The music department is rolling out a series of four free events this quarter as part of an ongoing effort to stimulate creative and scholarly discussion and activities.

On Thursday, Oct. 28, Barry Green hosts a workshop titled "Music of the Mind, Body and Spirit." Green, author of "The Inner Game of Music, will discuss techniques for overcoming mental obstacles musicians face when practicing, performing and teaching. The workshop event will be held in the Music Recital Hall from noon to 1:50 p.m.

Later that day, the department will host a panel discussion titled "Music, Creativity, and Culture: The Future of Music Making in a Society Obsessed with the Instantaneous." Panelists include: Susan McClary, professor of music and associate vice-provost of the International Institute at UCLA and author of "Feminine Endings: Music, Gender, and Sexuality"; Elijah Wald, UCLA professor and award-winning writer; and Irene Sazer, violinist, composer, arranger, singer and leader of the Real Vocal String Quartet.

Iris Levine, chair of the music department, described the discussion as a "don't-miss event."

"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. To have these people sitting on our stage is truly fantastic. There will be an exciting dialogue between renowned scholars, contemporary performers and 'movers and shakers' in the music world."

On Monday, Nov. 1, the Berkeley-based Real Vocal String Quartet will give a concert from 8 to 10 p.m. in the Music Recital Hall. The all-female group will perform styles ranging from funk to classical on violin, viola and cello, accompanied by vocals. Music Professor Janine Riveire explained that the group's performance will mesh perfectly with the panel discussion because the musicians have adapted to modern tastes by expanding beyond their classical training and embraced new styles and techniques.

"As musicians they have changed with the times, producing music that is fresh, original and timely," Riveire says. "They seem a perfect marriage of tradition and the new."

The following day, Nov. 2, the quartet will present a master class from 10 a.m. to noon in the Music Recital Hall.

For more information about the events, visit www.class.cpp.edu/mu/Publicity/NewsEvents/pressreleases.html.

(Top photo: Julio Soto, Andy Shehan and Philip Graulty play in a recording studio at Cal Poly Pomona. Bottom photo: Berkeley-based Real Vocal String Quartet. Photo by Lenny Gonzalez, courtesy of RVSQ)