Class dates:   Fridays, Feb 13, 20, 27, March 6, 13 (5 weeks)

Class time: 10:00 am to 11:30 am

Location: Online (via Zoom)

Music is one of our great art forms, and songs are often much more than just written for pure pleasure and entertainment. Many are written to express human emotion or to make a strong statement. Protest songs can often get directly to the essence of an unjust situation with much more impact than a speech or a text and frequently have a more lasting impact. The subject of the protest song might be to rail against war, economic injustice, social ills or an environmental crisis.

The 1960’s and 1970’s saw many memorable songs written, but the genre is not simply limited to those decades. This course will highlight many of the notable songs that had something important to say and highlight the work of such featured artists as Woody Guthrie, Bob Dylan, Phil Ochs, Julie Gold, Billy Joel, Marvin Gaye, Jackson Browne, and Bruce Springsteen, among others.

Instructor: Joe Corn spent most of his professional career as a working electrical engineer. His teaching experience has included science and math in the NYC school system, technology instructor at Springfield Technical Community College (STCC), engineering course instructor at Penn State University, and technical instructor at Moore Products Co. Since joining WISE 15 years ago, he has taught courses in both technology and music. Joe is a past President of WISE. He and his wife Bobbi reside in Grafton.