EVDOL 32 - The Laurel Canyon Music Scene: Songs, Community & the California Dream

Edward Barnes
This six-session course explores the Laurel Canyon music scene in Los Angeles during the 1960s and early 1970s and its profound influence on American popular music. Focusing on the artists who lived and collaborated in and around Laurel Canyon, the course traces how folk, rock, pop, psychedelia, and the emerging singer-songwriter movement converged to reshape popular song.

Beginning with the birth of folk rock through The Byrds (“Mr. Tambourine Man”) and The Mamas & the Papas (“California Dreamin’” and ”Monday, Monday”), the course traces the evolution of the Laurel Canyon scene through Crosby, Stills & Nash and the songwriting of Joni Mitchell and Carole King. It also explores more experimental Laurel Canyon voices such as Frank Zappa and The Doors, artists who expanded the scene’s musical vocabulary, before concluding with the rise of The Eagles and the emergence of the modern music industry.

Through close listening, musical analysis, archival footage, and live demonstration, the course shows how a tightly connected community of musicians living in the hills of Laurel Canyon just north of the Sunset Strip helped steer American popular music in a new direction during a time of rapid cultural change.

Biography: Edward Barnes

Two Sections Available | 6 Classes Total | Extension Holiday Schedule

EVDOL 32 01:

Mondays 6–8pm ET

September 14–November 2 (please note there will be no class on September 21)

Mode: In Person

*This class is presented in a hybrid setting. Students registered for in-person sections commit to attending all sessions on site at Juilliard. Access to online participation (via Zoom) will not be provided except under special circumstances approved at the discretion of Juilliard Extension administration. Class recordings will be available on Canvas to all students.

$480

Register by Phone: (212) 799-5000 ext. 273

Our phone line is open Monday–Friday (excluding holidays), 9:00 am–5:00 pm ET.