Workshops & Lectures
Osher Lifelong Learning Society, Florida Atlantic University
Course information on LLS website:   Boca Raton     Jupiter
new courses and concerts in Winter 2023

  Updated December 5, 2022. Rod MacDonald also lectures for private organizations (see list of lectures)
and leads workshops for songwriters 
     
Jupiter 1/24, 2/7, 14, 21, 28, 3/7, 14, 21
Boca Raton 1/11, 18, 25, 2/8, 15, 22, 3/1, 8
 Jupiter 3/9/23 7 pm
Boca Raton 2/16/23 7 pm

The Songs Of Greenwich Village
This concert will also be archived for home viewing at your convenience; call 561-297-3185 or email olliboca@fau.edu
This class is also archived for home viewing; call 561-297-3185 or email olliboca@fau.edu

Music Americana
Old & New Favorites
Rod MacDonald
Recipient of the 2012 Distinguished Faculty Award

Old & New Favorites

Celebrated for their grace, humor, passion, and style—and often considered the very best at what they do--great artists provide the music and words that define their time. From the brilliant perfection of violinist Joshua Heifetz to the sophisticated rhythms of the Duke Ellington Orchestra—now in its 100th year; from the raw testimony of Ethel Waters and Josh White to the elegance of My Fair Lady; from comic-book novelty hits to the classic arias of Jose Carreras; from the drama of Fleetwood Mac to the wise counsel of Leonard Cohen, their stories live on in song. This course examines the work, biographies, and enduring importance of these musical artists, and attempts to sort myth from reality, using updated videos and excerpts from feature films, live performances, and a few surprises.
  1. Virtuosity - Joshua Heifetz, Martha Argerich
  2. Birth Of The Blues - Ethel Waters, Etta James, Amy Winehouse
  3. When Swing Was King - Duke Ellington, Artie Shaw
  4. Folk Then & Now - Leadbelly, Josh White, Rhiannon Giddens
  5. Britain On Broadway - My Fair Lady, Six
  6. The Art Of Novelty Songs - Roger Miller, Ray Stevens, Weird Al
  7. Love, Marriage & Pop Music - Fleetwood Mac, Abba
  8. The Golden Voice - Jose Carreras, Leonard Cohen
BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION: Rod MacDonald has 21 songs in the Smithsonian Folkways collection and 13 solo albums, including his 2020 cd Boulevard, which made the top ten on national folk music charts. He performs in festivals, concerts, and clubs and throughout North America, Europe, solo and with the bands Big Brass Bed and Rod MacDonald & The Humdingers. He was named Best Local Acoustic Performer by New Times and one of the "10 Magnificent Musicians of Palm Beach County" by The Palm Beach Post. Previous Music Americana courses include "The Birth of Rock & Roll," "The Great American Songbook," and "Mastery of the Art."


Jupiter Campus
Course #W8T1
Place: Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus, Donald Ross Rd
Dates: Tuesdays 1/24, 2/7, 14, 21, 28, 3/7, 14, 21
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Fee: $130 / member; $165 / non-member

(561) 799 - 8547 or click here
Boca Raton Campus
Course #W383
Time: 3 pm
Date: Wednesdays, 1/11, 18, 25, 2/8, 15, 22, 3/1, 8
Location: Barry and Florence Friedberg Auditorium, Boca Raton Campus
Fees: Member - $120
Non-member - $160
Registration Info call 
561-297-3171 or click here

Biographical Information: Rod MacDonald began his career as a singer/songwriter in Greenwich Village in New York City in 1973. He has 21 songs in the Smithsonian Folkways collection and 12 solo CDs, including the 2020 release "Boulevard". He performs at festivals and in clubs and concerts locally and throughout North America and Europe, and was named Best Local Acoustic Performer in Broward and Palm Beach counties by New Times, and one of the Ten Magnificent Musicians of Palm Beach County by the Palm Beach Post. An instructor with LLS since 2006, his previous series include Folksinging in Modern Times, The Great American Songbook, The Roots of Rock & Roll, and Mastery Of The Art.

The Songs Of Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village has produced some of the most enduring songs in folk and popular music. Think Woody Guthrie, the Weavers, Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan, Simon & Garfunkel, Judy Collins, to name a few artists. From the 1970s to the mid-90s, Rod MacDonald was there: in the early days, as fictionalized in his 2014 novel, "The Open Mike," later headlining clubs, co-founding the Greenwich Village Folk Festival, writing and recording his early albums and living in one of the most vibrant communities in music history. Join Rod MacDonald for this solo concert of the music and stories of this historic neighborhood, as told in its songs.


--Rod MacDonald became one of Greenwich Village’s top singer-songwriters during the 1970s to the 1990s, and today performs throughout North America and Europe. He co-founded and is still the President of the Greenwich Village Folk Festival. In South Florida, he has been named “Best Local Acoustic Artist” by New Times and one of the “Ten Magnificent Musicians of Palm Beach County” by The Palm Beach Post, who named his 2014 CD, Later That Night, “Best Local CD of 2014.” He has been Music Americana instructor at FAU since 2006.



Jupiter Campus
Course #
Place: Lifelong Learning Complex, Jupiter Campus, Donald Ross Rd
Dates: Tuesday November 29
Time: 7 p.m.
Fee: $35 / member; $45 / non-member

(561) 799 - 8547 or click here
Boca Raton Campus
Course #W2164
Time: 7 pm
Date: Thursday, February 16
Location: Barry and Florence Friedberg Auditorium, Boca Raton Campus
Fees: Member - $30
$100 for any combination of four events, members only
Non-member - $35
Registration Info call 
561-297-3171 or click here
 

Lectures
lectures at community associations and libraries...recent topics have included live performance/lectes such as "Songs of Greenwich Village" (solo),  "The Life & Times of Bob Dylan," (solo or with Big Brass Bed), and "The Search for the Birth of Rock & Roll" (solo or with The Humdingers).....Lectures using dvds and video materials include "The Beatles: Coming to America," "Cole Porter/Johnny Mercer," "Frank Sinatra" and many other topics. To see a list of lectures, click here.
Songwriting Workshops
 "Songwriting For Self Expression" and "Songwriting & Current Events" are for beginning thru advanced songwriters, to inspire and sharpen each writer's skill and ability to express oneself. At the New York Open Center, the Amp Shop in West Palm Beach, Common Ground on the Hill, the Southeast Unitarian-Universalist Summer Institute, the Endicott (NY) Arts Center, S Florida Folk Festival, etc, from one session to several, sometimes one evening a week.

Here's an article in Binghamton, NY: