UGRD > MUSIC
Music Courses
MUSIC 101 University Chorus +
Description:
The study and performance of choral music including but not limited to music for large choral ensembles composed from the medieval period through the current day. This course is intended for students with some previous musical experience. A placement audition to determine voice type may be required after enrollment, but all students will be accepted. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 102 Chamber Singers +
Description:
The study and performance of music for the small vocal ensemble. Repertoire ranges from Renaissance madrigals to contemporary music. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 104 Jazz Band +
Description:
This course focuses on the analysis, improvisation, and performance of jazz. Students work in small ensembles. All performance levels are welcome to audition. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 105G Music of the World +
Description:
This course examines the power and function of music in pan-human context. Drawing on a wide variety of sounds and texts, students investigate the relationship between music and intellect, spirit, community, and environment. Special attention is given to how terms, concepts and values from various world musics illuminate and amplify our essential understanding of this human phenomenon. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 106 Chamber Orchestra +
Description:
This course is a performance class where students work together and form a Chamber Orchestra. Students are exposed to wide array of repertoire ranging from the Baroque to the Romantic eras. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 111 An Introduction to Music +
Description:
Basic music materials, principles of design, and the cultural significance of representative works in historical sequence. Designed primarily for non-music majors. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 115 World Music +
Description:
An introduction to the musical traditions of countries throughout the world, embracing the role of music in society, ritual, and culture. Traditional vocal and instrumental styles of folk and traditional music are illustrated through audio and visual materials. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 117 History of Country Music in America +
Description:
This course is an introduction to the stylistic vocabulary and cultural contexts of country music in America from the 1920's to the present through source readings, cultural and musical analysis, and critical listening. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 121 Theory I +
MUSIC 122 Theory II +
Description:
A continuation of MUSIC 121: realization of bass lines in four-part harmony. Basic counterpoint. Principles of voice-leading. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 123 Ear Training and Sight Singing I +
MUSIC 124 Ear Training and Sight Singing II +
Description:
A continuation of MUSIC 123. Further score reading and rhythmic exercises. Dictation of moderately simple melodies and introduction to part-singing. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 131 Elements: Keyboard I +
MUSIC 132 Elements: Keyboard II +
Description:
A continuation of major scales, introduction to minor scales, harmonization of melodies with expanded chord vocabulary. Further study of piano technique, including coordination of hands in more complex rhythmic patterns. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 184 Applied Music Lesson +
Description:
Private, individualized study of voice and all instruments, for NON-MUSIC MAJORS and MUSIC MINORS, covering both performing techniques and musicianship. Twelve one-hour lessons per semester. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 185 Applied Music +
Description:
Private, individualized study of voice and all instruments covering both performing techniques and musicianship. Twelve one-hour lessons per semester. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 200 Masterpieces of Western Art Music +
Description:
This course explores the history and development of Western music in the classical tradition through the lens of selected masterworks that have served as models for tradition and change from the renaissance to today. Students will examine masterworks within their respective cultural contexts, emphasizing the role of music as a form of expression as well as music's role in reflecting ideas and values throughout Western history. Students will listen, read, discuss, and keep written journals in which they respond to and deeply engage the selected masterworks. The primary textbooks will be supplemented by audio recording, videos, and additional scholarly readings. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 205G Introduction to Ethnomusicology +
Description:
This course provides an introduction to ethnomusicology, the study of music across culture. The class will sample readings from the field's major figures together with sounds and images from the places they studied. Field methods and topical issues raised in ethnomusicology are discussed in class, then applied to the student's own research through several structured projects. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 221 Theory III +
MUSIC 222 Theory IV +
Description:
A continuation of MUSIC 221: advanced four-part writing and the introduction of short tonal compositions in imitation of classic models. Further analysis of complex harmonic and melodic structures. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 223 Ear Training and Sight Singing III +
MUSIC 224 Ear Training and Sight Singing IV +
Description:
A continuation of MUSIC 223: emphasis on dictation of harmonic progressions and extended melodies. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 241 American Music +
Description:
The growth and development of American music in both its rural-folk and urban aspects. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 248 Universe of Music +
Description:
An introduction to the infinite universe of music from its origins to the present, this course investigates the role of instruments, culture, myth and science in the evolution of music. Illustrations through the medium of the World Wide Web present the concept of music as both communication of ideas and expression of feelings in diverse musical traditions of the world. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 251 The History and Development of Jazz in America +
MUSIC 252 African-American Mus +
Description:
An examination of African-American music (black music) from its African origins to contemporary black musical expression, including work songs, spirituals, minstrelsy, blues, rhythm and blues, and gospel. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
MUSIC 253G Black American Music +
Description:
A study of musical activity of Black Americans and the vital role it has played in the development of musical performance in the United States. The study includes an examination of the genres and styles that characterized the music from its earliest manifestations among a people in slavery to the rap beat of the late twentieth century. Capabilities addressed: Critical reading, critical thinking, clear writing, collaborative learning, information technology, oral presentation. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 268 Music of Latin America +
