This class is designed for students with little to no musical experience. In this course, students develop a sustainable singing technique, expand their range and learn the basics of reading sheet music. Repertoire is selected based on student abilities and interests and has in the past included vocal jazz, classical choral pieces and folksongs. Interested students should email the instructor with a description of your musical interests and experience (if any). May be repeated once for credit. S/U only. Instructor permission required.

Offered as THE 245 and MUS 935. This course uses the rehearsal and performance process of performing in a musical to develop skills in conveying character and story through acting and singing (& sometimes dancing!) Taught jointly by Music and Theatre faculty, students work as an ensemble to create a production of an existing work of musical theatre. Performing in musicals is a particular artistic challenge, combining a range of skills. This course provides an opportunity to learn and strengthen those skills through rehearsal and performance. Repeatable for credit.

This is a group ensemble course intended as a continuation of MUS 904 at an intermediate level. Classroom activities include group warm ups and drills of the basic building blocks of music theory such as scales, rhythms, and sight reading, in addition to repertoire interests of the students enrolled. Students learn how to actively listen to one another while playing independent parts in a group setting. Students discuss and put into practice the various elements of collaborating through chamber music.

Introduction to the art of conducting. This course examines philosophical and practical aspects of the modern conductor’s role. Discussions include a musical gestural vocabulary, baton technique and score study/internalization of the printed page. May be repeated for credit. Prior music performance experience and study of Western music theory is highly recommended. Instructor permission required.

Exploration and coaching of varied repertory for duos and small ensembles. May be repeated for credit. Open to instrumental students. Instructor permission required.

This course considers various kinds of writing--from daily journalism and popular criticism to academic monographs and scholarly essays--that concern the broad history of music. Via regular writing assignments and group discussions of substance and style, students have opportunities to improve the mechanics, tone and range of their written prose. Required of senior majors; open to others with instructor permission. Restrictions: Juniors and seniors only. Enrollment limited to 12. Instructor permission required.

What counts as music? Who decides? Can anyone make music? This course raises these and other questions by focusing on experimental music. The course explores the history and practice of experimental music, focusing on text, graphic and other forms of notation. The course also looks at the history of experimental music in performance and makes in-class performances of several key pieces. Through reading and practice, the course asks questions about musical authority, skill and even failure, and the role of institutions in shaping musical ideas.

Through streaming, radio, television, film, online media, public and private social spaces, and more, both artists and listeners use popular music to construct, perform, and assert their queer and trans identities. This course examines shifting conceptions of queer and trans identities and how they are constructed through, reflected in, and challenged by United States in the 20th and 21st centuries. Discussions include: early blues; disco; women’s music; queercore and punk; and contemporary sapphic pop. Students submit listening journals, create a zine, and complete a final project.

A hands-on introduction to the basic concepts, equipment and software involved in modern music production. This course serves as an introduction to MIDI sequencing, Digital Audio Workstations, analog and digital audio, digital audio recording, mixing and basic studio techniques. Enrollment limited to 8. Instructor permission required. (E)