This Thursday, October 29, from 12:30-1:45, students in Trevor Harvey‘s first-year seminar course, Iowa City Live: Local Music Cultures, will be holding their final class meeting at Public Space One (120 N. Dubuque St.), where they will be presenting their own contributions to Iowa City’s live music culture.

Over the course of the semester, students have conducted fieldwork at the Iowa Soul Festival, open mic nights at The Mill, music worship services at Gospel Explosion Ministry, and jam sessions at Dublin Underground and Hilltop Tavern, in addition to leading face-to-face discussions with significant contributors to Iowa City’s musical culture, such as Kevin B.F. Burt and Andre Perry, executive director of the Englert Theater. Drawing from the work of music sociologist, Ruth Finnegan, and her groundbreaking study, The Hidden Musicians (1989), the students will present performances that reflect on encounters and lessons learned over the past several weeks in investigating systems of local music-making practices in Iowa City. Performances include short readings, a solo arranged by Hymie Voxman, a video of performances on Ped Mall pianos, an original composition reflecting on leaving home to attend college, an a cappela performance by a student who has never before sung in public, among others.