MUSC - Music

Introduction to the academic, community and career aspects of the music programs within the departments of music and theatre. Includes community service assignments, as well as attendance at recital classes and professional recitals and concerts. This course does not count toward the total hours required for graduation.

This course is designed for theatre majors who want to learn the basics of singing. The objectives of this course are to learn why vocalizing is necessary to maintain and build a healthy voice; to learn exercises to expand range and improve tone quality; to demonstrate knowledge of breath control, tone production; diction and posture through repertoire performed; and to become familiar with basic vocal repertoire.

This new course is designed to offer a semester of 30-minute lessons to non-music majors who are interested in personal musical enrichment in singing and/playing a musical instrument. It is for .5 credit and may be taken as an elective and repeated. This course is repeatable for credit.

An exploration of musical improvisation with emphasis on the jazz and contemporary idioms. Emphasis on acquiring basic improvisational skills and techniques. This course is repeatable for credit and may be taken for 0 or 1 credit hour.

Introduction to music history and literature.  This course will acquaint students with the crucial issues, methodologies, vocabulary, personalities, styles and important compositions in the musical experience.

This course was previously listed as MUSC 1105 Music and Civilization.  Students may not earn credit for both MUSC 1100 and MUSC 1105.

This course will acquaint students with the crucial issues, methodologies, vocabulary, personalities, styles and important compositions in the musical experience.

Effective Fall 2024, this course will be replaced by MUSC 1100 Music Appreciation. MUSC 1100 will automatically fulfill any requirement that previously required MUSC 1105. Students may not earn credit for both MUSC 1100 and MUSC 1105.

This course is designed to provide an in-depth and historically informed listening experience with regard to the major styles and traditions of music of Europe and North America, as well as of a number of important musical cultures from around the world. Basic music analysis and theoretical discussions will provide the environment for a culturally enriched hearing of the music within a context of political, social and cultural history. Intended for any student with a background of formal music instruction. Useful for music majors as preparation for taking more advanced courses in music history.

This course is designed to equip music majors with functional keyboard skills as required on the departmental Functional Keyboard Proficiency Exam.

Prerequisite: MUSC 1210 or permission of instructor. Completion of skill development begun in MUSC 1210.

Prerequisite: MUSC 1220 or permission of instructor. Continuation of skill development from MUSC 1220.

This course is designed primarily for non-music majors who wish to learn how to play acoustic (folk) guitar and is oriented toward the basics of guitar playing. The students will have fun learning and understanding basic musical notation and fundamental guitar technique. This course can be taken as an elective by any non-music major. This course is repeatable for credit.

Prerequisite: MUSC 1240 or Permission of instructor. This class is oriented toward the beginning guitarist who has some basic skills as a musician such as knowledge of the treble clef, basic rhythmic comprehension, basic sight-reading capability of single melodic lines, proper left and right hand usage, knowledge of the notes of the major scale and the first position of the guitar and basic strum patterns. This course will not only build on these fundamental techniques but will also use them to make more advanced techniques more accessible. This course is non-repeatable for credit.

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Study of compositional and analytical procedures appropriate to 18th century tonal music. First of four sequential courses. Should be taken concurrently with its laboratory component, MUSC 1501.

Sight-singing, ear training and keyboard applications of material covered in MUSC 1500. Required in all Music-based programs.

Prerequisite: C or better in MUSC 1500. Continues the study of compositional and analytical procedures appropriate to 18th century tonal music. Second of four sequential courses. Should be taken concurrently with its laboratory component, MUSC 1511.

Prerequisite: C or better in MUSC 1501. Sight-singing, ear training and keyboard applications of material covered in MUSC 1510. Required in all music-based programs.

Practical exposure to musical events through attendance of concert programs and recitals. Required of music majors and music minors.

Functional class guitar skills for those with no previous guitar skills or training. Emphasis is placed on folk and pop guitar skills, including chords, strumming, tuning and picking styles.

Prerequisite: MUSC 1500. An introduction to students developing music composition skills by exploring basic techniques necessary for reasoned creative expression. Students gain skills in the artistic use of pitch, rhythm, melody, timbre and harmony by composing for various instrumentations.

Prerequisite: MUSC 2300. Students develop music composition skills through further exploration of form and genre. Additional skill-building in the artistic use of pitch, rhythm, melody,timbre and harmony, as well as technology competence through the use of music notation software.

