Robin Attas, assistant professor of music, gave an hour-long presentation at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Music, Theatre, and Dance.
Robin Attas, assistant professor of music, presented her research at the weekly B.A. Convocation at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Music, Theatre, and Dance on Feb. 5, 2014. Her talk, titled “Meter and Motion in Pop/Rock Backbeats,” engaged students and faculty alike with its exploration of potential models of meter for a drum pattern that is near-universal in popular music from the 1950s to the present day. Attas’ engaging presentation had audience members questioning assumed knowledge about musical structure, listening to a wide range of pop songs from Little Richard to Lorde, and exploring the effect of the backbeat pattern on their own bodies by getting up and dancing along.