Art and music are a part of all human cultures. Is there something about the human brain that drives us to paint and sing? We will examine how the brain simultaneously processes different aspects of visual and auditory stimuli, ask how this processing may affect the way we do art and music, and explore where these phenomena may occur in the brain. As we engage in discussion and hands-on activities, we will discover the commonalities between the arts and the sciences including practice, experimentation, exploration, innovation, and creativity.

This course will follow the origins and evolution of jazz from the late nineteenth century to the present, with emphases on prominent stylistic trends and significant individuals. Along with some analysis of the musical language jazz employs, the music will be examined in its relation to the social contexts that helped produce and shape it. The ability to read music is not a requirement for this course.

Highly select chamber choir of 12-18 voices drawn from Glee Club and Chorale with an emphasis on musical independence. Members possess excellent music reading skills and are one of just a few voices on a part. Specializes in challenging classical and contemporary repertoire for treble voices.

This course begins with the birth of opera at the end of the Renaissance Period, and ends with some of the most successful operas in the past decade. Our investigation includes operas in English, French, German, Italian and Russian. Alongside an introduction to the materials of opera, from vocal fachs, forms, and styles, to vocal virtuosity, the course situates opera as a cultural phenomenon by considering the unique set of historical, intellectual, social, political and economic conditions of each work of art.

Advanced ensemble with a varied classical, contemporary, and folk-derived repertoire. Sight-reading and music theory are incorporated throughout the course. Emphasis is placed on developing techniques for healthy and beautiful vocal production, learning critical listening skills, singing with expression and understanding, and ultimately demonstrating growth as choral musicians.

Explores the ways in which sound is organized into musical structures. Topics include the physical properties of sound; the basic vocabulary of Western music (scales, key signatures, intervals, triads, rhythm, meter); and an introduction to musical form and analysis. Includes extensive practice in music reading, sight singing, ear training, and critical listening.

The second in a three-semester survey of Western music history, Music 282 examines the cultures of art music in Europe and the Americas from 1700-1900, focusing on the evolution of styles and genres and the changing roles of composers, performers, and audiences.

This course will focus on learning by ear and playing the polyrhythmic traditional music of the peoples of southern Ghana, Togo and Benin, including sections of Adjogbo and Agbekor. All students will learn drum, rattle and bell parts, some songs, and some dance steps. Non-musicians are welcome; practice between classes is required. The group will perform in a workshop at the end of the semester.

Chamber Music for wind instruments