Over the course of four weeks, we will look at the history of Jewish involvement in American popular music – starting as early as the mid-19th century and following up through the modern period. From post-civil war Jewish songwriting to Tin Pan Alley to Broadway, the Brill building, Chicago and Philadelphia, we will come to understand how Jews helped shape American popular music. Our sessions will provide overviews of the lives of Berlin and Gerswhin, the Jewish part of Woodstock and even the Jewish contribution to the early Punk scene of the seventies.