Going Baroque for The Beatles
A Conversation with Stephen Schultz
Stephen Schultz, an emeritus teaching professor of music history, plays the Baroque flute. But his biggest hit came from offering a course on The Beatles, which is still being offered in 2025.
In 2021, Schultz reflected on the success of the course, which explores not only the music itself, but also the social and cultural factors behind Beatlemania.
“The man is so into The Beatles, it’s almost insulting to consider myself a fan of their music.”
— Student in Schultz’s course on The Beatles
What inspired this course?
“I was asked what else I wanted to teach, and I had this sort-of wish list. So, I said, ‘Well, I’d love to teach a graduate course on the symphonies of Mahler, and … I’d love to teach an undergraduate course for non-music majors on The Beatles.’”
Why has this course become so popular?
“It’s a popular class obviously because it’s so different than what they normally have to take for their majors. Mostly, it’s an oasis for the students who are studying subjects like mechanical engineering and computer science. They get to come to class and listen to some great music.”
What has the response from students been like?
“After only two weeks, I’m getting emails from students saying, ‘Wow, I’m listening to music differently now because you’re pointing out lyrics and how they combine with the instruments,’ and other things. By mid semester, they’re all carrying their playlists around with Beatles songs on them and they all love it! So, it’s very rewarding for me.”
What do you want students to take away from this course?
“What I care about is that they’re learning how to listen to music, and not just saying ‘I like this’ or ‘I don’t like that.’ I hope the course gives them the ability to be more critical and evaluate what they listen to more, and I hope it encourages them to listen to what I would call more interesting music.”