UCLA Extension

FREE Virtual Entertainment Studies Seminars

To support our student community during the developing COVID-19 pandemic, we are offering you FREE virtual seminars for the Fall quarter! These free seminars offer a chance to learn, grow, and network while at home.

Leveraging Diversity and Inclusion Practices to Create Inclusive Entertainment Content

Saturday, October 16, 2021
10:00AM PT – 1:00PM PT
With Jaia Thomas

This seminar is designed to help content creators and producers develop creative and practical solutions to promote greater diversity, equity, and inclusivity in the entertainment industry. Historical context and current initiatives are examined.

 

African American Music Then and Now – How the Melodies and Rhythms of Prior Times are Sampled/Interpolated in the Music of Today

Saturday, November 20, 2021
9:00AM PT – 1:00PM PT
With Jameel Roberts

Great music, no matter the era or genre, starts with a spark. It starts with inspiration. From its roots, African-American music has laid the foundation for the melodies and rhythms that move our lives and has spread its influence globally. This seminar explores how African-American musical tradition gives us the tools to build a wide variety of songs, but also the means to innovate and add to the country’s cultural music lexicon. From artists like Usher, J. Cole, Omarion, Ella Mai, and even Ariana Grande, we’ll take a deep dive through the layers of composition, samples, and interpolations in order to understand the griot-like nature of African-American music.

Past Free Entertainment Studies Seminars: