This new course will examine great American songs of the past 80 years from every musical genre, and will ask the question: “What makes these songs unique to America?” Each of the sessions will examine a different theme and explore eight to 10 songs; the story behind each song, the composer and their background, an analysis of the lyrics, music and the recording, and the impact that each song has had on American culture.

Faculty Bio

Pete Elman is a musician, performer, composer, studio musician, and producer of 30 albums. He has created 14 different classes on popular music for OLLI.

This is an In-Person, Livestreamed + Recorded Course

• Classes will meet in person at the Freight and Salvage, at 2020 Addison St, Berkeley, CA 94704
• Classes will also stream live simultaneously, and be video recorded
• You must be a current OLLI @Berkeley member to register. Learn about membership, including our fee assistance program.

Schedule Highlights

• Course starts on Wednesday, Sept. 23, and ends on Wednesday, Nov. 04
• Classes meet for 6 weeks, 2 hours per session (1–3 PM)
• There will no class on Oct. 28
• All course materials will be available in Member Dashboards through Dec. 31

Member Praise for Pete Elman

Another wonderful class from Pete! Once again, he added to my appreciation and understanding of the music and contributions from artists I already have enjoyed and admired for so long.

I gained so much appreciation for the musicians and their music than I expected to. Very, very enjoyable. I'll take any course Pete Elman offers.

Faculty Q&A

• Read an interview with Pete Elman from our archive.