Prerequisite: "C" or better in MUSC 1510. Continues the study of compositional and analytical procedures appropriate to 18th- and 19th-century tonal music. Third of four sequential courses. Should be taken concurrently with its laboratory component, MUSC 2501.

Prerequisite: MUSC 1511. Sight-singing, ear training and keyboard applications of material covered in MUSC 2500. Required in all Music-based programs.

Prerequisite: C or better in MUSC 2500. Continues the study of compositional and analytical procedures appropriate to 18th- and 19th-century tonal music, and introduces procedures appropriate to several styles of 20th- and 21st-century music. Should be taken concurrently with its laboratory component, MUSC 2511.

Prerequisite: MUSC 2501. Sight-singing, ear training, and keyboard applications of materials covered in MUSC 2510. Required in all Music-based programs.

Prerequisites: Sophomore standing or permission of the instructor. The study and use of the International Phonetic Alphabet and training in the correct pronunciation of English and Italian languages in relation to vocal literature.

Prerequisites: MUSC 2700 or permission of the instructor. The study and use of the International Phonetic Alphabet and training in the correct pronunciation of French and German languages in relation to vocal literature.

An exploration of musical improvisation with emphasis on the jazz and contemporary idioms. Emphasis on acquiring basic improvisational skills and techniques. This course is repeatable for credit and may be taken for 0 or 1 credit hour.

Prerequisite: MUSC 2510. A study of traditional contrapuntal procedures, particularly those of the eighteenth century, with emphasis on score analysis and written projects.

Prerequisite: Basic computer skills. An introduction to the history, tools, and techniques of electronic music. Topics include acoustics, digital recording, digital editing, composition, and basic analog sound synthesis techniques. Through lectures, lab work, composing, reading, and critical listening, students will gain a broad understanding of the role of technology in music-making.

Prerequisite: MUSC 3315. A continuation of studies begun in MUSC 3315. Topics include MIDI sequencing, basic film and video scoring techniques, advanced analog sound synthesis, and an introduction to digital sound design. Through lectures, lab work, composing, reading, and critical-listening, students will gain a deeper understanding of the techniques and aesthetics of electronic music.

A survey of the musical styles, genres, forms, aesthetic criteria and techniques that have characterized the great keyboard literature of the Western musical heritage.

Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Study and performance of sacred and secular solo literature including Italian, French, German, English and American repertoire for professional singers and church musicians.

Prerequisite: MUSC 3360 or permission of instructor. Advanced study and performance of sacred and secular solo literature for the voice. Emphasis on the programming of literature for a solo recital.

Prerequisite: MUSC 2510. Beginning conducting techniques, application of baton technique, terms for conductors, transposition interpretation and styles of different musical eras. Choral and instrumental styles.

Prerequisite: MUSC 3400. Advanced study of choral literature from the Renaissance through Twentieth Century periods with emphasis on advanced conducting techniques and interpretation and styles. Laboratory conducting experience also included.

Prerequisite: MUSC 3400. Advanced conducting techniques and study of the history and repertory of wind instruments in the orchestra, band and wind ensemble.

Prerequisite: MUSC 2510. The study of the overall harmonic and thematic organization of musical compositions from the common-practice period (c. 1600 to 1900). In addition, an examination of 20th c. and 21st c. forms will be included. Drawing on all of the theoretical knowledge gained in the 4-semester Music Theory sequence, this course focuses first on small structures (motives, phrases, etc.) and gradually progresses to large forms (sonata, rondo, etc.) and multi-movement forms (symphony, concerto, etc.)

Prerequisite: MUSC 2510. This course is designed to assist the student in developing basic techniques in arranging music for instrumental ensembles and for vocal ensembles. Focuses on practical issues and general arranging strategies for ensembles of different skill levels. Projects include work in the student's chosen emphasis, as well as work covering multi-cultural issues. It is a project-oriented course resulting in a small portfolio of usable work.

Prerequisites: HIST 1131 or HIST 1132; and MUSC 1500, MUSC 1501, MUSC 1510, MUSC 1511, MUSC 2500, MUSC 2501, MUSC 2510, MUSC 2511; or Permission of Instructor. This is the first of two courses that traces the history of the classical music tradition of Europe and its cultural extensions. In this course, students will develop their ability to think historically and conceptually with regard to the various compositional genres and composers, and the social, geographic, and cultural settings that produced them. The period covered is from the earliest traces of Greek and Persian music to the end of the Baroque era (c. 1750 A.D.). The course includes a mixture of lecture, group discussion, and analytical and musicological exercises, including intensive score and aural analysis. Offered every Fall term.

