Welcome to The Music of Frank Zappa website. Please select a destination from the contents list on the right.

This course has been offered in the summer sessions annually from 2001-2007, and was most recently offered in the spring 2009 semester.  The next offering of this course will be no earlier than the spring of 2011; please contact Dr. Klein for details.

Prospective students should be aware of the fact that this course is challenging and requires a lot of time and effort on the part of the students. Don't be deceived by the course title: this is not a blow-off course. If you are looking for an easy course to take based on the information found on RateMyProfessors.com or similar sites, you would be well advised to consider other options.

Course Objective: to explore the musical, political, social, and cultural aspects of the life and work of American composer Frank Zappa (1940-1993). This 3-credit course may be used to fulfill an MUCP elective requirement for undergraduate composition majors, as well as upper division elective credits for other undergraduate majors (including Bachelor of Arts students). Graduate students should consult their area advisors to determine how this course may be applied to specific degree plans.

Course History: Since 2001, over 125 undergraduate and graduate students from a variety of majors have enrolled in this course, including Music (Composition, Theory, Ethnomusicology, Music Education, Jazz Studies, Performance), Sociology, Art History, Architecture, Economics, Philosophy, Psychology, English, Creative Writing, Anthropology, Mechanical Engineering, Chemistry, Radio/TV/Film, and Journalism. Information about past student projects is included in the Archive section of this course website.