John, Paul, George and Glenn

Every Tuesday and Thursday night from 7 to 9 p.m. in the fall of 2008, loud guitar riffs float out of Ballantine Hall. A round of applause sounds every time Glenn Gass enters the room, and as the lights go down, the 60s pop up through the music of the four gents from Liverpool.

Gass started the class in 1982 as a course for the Collins Living-Learning Center, his first taste of teaching rock appreciation.

As an associate instructor teaching composition to music students, Gass’ Beatles course jump started the first rock ‘n’ roll history program in the country, now thriving with classes on the history of music of all different genres and a few specific rock icons: Jimi Hendrix and The Beatles.

“It’s a cross between a music appreciation and a cultural appreciation class,” Gass said about the course. “The Beatles mirrored the times of the 60s so well that it’s as much history as it is music.”

Through the semester (the class is usually offered in the fall), students will study the history of The Beatles’ personal lives, the formation of the band and each of the 12 Beatles albums. Students are tested over Beatle history and their ability to identify Beatles songs by hearing only a few bars of music.

But Gass says the point of the class lies in what students take away from it personally.

“What I hope students take away is a love for The Beatles that they have for the rest of their lives,” he said. “They’re timeless in the best sense. I don’t expect my students to become long-haired hippies from the 60s, but this is music that lasts beyond the times.”

Senior Lizzie Whobrey took the class in the fall after she heard other students raving about it.

“I knew I just had to take this class,” she said. “Everyone I knew who had taken it said it’s the best class they’ve ever had.”

A music minor, Whobrey said she didn’t grow up with The Beatles, but fell in love with them after studying their music. Her favorites are albums “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver” and band member Paul McCartney.

“The class exceeded my expectations,” she said. “My parents didn’t raise me on The Beatles, so I didn’t know if I’d love them, but I’ve been transformed into a Beatle fanatic.”

Whobrey said the most attractive part of The Beatles’ music is its ability to relate to every aspect of life, which she said she realized through Gass’ in-depth lectures.
“He treated us not like a class, but like a bunch of buddies who were getting together to talk about The Beatles,” she said. “It’s so personal to him. I’ve never been so emotionally affected by a class before.”

Aside from teaching The Beatles class each fall, Gass has also turned the course into a special summer travel experience. Every few years in the summer, a Beatles class is offered that will travel to England together and tour famous Beatle spots. The group spends two weeks in London and one in the band’s hometown, Liverpool.

Although the class will not be offered this summer, Gass said he’s hoping to take a group in summer 2010. He’d go every summer if he could, he said, because he’s never tired of The Beatles or the class.

“I’ve taught the class for 27 years and I’ve never gotten tired of it,” Gass said. “I’ve never said, ‘Oh no, not Beatles class.’”