Prerequisites: HIST 1131 or HIST 1132; and MUSC 1500, MUSC 1501, MUSC 1510, MUSC 1511, MUSC 2500, MUSC 2501, MUSC 2510, MUSC 2511; or Permission of Instructor. This is the second of two courses that traces the history of the classical music tradition of Europe and its cultural extensions. In this course, students will develop their ability to think historically and conceptually with regard to the various compositional genres and composers, and the social, geographic, and cultural settings that produced them. The period covered is from the beginning of the classical period (1725) to the end of the 20th century. The course includes a mixture of lecture, group discussion, and analytical and musicological exercises, including intensive score and aural analysis. Offered every Spring term.

A survey of the development and evolution of jazz as an American art form. Special attention is paid to social and cultural context. Emphasis will be placed upon the musical styles, artists, and major innovations in each of the various eras of jazz history. Additional topics include, but are not limited to: race, gender, technology, the economics of music, and popular culture. (Cross-listed as BLST 3650.)

A survey course that explores the development of the various musical traditions that take root in the United States. The focus of the course will be to examine the style and aesthetics of each musical tradition, as well as the cultural, sociological and sometimes political motivations behind it. Topics include but are not limited to such American traditions as sacred music, jazz, art music, and musical theater. Writing and study skills must be highly developed.

Prerequisite: C or better in MUSC 3310. An introduction to the principles and techniques of digital sound synthesis and the creation of music with computers. Students will gain hands-on experience with the most up-to-date synthesis software, programming languages, and research tools. Through lectures, lab work, reading, composing, and critical-listening students will gain the necessary skills to create computer music using digital instruments of their own design.

Prerequisite: MUSC 2510. Advanced study in analytical protocols and the theory of forms. Includes various forms of layer analysis, paradigmatic analysis, and generative grammar, as well as twentieth-century formal developments.

Prerequisite: C or higher in MUSC 3310. A course in which students focus on a particular area of music composition in the electronic medium. Building on skills learned in MUSC 1300 and MUSC 3310, students will concentrate on compositional problems and issues while creating original electroacoustic musical works. This course is repeatable for credit.

Prerequisite: Junior or Senior standing or permission of the instructor. Techniques for teaching voice, including an in-depth study of vocal anatomy.

Prerequisite: MUSC 4430. Advanced techniques for teaching voice. Emphasis on the selection of appropriate vocal literature and the correction of vocal faults. The course includes supervised teaching.

Survey of the various pedagogical philosophies and methodologies of keyboard study throughout history.

Prerequisite: MUSC 3500 or permission of the instructor. This course is designed as a seminar to help student performers to build their analytical and interpretive skills with reference to the music being learned in their applied studies. The semester's work culminates in an analytical / interpretive essay and a presentation to the class. This course is repeatable for credit.

Prerequisite: Upper division standing or permission of the instructor. Studies in World Music provides an introduction to the traditional, classical, and popular musics of Africa, Asia, and the Americas, and their historical development, social and cultural contexts, performance styles, aesthetics, and philosophies. Students examine music cross-culturally across four themes: music and religion, music and healing, music and the theatre, and music and resistance. Using various primary and secondary sources as a starting point, students analyze the ways in which music-making practices are imbricated in race, class, gender, politics, and social movements. Students also learn the methodological approaches of ethnomusicology and develop strategies for analyzing, listening, reading, and writing about world music.

Prerequisite: Permission of the Departmental Chair. Tutorial investigation of topic of special interest. This course is repeatable for credit.

Prerequisite: Permission of Departmental Chair. Consideration of topics in which courses are not offered otherwise, but for which there is current need. Subject matter varies, with special emphasis on pedagogy and literature. This course is repeatable for credit.

Prerequisite: Approval by the Departmental Chair. An individually designed and planned learning experience involving off-campus field experience and study in the private or public sector.

Prerequisite: Permission of Director of International Services and Programs and Departmental Chair. This course is repeatable for credit.

This course is designed as the senior capstone course for the B.A. Music / General Music program. The nature of the work is open-ended, being decided on through discussions between the student and the chosen advisor for the course (usually, but not limited to, the student's academic advisor.) The project design should include both a practical and academic component and should include work in various areas of interest (including the student's minor or second concentration if he/she has one.)