The adventure begins in New York City, where the echoes of Tin Pan Alley's Great American Songbook still resound. We witness a new generation of talented songwriters, singers, and groups, who filled the airwaves and shaped the soundtrack of our lives. This course is a journey into the melodies, stories, and vibrant personalities behind the Brill Building era of the late 1950s and 1960s. We will discuss the music of legendary songwriters such as Carole King & Gerry Goffin, Neil Sedaka & Howard Greenfield, Barry Mann & Cynthia Weil, Phil Spector, Jerry Leiber & Mike Stoller, Ellie Greenwich & Jeff Barry, Burt Bacharach & Hal David, Neil Diamond, and others. Together we will rediscover the tunes from Elvis Presley, the Coasters, Dion and the Belmonts, the Drifters, Dionne Warwick, the Ronettes, the Shirelles, the Animals, the Monkees, Manfred Mann, Andy Williams, the unforgettable Righteous Brothers, and many others. Your instructor: Michael Agron Michael Agron, a passionate music aficionado, grew up in Los Angeles, the heart of the recording and entertainment industry. While his early love for music inspired dreams of becoming a recording engineer, his career took a different path into entrepreneurship and high tech with companies like Apple and Oracle, including founding a webinar and digital marketing agency. Over the past fourteen semesters, Agron's deep passion for music and entertainment has led him to deliver distinct and engaging seminars for Sacramento State University's Renaissance Society, as well as numerous lifelong learning organizations across the nation.