UCR Extension Expands into Coachella Valley

Classes include jazz, Japanese, photography and wine appreciation

By Kris Lovekin on August 20, 2012

PALM DESERT — Jazz Appreciation is one of more than a dozen new courses offered by UCR Extension this fall at the UCR Palm Desert Center, 75080 Frank Sinatra Drive, to meet the demand for continuing education courses in the Coachella Valley.

“I’m delighted to see those courses coming here,” said Tamara Hedges, Chief Operating Officer of UCR Palm Desert Center. “They satisfy a very real need and desire of the community.”

Jazz lovers will hear from instructor Vanessa Sheldon, a musicologist and professional harpist, about the complex genre that originated with ragtime and has since morphed into dozens of musical variations reflecting the influence of classical, rock, punk and funk.  The class, which starts Sept. 11, will trace the evolution of jazz from its roots in ragtime, to its birth in New Orleans, through the Big Band era to today.

“Due to its improvisational nature, jazz is a unique genre with the ability to fuse with all other musical genres,” Sheldon said. “In this way, jazz has really made its way into a vast number of cultural, geographic and stylistic niches.” Students will learn to identify the types of jazz they are listening to so they can appreciate the performances even more, Sheldon said.

Other courses scheduled include: Introduction to Interior Design; Introduction to Writing Poetry; Beginning Japanese; Children at Play: Developmental Changes; Conversational Portuguese; Digital Photography: The Basics; Elder Law; History, Presence and Writings from Famous Local Authors; Introduction to Conservatorships of the Person and Estate; Introduction to Jazz Appreciation; Parent (Family) Involvement in Early Childhood Education; Wine Appreciation; Construction Management; Fundamentals of Construction Costs, Estimating and Budgeting; Using Native Plants in Landscaping and Ecology of the Joshua Tree.

In addition, two courses through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute sponsored by UCR Extension will be offered at the center: Information Technology and Social Media Application and Network, and Creating a Slide Show with Your Digital Photographs.

Archived under: Inside UCR, coachella valley, education, Extension, jazz appreciation, Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, palm desert, Palm Desert Center, press release, ucr extension

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