The Department of Music offers courses in the history, theory, technology, and performance of music that cover topics reaching back through history and around the globe. Small classes, individual instructions, interdisciplinary opportunities, and a vibrant co-curricular performance program and concert schedule foster an interconnected environment of dynamic teacher-student interaction and collaboration both inside and outside of the classroom.
Majors: Students considering a music major should enroll in either Music Theory 1 (MUSC 201) and the corequisite lab (MUSC 202) or History of Western Music 1 (MUSC 211). Students with no formal training in music who might be interested in the major (but do not feel ready to take Music Theory 1) are encouraged to take Fundamentals of Music (MUSC 103) to get started. All students interested in music performance are encouraged to enroll in one of the department’s performance ensembles and/or sign up for individual instrumental or vocal lessons. Contact Alice Resker, Music Office Coordinator, for more information about ensemble and lesson opportunities.
Advanced Placement: A score of 4 or 5 earns college credit and counts toward the arts common area requirement. Students with AP credit in Music Theory, prior coursework in, or knowledge of music theory may earn advanced placement in the department’s theory sequence, but AP credit will not count toward the minimum number of courses (10) required for the major.
MUSC 101
Introduction to Music
Common Area: Arts
This course is a one-semester introduction to Western art music and its forms and histories. Students will develop critical listening skills that they can apply to the music they listen to everyday. The works we will study in context begin in the Middle Ages and continue up to the present. From chant to ballet, and Beethoven to Beyoncé, this course offers students the opportunity to engage with a wide range of musical styles, genres, and artists. No prerequisite. One unit.
MUSC 103
Fundamentals of Music
Common Area: Arts
Introduction to the rudiments of music theory (notation, scales, intervals, chords, rhythm and meter) and basic musicianship (keyboard skills, sightsinging, score reading and ear training). For students with no previous musical knowledge. No prerequisite. One unit.
MUSC 121
Intro to Audio Recording
Common Area: Arts
This course explores modern digital recording techniques of sound and music. Students will learn proper studio procedures, microphone theory and placement, digital audio workstations, audio manipulation through hardware and software, audio engineering, and audio production. Students will collaborate with musicians and artists to produce creative accurate representations of sound.
MUSC 142
American Popular Song
Common Area: Arts
Historical survey of American popular song-Stephen Foster, blackface minstrels, sentimental parlor songs, songs of the Civil War, gospel hymns, vaudeville, Tin Pan Alley, Broadway musicals, Jerome Kern, George and Ira Gershwin, jazz-band songs and singers, country music, rhythm and blues, rock-n-roll, rock, popular "folk" songs, and more.
MUSC 150
American Music
Common Area: Arts
Surveys three main repertoires of music in the United States: folk and traditional music of urban, rural, and ethnic origin; jazz; and art music from Charles Ives to the present, with particular attention to the influence of science and technology on recent developments. No prerequisite. One unit.
MUSC 155
Musics of Latin America
Common Area: Arts or Cross-Cultural Studies
An introduction to the rich and varied musical traditions of Latin America, this course will explore a range of issues including social function, political context, literature, and religion as they assist in understanding music in and as culture. We will study the musics of several regions without attempting a comprehensive survey. The focus will be on listening critically and appreciating music as a vehicle through which to understand culture and society. Lecture and discussion will feature audio and visual performances of many genres. No prerequisite. One unit.
MUSC 201
Music Theory 1
Common Area: Arts
Ever wonder how music works? This course offers an integrated approach to music theory that is applicable to a broad range of styles from the classical symphony to popular song. Through analysis, musicianship exercises, and creative projects, students learn how composers and songwriters use common elements such as rhythm, scales, chords, melody, and counterpoint as building blocks to create unique musical styles. Music 201 is suitable for students from all majors and class years. Prerequisite: Ability to read one or more musical clefs (or permission of the instructor). Corequisite: Music Theory 1 Lab (Music 202). One unit.
MUSC 211
History of Western Music 1
Common Area: Arts or Historical Studies
Survey of the history of music, its notation, forms, and styles, in Western Europe from the development of music notation in the middle ages to the death of Bach in 1750. Topics include genres and composers of the medieval, renaissance, and baroque periods as well as the study of representative works from scores and recordings. Prerequisite: the ability to read music. One unit.
MUSC 218
Jazz Improvisation 1
Common Area: Arts
Introduces students to the fundamentals of jazz harmony and improvisation. Topics include chord and scale construction, harmonic progression, symbols used in improvisation, jazz scales and modes. These theoretical concepts are applied to the analysis and performance of standard jazz tunes. A portion of the class is devoted to performance and improvisation. One unit.
MUSC 231
Music of the Bali-Gamelan 1
Common Area: Arts or Cross-Cultural Studies
Introduces students to Balinese music through the performance of selected pieces from the Gong Kebyar repertory. Instruction provided in the technique of playing the instruments that make up the Gamelan.
MUSC 238
Musical Cultures of Brazil
Common Area: Arts or Cross-Cultural Studies
Brazil, the world's fifth largest nation by both population and area, is home to wide variety of musical traditions. Brazilian musical practice has contributed to the formation of local and national identities, accompanied religious ceremonies and rites, been subject to the possibilities and pitfalls of industrial and neoliberal capitalism, and served as a vehicle for protest and political organizing. In this course, we will examine many of the country's major musical styles and practices, particularly as they are bound up with social and cultural trends, changes, and issues. Musics to be covered include capoeira, samba, bossa nova, MPB, tropicália, sertanejo, funk carioca, tecnobrega, and hip hop. We will also learn about the history and culture of Brazil, situating musical practices and meanings within their particular contexts and uses. Students will learn critical listening and music interpretation skills, which they will use to complete a research paper on a Brazilian music topic. No prior language or musical training is required.
OVERLOAD PERFORMANCE COURSES -- Do NOT count for credit toward graduation
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