Course Descriptions

This course offers a comprehensive introduction to the foundational elements of tonal music, with a focus on melodic and harmonic analysis, composition, and practical application. Upon review of the fundamentals, students will explore counterpoint, harmonization techniques, the musical phrase and cadential forms. By engaging with musical excerpts from diverse world traditions, students will develop comparative analytical skills and creative fluency. The course emphasizes hands-on learning through composition and reflection, encouraging students to connect theoretical concepts to music encountered in everyday life.

This course deepens students’ understanding of melodic, harmonic, rhythmic and formal structures through the lens of global musical traditions. Building on foundational theory, students will explore diatonic seventh chords, tonicizations, and sequences while developing fluency in identifying and applying these concepts in short musical excerpts. Students will cultivate a nuanced grasp of musical forms including the sentence and period. Through analysis and composition, learners will expand their harmonic vocabulary and creative expression. The course encourages students to connect theoretical knowledge to music encountered beyond the classroom, fostering a broader appreciation of musical diversity and structure.

This is a music appreciation course for students who are curious about classical music and would like to learn more about how to listen to it. No previous musical knowledge is necessary. The "tools" of how music is put together will be introduced and discussed through listening to a wide variety of pieces from the medieval period, the Renaissance, the Baroque, the Classic and Romantic periods, and the twentieth century. Students will discover how various composers use elements of style and form to create music that expresses their individual voice as well as the culture in which they live. Emphasis will be placed on the cultural and historical context of each piece.

This course encompasses a comprehensive overview of the rudiments of music and provides an understanding of how those elements are combined to create the various styles and genres of Western art music from Medieval times to the 20th Century. Previous experience reading music is an asset to this course but not essential.

This course introduces sight-singing, rhythm-reading, and aural musicianship skills essential for developing comprehensive musical literacy. Students will learn to sing and transcribe stepwise and intervallic melodies using solfège, practice rhythm-reading in simple and compound meters, and explore harmonic elements such as triads and seventh chords. Emphasis is placed on aural identification, rhythmic precision, and ensemble collaboration. Students will begin to strengthen their ability to engage with music both analytically and expressively.

This course continues to develop musicianship through aural skills, sight-singing, and rhythmic execution, with a focus on harmonic progression, melodic embellishment, and complex rhythmic structures. Students will engage with tonal and modal melodies, two-part counterpoint, and harmonic analysis involving diatonic seventh chords, tonicizations, and modulations. Rhythmic topics include compound meters, irregular subdivisions (duplets, triplets, and quadruplets), swung rhythms, and syncopation. Through solfège, hand signs, conducting patterns, and collaborative ensemble work, students will enhance their ability to analyze, transcribe, and perform extended harmonic and rhythmic structures across diverse musical styles.

Designed for non-pianists, this course introduces foundational keyboard skills in a collaborative lab setting. Students learn sight-reading, harmonization, transposition, and ensemble playing skills while connecting their keyboard work to concepts from MUS 100. Emphasis is placed on using the piano as a practical tool for expression, accompaniment, and collaboration across musical disciplines.

Building on the skills from MUS 114, this course strengthens and expands students' keyboard abilities in a collaborative lab setting. Students refine sight-reading, harmonization, transposition, and ensemble playing skills while applying concepts from MUS 101. Repertoire from diverse styles encourages creativity and collaboration, helping students develop practical musicianship that supports their broader artistic growth.

This course explores music as a dynamic cultural force across time, place, and identity. Musical concepts and forms from various time periods, diverse cultures, and traditions are introduced and explored, with attention to how music reflects and shapes social, political, and historical contexts. Through listening, discussion, and writing, students will inquire into music’s role in creating meaning and shaping identity. Emphasis is placed on developing historical awareness, cultural empathy, and academic writing skills, while fostering a deeper understanding of music’s role in diverse communities and movements.

This course deepens students' exploration of the history of musical forms, styles, and elements by examining music and the musician within society. Through critical listening, analysis, and writing, students will examine how music reflects and influences social, political, and historical movements. Emphasis is placed on diverse musical traditions and the contributions of historically marginalized creators and performers. Students will refine their academic writing and analytic skills while engaging with music as a living, evolving expression of identity, resistance, and community. The course encourages students to think critically about whose stories are told in music history - and why.

The goal of this course is to introduce Musical Theatre students to the preliminary rudiments of music and to provide them with knowledge of basic ear training, theory and sight singing skills.

The goal of this course is to work towards developing skills which allow the student to reproduce printed melody and rhythm through aural and vocal exercises and to develop piano skills to assist in repertoire preparation.

This course introduces students to a range of technologies that support and enhance the work of musicians. Topics include audio and video recording and editing, podcast production, music notation software, MIDI applications, and website development. Students will gain practical skills in creating and sharing high-quality recordings of their musical performances-useful for auditions and professional portfolios-as well as tools for effective self-promotion and digital presence.

