Culture of Greece: The Past is Present

In this series, John Franklin, professor in the Department of Classics at the University of Vermont, explores what we know about the music of ancient Greece, as well as what we only THINK we know. In the first episode, Franklin, a true history detective, shows how incomplete fragments of papyrus and stone can provide clues to recreating music that has not been heard in thousands of years. Next, we explore the far-reaching influence that ancient Greece has had on modern music, unraveling the fact and fiction that has influenced artists for centuries. Finally, contemporary Greek musicians and scholars explore the numerous cultural and historical influences that have contributed to the music of today’s Greece. ARTSEDGE, the Kennedy Center’s arts education network, supports the creative use of technology to enhance teaching and learning in, through, and about the arts, offering free, standards-based teaching materials for use in and out of the classroom, media-rich interactive experiences, professional development resources, and guidelines for arts-based instruction and assessment. Visit ArtsEdge at artsedge.kennedy-center.org.