Description:
This course is an introductory course dealing with the diverse musical traditions of Latin America, including the role of music in society, ritual, and culture. The result is a comparative study of styles, dances, and instruments, with a certain emphasis given to the development of critical listening skills. Students need access to a computer with Internet sound capabilities. Course subject matter is generally limited to music that has surfaced and developed in Latin America and not as it has developed in the continental United States. Readings will be supplemented by various links as well as the Latin American audio selections available from the Naxos catalogue. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 300 Masterpieces of Western Music for Music Minors +
Description:
This course explores the history and development of Western music in the classical tradition through the lens of selected masterworks that have served as models for tradition and change from the Renaissance to today. Students will examine masterworks within their respective cultural contexts, emphasizing the role of music as a form of expression as well as music's role in reflecting ideas and values throughout Western history. Students will listen, read, discuss, and keep written journals in which they respond to and deeply engage the selected masterworks. The primary textbooks will be supplemented by audio recordings, videos, and additional scholarly readings. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 302 Medieval to Baroque +
MUSIC 303 Classical to Modern +
Description:
A survey of important stylistic and formal developments in music from the Classical Period through to the present. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 315 Seminar in World Music +
Description:
An upper level exploration of selected global cultural soundscapes from an ethnomusicological perspective, emphasizing the role of music in culture, specifically its symbiotic relationship with various cultural modalities, including community, identity, tradition, change, class, gender, nationalism, and religion. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 401 String Techniques +
Description:
Intensive class instruction in the fundamentals of string technique. This course offers preparation for teaching instrumental music at the secondary level. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
MUSIC 402 Woodwind Techniques +
Description:
Intensive class instruction in the fundamentals of woodwind technique. This course offers preparation for teaching instrumental music at the secondary level. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 403 Brass Techniques +
MUSIC 404 Percussion Techniques +
MUSIC 440 Instrumental Methods and Literature in the Teaching of Music +
Description:
This course deals with running band and orchestra programs in grades 4-12 in the schools. Topics include: history and literature, psychology of music, teaching methods, organization, administration, literature, adjudication, program evaluation, and the instrumental music teaching profession. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 441 Choral and General Music Methods and Literature +
Description:
Choral and general music in public and parochial schools. This course deals with all aspects of running choral and general programs in grades N-12. Topics include history and philosophy, psychology, teaching methods, foreign approaches, (Orff, Kodaly, Dalcroze, Suzuki), lesson planning, literature, and joining the profession. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
MUSIC 442 Conducting +
MUSIC 443 Sociocultural Perspectives in Music Education +
Description:
This course is intended to provide students with an opportunity to explore the sociological aspects of music teaching and learning. We will begin the semester with an introduction to sociological theory and an examination of social norms, order, power structure, and belonging. From there, we will delve into a critical examination of the connections between musical listening, learning, and the socially situated act of musical involvement. These initial explorations will serve as an entry point to thinking about music teacher identity and student's past, present, and future experiences as a student, teacher, musician, and human. The latter portion of the class will be devoted to exploring critical issues in the field ranging from power, privilege, class, and marginalized populations, to thinking about ''whose music?'' cultural capital and relevancy. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
MUSIC 478 Independent Study +
Description:
Study of a particular area of this subject under the supervision of a faculty member. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 479 Independent Study +
Description:
Open to advanced students who wish to do intensive work on a particular topic. A written outline of the project must be submitted to the prospective instructor well in advance of the beginning of the semester in which the project is to be done. An extended written paper is the normal outcome of such a project. While enrollment in Independent Study is encouraged for advanced students, all students enrolling in MUSIC 479 (other than the Chamber Orchestra section) that involves any aspect of performance do so with the understanding that they will continue to perform in the performing ensemble idiomatic to their instrument, whether officially enrolled for credit or not. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 480 Special Topics +
Description:
This course offers study of selected topics within this subject. Course content and credits vary according to topic and are announced prior to the registration period. More Info
Offered in:- TBA
MUSIC 483 Orchestration +
Description:
A study of the range and timbre of instruments. Practical ways of combining instruments. Discussion of mass, texture, and sound. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 498 Senior Honors +
Description:
An opportunity for seniors to work with a faculty advisor on an individualized, advanced project. The senior honors project may be either a major creative effort leading to a recital/portfolio of original compositions, a senior recital, or a written research project in music theory or history. While enrollment in Senior Honors is encouraged for advanced students, all students enrolling in MUSIC 498 that involves any aspect of performance do so with the understanding that they will continue to perform in the performing ensemble idiomatic to their instrument, whether officially enrolled for credit or not. More Info
Offered in:MUSIC 499 Pre-Practicum in Music +
Description:
Field experience consisting of observation and limited assistance in selected public school music programs. This, coupled with the pre-practicum experience taken with required courses of the Provisional Teacher Certification Program, fulfills the pre-practicum requirement established by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. More Info
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