Steve Barri’s Lecture Classes

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My love of music and my years in the music industry as a songwriter, producer and music executive have given me insights and personal stories that I love to share. My lectures include classes on Rock & Roll, Broadway, The Great American Songbook**, and much more.  

Here are some of the lectures that we'll be doing in 2026. PLEASE NOTE: You can only register for classes through the venue, not through us and sign-ups will be available approximately 6-8 weeks before the start date of the course. We will include a registration link when it becomes available.

Special One-time Event:

The Jewish Influence on Popular Music

It’s a fact that many of the popular songs written for the first half of the twentieth century were written by Jewish songwriters. This class will look at two songwriting teams that kept that tradition alive…Alan and Marilyn Bergman were two of the great lyricists who managed to write standards at a time when Rock & Roll was the dominant music of the day. Along with composers like Michel Legrand and Marvin Hamlisch, they gave us songs like “The Way We Were” and the soundtrack to “Yentl”

Jerry Bock and Sheldon Harnick wrote both words and music for many hit Broadway shows, including “Fiddler on the Roof”. Join us for a trip down memory lane as we look at the highlights from these great contributors to the Jewish Influence on Popular Music. 

(This is a free event to be held at Leo Baeck Temple, 1300 No. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles, CA, Sunday, February 22nd, 2:00PM to 4:00PM) No registration necessary

The Golden Age of Variety TV

This course will take us back to television’s “Golden Age”, when every night it transported us from our work-a-day world to a realm of unequaled entertainment. Drawing on Vaudeville roots, early television gave us laughs and thrills from such iconic performers as Milton Berle, Jackie Gleason, Sid Caesar, Lucille Ball, Groucho Marx, Phil Silvers and the comedy duo of Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis.

We’ll focus on the variety shows, the great comedians and singers, as well as the wonderful personalities who entertained us during the first quarter century of television. From “The Ed Sullivan Show” to “The Hollywood Palace”, we’ll feature video highlights that will bring back memories of an unforgettable era.

(This will be a six-week course at The Skirball Cultural Center, each Thursday, March 5th through April 16th, 1:00PM to 3:00PM and will be in-person only, not on Zoom) ( PLEASE NOTE: THERE WILL BE NO CLASS ON APRIL 2nd)

https://www.skirball.org/programs/golden-age-variety-tv

Musical Legends of Stage and Screen – Volume 1: “They’re Playing Our Song”

The title of this course pretty much says it all. We’ll look at the careers of two of the most successful producer/directors in theater history, George Abbott and his protégé, Hal Prince. We’ll feature the great songs from the hit Broadway shows of Jerry Herman, Marvin Hamlisch and Alan Menken. We’ll also review the careers of two theater legends, Liza Minnelli and Nathan Lane, as well as a look at the history of the Juke Box Musicals that are currently so popular. 

If you like music from Broadway shows and movies like “West Side Story”, “Phantom of the Opera”, “A Chorus Line” and “Hello Dolly”, you’ll enjoy this look at these musical legends of stage and screen. 

(This will be a six-week course at UCLA Extension Gayley Center, each Wednesday, April 8 through May 13, 2026, 1:00PM to 3:00PM and will be in person and on Zoom)

The Great American Songbook – Volume 4

In this, the final volume of “The Great American Songbook”, there will be a focus on the songs created in the 1930s, 1940s and 1950s by some of the greatest songwriters of all time….Harry Warren, Al Dubin, Leo Robin, Vernon Duke, Yip Harburg, Paul Francis Webster, Henry Mancini, Jimmy McHugh and Duke Ellington, as well as some of the songwriters who wrote standards in the 1960s and 1970s, like Jimmy Webb, Burt Bacharach, Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse, to name a few.

We will also look at the careers of some of the best interpreters of these songbook standards like Frank Sinartra, Barbra Streisand, The Mills Brothers, Peggy Lee, Dinah Shore, Michael Feinstein and Michael Bublé. Volume 4 marks the final volume in this series but the music, America’s gift to the world, lives on forever.

(This will be a six-week course at Calabasas Senior Center, each Thursday, June 4th through July 9, 2026, 1:00PM to 3:00PM and will be in person only, not on Zoom)

The Roots of Rock & Roll - The ‘50s

From the American Songbook to “American Bandstand”, few could predict the revolution that was to explode in popular music during the decade of the ‘50s. Teenagers were coming of age with rebellious new attitudes, seeking their own music, music that was different from their parents. Across the country, late night radio stations were starting to play adventurous new records by black artists that would create a wave of music that would break through social and racial barriers.

From Fats Domino to Elvis, from R & B and Country to Rock-a-Billy and Doo Wop, from The Platters to The Everly Brothers, the focus will be on the pioneers and roots of Rock & Roll, as well as innovators like The Weavers, Mitch Miller, Les Paul and Johnny Ray, who prepared us for the day in 1955 when “Rock Around the Clock” became the number one record in the world...and music would change forever.

(This will be a six-week course at Calabasas Senior Center, each Thursday, July 23rd through August 27,2026, 1:00PM to 3:00PM and will be in person only, not on Zoom)

Hope you can make it to some or all of these classes.

Best regards,

Steve Barri