IN-PERSON: The Elderwise classroom, 2275 Platt Road
This is the story of Detroit’s music, the people who made it, and the places where it was made. From Ragtime to Motown, from Psychedelic to Techno, Detroit has been central to the creation of America’s music. It came from bar rooms and brothels, ballrooms and clubs, and it spread across the country and around the world. In this class we will meander through the City on the Strait with stops at places like the Graystone Ballroom, the Plantation Club, St. Andrew’s Hall, the Grande Ballroom, Baker’s Keyboard Lounge, and the Raven. Along the way, we will reminisce with old favorites and explore some new genres. Ken Stevens began his theater career in Cincinnati where he co-founded the Showboat Majestic and served as a Rockefeller Fellow at Playhouse in the Park and the University of Cincinnati. In 1972 Ken joined the faculty of Eastern Michigan University (EMU), where he created both the musical theater program and the graduate and undergraduate programs in arts management. Since retiring from EMU, he has continued to teach arts management classes and lead in the education program of Michigan Legacy Art Park, a wilderness sculpture park at Crystal Mountain Resort.
