-premiere recordings of works by Ricardo Iznaola, James McGuire and Štepán Rak. In a review of Twilight, Classical Guitar Magazine’s Steve Marsh stated, “his technical abilities [are] strong enough for him to control every nuance and phrase to perfection. This is a first-class debut album and a name to watch out for.” In 2014, Twilight was included in Enrique Robichaud’s publication, Guitar’s Top 100 – A Guide to Classical Guitar’s Most Recorded Music.
Jeff has earned degrees from The Cleveland Institute of Music (BM) and The University of Denver (MM) where he served as a graduate teaching assistant. His primary teachers were Mary Lou Roberts, John Holmquist and Ricardo Iznaola.
Jeff resides in Fort Collins, Colorado and directs the newly-developed guitar program at Colorado State University.