This advanced music theory course explores the intricate relationship between harmony, melody, rhythm, and form across diverse musical traditions. Students will analyze and distinguish between small and large-scale formal structures. Through the study of compound melodic lines and simple textures, learners will uncover implied harmonies and deepen their understanding of contrapuntal voice leading. The course emphasizes chromatic harmonic vocabulary and students will apply these concepts creatively by composing musical excerpts that reflect sophisticated harmonic techniques and formal clarity. By engaging with music from around the world, learners will develop the ability to connect theoretical insights to real-world listening and performance contexts.

This advanced theory course investigates the expressive power of chromaticism and formal design in music form from around the world. Students will analyze complete works and excerpts, focusing on melodic and harmonic structures in highly chromatic tonal contexts. Through the study of largescale musical forms as well as genres like jazz, blues, and popular music, students will develop a broad understanding of musical architecture across cultures and eras. Composition exercises will challenge learners to apply advanced harmonic vocabulary in original musical excerpts, fostering creative fluency and analytical depth. By the end of the course, students will be equipped to evaluate and connect theoretical concepts to music encountered in diverse listening environments, from concert halls to streaming platforms.

This course is a practical study of the woodwind family.

This course is a continuation of MUS 210.

Building on the foundations established in MUS 112 and MUS 113, this course expands and deepens students' aural, analytical, and practical musicianship skills. Emphasis is placed on recognizing, performing, and notating more complex harmonic progressions-including mode mixture, tonicizations, and modulations-as well as advanced rhythmic patterns involving mixed meters, hemiolas, and super-divided beats. Students will explore formal structures, contrapuntal techniques, and variation forms while continuing to develop pedagogical approaches using solfège, Kodály/Orff hand signs, and conducting. Collaborative ensemble work supports the integration of these skills in applied musical contexts, preparing students for more sophisticated musical analysis and performance.

As the final course in the musicianship and aural skills sequence, this class deepens students' aural and analytical engagement with chromaticism, formal structures, and complex rhythmic practices. Students will explore chromatic melodic and harmonic features--including modal mixture, Neapolitan and augmented sixth chords, and distant modulations--through performance, transcription, and analysis. The course emphasizes rhythm and meter in both historical and contemporary contexts, including super-divided beats, asymmetric meters, and syncopation in jazz, ragtime, blues, and popular music. Students will also study phrase structure and form in repertoire ranging from the 16th to 20th centuries. Through integrated aural work, rhythm training, and ensemble performance, students will apply advanced musicianship skills across diverse musical traditions.

Building on MUS 115, this course refines students' keyboard fluency through intermediate-level repertoire and collaborative lab work. Students strengthen sight-reading, harmonization, transposition, and ensemble performance while applying concepts from MUS 200. Emphasis is placed on stylistic versatility and deeper understanding of harmony and form, supporting both academic study and practical musicianship.

This course completes the class piano sequence, refining the intermediate skills from MUS 214 and advancing toward greater fluency and independence. Through repertoire at the RCM Level 5-6 standard, students strengthen sight-reading, harmonization, transposition, and ensemble performance while applying concepts from MUS 201. Emphasis is placed on stylistic versatility and confident performance, preparing students to integrate piano skills into their broader musicianship and artistic practice.

This course is a practical study of the brass family.

This course is a practical study of the percussion family.

This course will examine the forms, styles, creators, and global influences on the Western Art Music tradition beginning before the common era until the 20th century. Students will analyze music within social, political, historical and cultural contexts, while developing advanced research and writing skills. Emphasis is placed on critical comparison, inclusive perspectives, and the contributions of diverse music creators to the shaping of genres and styles. Through listening, discussion, and independent inquiry, students will learn to ask meaningful questions about music and explore its role in shaping -- and being shaped by- human experience.

This course explores contemporary music through a global and critical lens, examining how forms, styles, and creators shape and reflect today's cultural landscapes. Building on MUS 220, students will analyze music from diverse traditions within social, political, historical and cultural contexts. Emphasis is placed on the contributions of contemporary music creators -- especially those from underrepresented communities -- and on developing research skills to investigate relevant musical topics. Through listening, discussion, and inquiry, students will engage with music as a living, evolving force that challenges boundaries and inspires change.

This course equips students with basic skills and strategies necessary to establish a professional career in music. Topics include potential career paths; tax law and invoicing; resumes, CVs and bios; repertoire lists; basic website content and social media; approaching and responding to media; audition and interview preparation and techniques; studio policies; introductory grant-writing; self-care; professional organizations and associations; and best professional practices.

This course provides a knowledge of Orff methodology and the skills necessary to use this teaching method in a classroom.