How Has Music Engaged with Society? Experience the Fascination of Unraveling Culture and History Through Music! SpringX Super School 'The Case for Music Studies'

General Incorporated Association Knowledge Capital (Representative Director: Yoichiro Kawaguchi) and KMO Corporation (CEO: Kazuhiro Sasaki) announce this year's lecture series for 'SpringX (Spring X) Super School,' a program designed to learn authentic knowledge from specialists across various fields, think together, and engage in dialogue.

SpringX Super School is a program aimed at nurturing innovative talent by enabling people of all ages—from children to adults—to learn knowledge across science, art, culture, and business from experts at universities, research institutions, and companies, thereby refining their sensibilities.

This year, under the theme 'The Case for Music Studies,' we will offer eight free lectures exploring culture and history through music as an entry point. Music is not merely an artistic expression of 'listening' or 'performing,' but a cultural activity with significant influence on society and ideology—so powerful it can shake a U.S. presidential election. By viewing music not as an object (work), but as a human action (behavior), we can decode shifts in regional identities and social structures across eras.

This lecture series features specialists from diverse academic fields such as neuroscience, sociology, literature, and American studies, each offering unique perspectives on the background of music. Beyond lectures, the program includes live demonstrations and workshops, creating a unique learning experience that goes beyond traditional knowledge acquisition, allowing participants to retrace the process of deeply understanding culture through music.

The program offers engaging, hands-on learning experiences: exploring the relationship between race, gender, and popular music through the country music genre; experiencing music’s communicative power through live performances; and even testing the relationship between the brain and music by playing drums.

Knowledge Capital will continue to sequentially launch lectures enabling people of all generations to learn directly from specialists in science, art, culture, and business.

SpringX Super School 'The Case for Music Studies' Event Overview

Dates and Times

【Session 1】July 24 (Fri) 【Session 2】August 29 (Sat) 【Session 3】September 18 (Fri) 【Session 4】October 20 (Tue) 【Session 5】November 13 (Fri) Sessions 6 to 8 will be announced sequentially

Venue

Knowledge Capital, North Tower, Grand Front Osaka

Participation Method

Advance registration required via official website (free of charge) ※ Online sessions do not require registration

URL

https://kc-i.jp/activity/chogakko/music2026/

【Session 1】 The Current State of American Music—Race, Genre, Politics

In February this year, Puerto Rican global superstar Bad Bunny performed at the Super Bowl halftime show entirely in Spanish, not English, sparking strong backlash from former President Trump and others. What kind of music does Bad Bunny create, and what genre movement in American music history does he represent?

This lecture will trace back to late 19th-century American imperialism to examine Bad Bunny’s unique position in today’s American music scene. Ultimately, by re-examining the complex relationship between Latin and Black music, we aim to expose the 'imperial nature' of American music culture.

<Lecturer> Toshiyuki Ohwada

Professor, Faculty of Law, Keio University / Special Professor, Tokyo University of the Arts

Specializes in American literature and popular music studies. Awarded the 33rd Suntory Academic Prize (Arts and Literature category) for 'A History of American Music—From Minstrel Shows to Hip-Hop' (Kodansha). Other works include 'A New Map of American Music' (Chikuma Shobo), '10 Perspectives on Pop Music' (edited, Arts Publishing), supervising 'Tectonic Shifts in Country Music—Diverse Narratives' (Kawade Shobo Shinsha, edited by Marin Nagatomi), and co-authoring 'An Introduction to Hip-Hop for Culture Enthusiasts 1, 2, 3' with Machizo Hasegawa (Arts Publishing). Visiting Researcher at Harvard-Yenching Institute (2020–2021).

Toshiyuki Ohwada © Naoyuki Hayashi

Date and Time

July 24 (Fri) 19:00–20:00

Format

Online streaming (YouTube Live)

URL

https://kc-i.jp/activity/chogakko/music2026/detail20260724.php

【Session 2】 Can you hear it? Can you feel it? Discovering New Forms of Music Together: Co-Playing Instruments

Is music something we only 'hear with our ears'? In fact, sound can be felt throughout the body as vibration. This workshop explores new possibilities of music through hands-on experience with 'co-playing instruments'—instruments designed to be enjoyed together regardless of disability. By interacting with instruments that use vibration, light, and touch, participants will collectively reflect on questions like 'What is sound?' and 'What does it mean to perform music?' A workshop for children and adults alike to experience a world of music that goes beyond listening—to feeling and creating.

<Lecturer> Junichi Kanako

Instrument Interface Researcher / Haptic Designer / Associate Professor, Kobe Design University

Graduated from the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences (IAMAS). After working in toy company planning, as assistant at Joshibi University of Art and Design, and researcher at Keio University’s Graduate School of Media Design, he served as Assistant Professor at the Graduate School of Creative Technology, Industrial Technology Institute, and currently holds his present position. Researching and developing 'co-playing instruments' (a coined term) for inclusive music enjoyment regardless of disability. Contributed to the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games Closing Ceremony as production collaborator based on the development of 'Wearing Instruments,' among numerous client projects. Works 'Otozu - Shinano' and 'Vibracion Banco' are part of the collection at the Nagano Prefectural Art Museum.

Junichi Kanako

Date and Time

August 29 (Sat) 13:30–15:00

Format

In-person event

Participation Method

Advance registration required via official website (free of charge)

Capacity

30 participants

Venue

Knowledge Capital Conference Room B08 (10th floor, Tower B, Grand Front Osaka)

URL

https://kc-i.jp/activity/chogakko/music2026/detail20260829.php

【Session 3】 Whose Music Is Country? Popular Music Through the Lens of Race and Gender

In 2024, Beyoncé’s album 'Cowboy Carter' won the top prize in the country category at the Grammy Awards, drawing widespread attention. However, country music has historically developed as the music of white Americans in the southern United States. Since the 1970s, it has often been perceived in both Japan and the U.S. as conservative white music, leading many rock-oriented music fans to distance themselves. Why is it significant now that Beyoncé, a Black woman, has released a country album and sparked discussion? This lecture will explore how popular music genres have been deeply intertwined with evolving concepts of race and gender across time, using country music as a lens.

<Lecturer> Marin Nagatomi

Associate Professor, Media Studies, Faculty of Sociology, Kansai University

Specializes in popular music studies and transnational American cultural history. At 18