When The GRAMMY Museum opens in Los Angeles on December 6, people will be immediately drawn to Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom, curated by RISD’s very own Dan Cavicchi, associate professor of American Studies. The author of Tramps Like Us: Music and Meaning among Springsteen Fans, Dan is a historian of popular music and culture, and was invited to curate the new museum’s first special exhibition, which is also the first major museum survey of 200 years of music and politics in America. The show strives to “move beyond common assumptions about music as mere entertainment and spark awareness about its function as a social and political force,” Dan says. “While the institutions of government give elected officials the authority to shape policy and create law, the power of music enables American citizens to publicly express their needs and create the debate and discussion necessary in a democracy.” Songs of Conscience, Sounds of Freedom is on view through December 2009 before touring nationally.