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Rock legend Sting recently
taught a music theory class at Mizzou. He is one of a long
list of famous people who have worked with Mizzou students.
For example, the MU Center for the Literary Arts brought
renowned writer Joyce Carol Oates to campus April 11. Oates
worked with graduate students in addition to doing a reading
in Jesse Hall. Rob Hill photo
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Sting Pays Surprise Visit to Music Class
By Nancy Moen
Sting the rock star became Sting the Mizzou
professor during an April 14 master class for advanced music students.
He taught the class in the Fine Arts Building as part of his national
Broken Music Tour.
Thirty students of music composition and theory
— considered the rocket science of music — enjoyed
their private lesson from the music legend. The singer-songwriter
sat on a black amplifier at the front of the room and led his
musicians in an opening song, “Message in a Bottle,”
before beginning an informal lecture that explored some of his
own works and songwriting in general.
Sting, whose real name is Gordon Sumner,
admitted to being a bit nervous about teaching the master class.
He's offering classes to about 30 colleges and universities in
cities along the tour, and he conducted the MU session just a
few hours before his evening performance at Mizzou Arena.
“I'm challenging myself, trying to articulate
what I do and to understand it,” he said. A former English
teacher, Sting called himself an eternal student and a musician
by instinct rather than training. He has no formal music degree.
In the class, Sting explained the architecture
of his music, showed how he experiments with it and demonstrated
concepts on his guitar. He discussed the merits of writing music
in unusual meters such as 7/8 and 9/8. He confessed to a fascination
with Bach but said, “No one will ever pay money to hear
me play this.”
In a question-and-answer segment, students
asked Sting if he writes at a certain time of day (just not when
he's on tour), what inspires him (experiences from life), if he
writes lyrics or notes first (music, which has its own narrative
form to tell a story) and how he psychs himself up for performances
(spotlights and adrenalin take care of that).
He advised the students not to get distracted
by trying to seek success in music. “You will create a unique
fingerprint that is only you,” he said. “Music is
its own reward.” Sting finished the class with a fifth song
as a farewell.
The students gave him high marks for his
performance versatility and discussions on art music, form and
harmony. “Awesome,” said graduate student Brian Tate
about the master class. “It gives you a chance to see inside
the mind of a composer.”
For students who couldn't attend the master
class, Sting paused in Lowry Mall to sign autographs.
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Last Update:
November 15, 2007
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