Hip-Hop Collective
SYLLABUS – FALL 2022
MUSC 457, Section A, CRN 74864. One credit.
Tuesday evenings, 7:00-9:00 PM, Music Building Auditorium.
Enter the Music Building on the Oregon Street side, street level.
Take the elevator to lower level (LL),
Exit right, and proceed to the Music Building Auditorium stage doors.
In addition to the Music Building Auditorium, we have the following four “breakout rooms”
in the lower level of the Music Building Tuesdays 7:00-9:00 PM:
- Room 0324: CAMIL 2 music production lab.
https://music.illinois.edu/camil-ii - Room 0356 Classroom in the west corridor
- Room 0358 Classroom in the west corridor
- Room 0359 (Fishbowl)
Course Directors:
DR. WILLIAM PATTERSON
PROF. RUDOLF HAKEN rlhaken@illinois.edu
Hip-Hop Collective RSO Officers:
President: GENARO RINCON CRUZ genaror2@illinois.edu
Co-Vice President: JACOB TIDRICK tidrick2@illinois.edu
Co-Vice President: KYU HONG KIM kyuhong2@illinois.edu
Treasurer: SRIKANTH DHAMODHARAN sd47@illinois.edu
Officer (Dance): LEO SONG ssong47@illinois.edu
Membership Coordinator: MATTHEW CLAYTON mdc15@illinois.edu
Secretary: DMYTRO PETRYSHCHUK dmytro2@illinois.edu
Class structure The goals of the class are
- To create collaborative experimental hip-hop involving a variety of rappers, singers, beatboxers, DJs, producers, dancers and instrumentalists. Emphasis is on creativity and spontaneous collaboration. Students are divided into small working groups that include producers, vocalists, instrumentalists and dancers. Each Tuesday evening groups share the work they’ve done throughout the week with the class.
- To provide educational support and foster community engagement through work with Hip Hop Xpress https://publish.illinois.edu/hiphopxpress/ and STEAM Genius https://sites.google.com/view/steamgenius/
- To work closely with the Hip-Hop Collective RSO (Registered Student Organization) at the University of Illinois
Mission Statement
The mission of the University of Illinois Hip-Hop Collective is to honor, contribute to, and appreciate the culture of all things Hip-Hop, whether it be through the creation and performance of music, dance, visual arts, or anything from which the innovative and enterprising nature of Hip-Hop can drive forward. To this end, we acknowledge that the Hip-Hop culture we all love so much originates from the rich cultural wealth of the American Black Youth, who (amongst other underprivileged groups) have a history of being predisposed to a lack of resources from which they must make a living.
Our aim is to contribute to Hip-Hop by investing in these communities who are forced to be resourceful and resilient every single day. We see and hear their vivid, inspirational, and sometimes dangerous stories in the media and the music, and wish to share our cultural wealth as students of a flagship STEM university as a means towards enriching the resources of these communities. We hope to do this by using our shared love for Hip-Hop as a bridge to come together, inspire, and create with each other projects which enhance the life experiences and resources for all.
Costs / Fees
There are no fees associated with this course. It’s open to all UIUC students free of charge.
Eligibility
Open to all students at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign interested in collaborative hip-hop performance and production. No prior hip-hop experience necessary – just an open mind and a willingness to experiment and to get involved in the community. Members of the Hip-Hop Collective RSO who wish to attend the Tuesday evening classes are required to register for this course, as per School of Music regulations. You may register for as many semesters as you like. Any instrument is welcome. In the past we’ve worked with Theremin, musical saw, kemenche, tabla, MIDI mallets, electric strings, bamboo flutes, melodica, etc. and created some great timbres. Instrumentalists have the option of improvising, learning by ear, or reading from sheet music, chord charts, or tablature.
Communication
In addition to the Hip-Hop Collective course within the School of Music, the University has a sizable Hip-Hop Collective RSO (Registered Student Organization). The work of the course and the RSO overlap. Be sure to contact the Hip-Hop Collective RSO Officers list above to be added to the HHC Discord. This is essential for staying on top of day-to-day operations.
Room policies for Music Building
We have the Music Building Auditorium, as well as four breakout rooms in the lower level of the Music Building, Tuesdays 7:00-10:00 pm. The Music Building Auditorium is our official meeting place, so please check in there at 7:00 pm, and our organizing team (listed in item 3 above) will designate rehearsal areas, equipment, etc. IMPORTANT: It is absolutely vital we clear out of the rooms by the designated times. By 9 pm, rooms need to be empty, equipment needs to be put away, and all personal items need to be with you. (Please label all your personal items, such as cables, pedals, mixers, instrument cases, etc. with your name and contact info, as many class members own similar items.) Our cooperation with room policies is essential for the existence of this course. A few additional remarks about Music Building rooms: Volume needs to be kept down, as neighboring rooms contain acoustic ensembles. Also, the outside lower level doors at the Music Building are locked, so you need to enter on the ground floor with your Illinois app ready, then take stairs or elevator down. You should enter the Music Building Auditorium through the lower level (“LL”) stage doors, rather than the audience doors on the ground floor.
Performances
We are planning shows for Fall 2022 on campus as well as out of town. Your suggestions for venues are welcome. Schedule for our work with the Hip Hop Xpress and STEAM Genius will be posted soon.
Recordings
The University of Illinois Hip-Hop Collective actively produces professional-quality albums and videos. Latest production is “Sunrise in Sight” https://linktr.ee/uiuchhc All revenue generated from SUNRISE IN SIGHT will be directed towards the Hip-Hop Collective / Xpress Innovation Fund, which funds outreach efforts intended to cultivate and enrich resources in local underprivileged youth by bringing the educational wealth of UIUC to the broader community through Hip-Hop culture, such as the Hip-Hop Xpress Double Dutch Boom Bus and Street College under the direction of HHC advisor Dr. William Patterson. – Chris Kenji Brenden, HHC President
Grading
Each member of the group brings different abilities to the table, and is responsible for using those abilities to contribute to goals for our performances and in the community. The expectation of each member is to participate in at least two projects per semester. “Project” is defined as a performance on campus, at a school, or elsewhere, or a presentation / outreach program with the Hip Hop Xpress or STEAM Genius, or a video / audio recording project. Participation in two projects earns an A; participation in one show earns a C.
To obtain disability-related academic adjustments and/or auxiliary aids, students with disabilities must contact the course instructor and the Disability Resources and Educational Services (DRES) as soon as possible. To contact DRES, you may visit 1207 S. Oak St., Champaign, call 217-333-4603, e-mail disability@illinois.edu or go to the DRES website. ••• We recognize that each person expresses and experiences gender and sexuality in a variety of ways. For this reason, we aim to utilize language that is both non-sexist and gender inclusive. This attentiveness to identity creates a space where our transgender/non-binary students feel safe and honored and our cisgender students are provided with an awareness of the gender expansiveness that they may experience throughout their musical careers. ••• All students, faculty, staff, and visitors are required to wear face coverings in classrooms and university spaces. This is in accordance with CDC guidance and University policy and expected in this class.