Music

This course (required for music majors/minors each semester) is designed to expose students to a variety of repertory styles and to give students an opportunity to practice individual performance skills. Emphasis is placed on exposure to performances and lectures by guest artists, faculty or students, and on personal performance(s) in class each semester.

This course is designed for non-music majors and requires no previous musical experience. It is a survey course that incorporates several modes of instruction including lecture, guided listening, and similar experiences involving music. The course will cover a minimum of three (3) stylistic periods, provide a multi-cultural perspective, and include both vocal and instrumental genres. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate a knowledge of music fundamentals, the aesthetic/stylistic characteristics of historical periods, and an aural perception of style and structure in music.

This course provides a study of the origins, development and existing styles of popular music. Topics include ragtime, jazz, rhythm and blues, rock, country and western, folk and world music. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate a knowledge, understanding and an aural perception of the stylistic characteristics of popular music.

This course is designed to provide rudimentary music knowledge and skills for the student with a limited music background. Topics include a study of notation, rhythm, scales, keys, intervals, chords and basic sight singing and ear training skills. Upon completion, students should be able to read and understand musical scores and demonstrate basic sight singing and ear training skills for rhythm, melody and harmony.

This course introduces the student to the diatonic harmonic practices in the Common Practice Period. Topics include fundamental musical materials (rhythm, pitch, scales, intervals, diatonic harmonies) and an introduction to the principles of voice leading and harmonic progression. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate a basic competency using diatonic harmony through analysis, writing, sight singing, dictation and keyboard skills.

This course completes the study of diatonic harmonic practices in the Common Practice Period and introduces simple musical forms. Topics include principles of voice leading used in three- and four-part triadic harmony and diatonic seventh chords, non-chord tones, cadences, phrases and periods. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate competence using diatonic harmony through analysis, writing, sight singing, dictation and keyboard skills.

This course provides the practical application of basic musical materials through sight singing; melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation; and keyboard harmony. Topics include intervals, simple triads, diatonic stepwise melodies, basic rhythmic patterns in simple and compound meter and four-part triadic progressions in root position. Upon completion, students should be able to write, sing and play intervals, scales, basic rhythmic patterns, diatonic stepwise melodies, simple triads and short four-part progressions in root position.

This course continues the practical application of diatonic musical materials through sight singing; melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation; and keyboard harmony. Topics include intervals, scales, diatonic melodies with triadic arpeggiations, more complex rhythmic patterns in simple and compound meter and four-part diatonic progressions in all inversions. Upon completion, students should be able to write, sing and play all intervals, rhythmic patterns employing syncopations and beat divisions, diatonic melodies and four-part diatonic progressions.

This course is designed to teach the basic fundamentals of music and develop usable musical skills for the classroom teacher. Topics include rhythmic notation, simple and compound meters, pitch notation, correct singing techniques, phrases, keyboard awareness, key signatures, scales, intervals and harmony using I, IV, and V with a chordal instrument. Upon completion, students should be able to sing a song, harmonize a simple tune, demonstrate rhythmic patterns and identify musical concepts through written documentation.

This course introduces the basic rules of diction in Italian, French and German for singers. Emphasis is placed on the use of the International Phonetic Alphabet. Upon completion, students should be able to sing art songs in Italian, French and German with correct diction.

This course provides an overview of church music as a career choice, and includes the organization and operation of a graded church choir program. Topics include an introduction to conducting, rehearsal techniques, administrative skills, and may include a supervised practicum field experience. Upon completion, students should be able to select, prepare, teach and conduct a simple anthem for a graded church choir and demonstrate a knowledge of church music administration through written documentation.

This course provides individual or group instruction in skills relevant to playing a keyboard instrument in religious services. Topics include hymn playing, accompanying soloists and choirs, selecting appropriate music for the different denominational services and improvisation. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of the role of the church pianist or organist through written documentation and by performing that role for a religious service.

This course is a seminar, workshop or master class conducted by guest artists or faculty for piano teachers and students. Emphasis is placed on piano pedagogy topics such as teaching methods, piano literature and performance practice. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate improved knowledge and skills related to piano pedagogy through written documentation and/or performance.

This is the first of a two-course sequence which surveys instrumental and vocal music to acquaint the student with musical compositions, composers and styles from ancient times through the Baroque. Emphasis is placed on the development of analytical listening skills. Upon completion, students should be able to recognize the music, identify the major composers and describe the styles of the various musical periods.

This is the second of a two-course sequence which surveys instrumental and vocal music to acquaint the student with musical compositions, composers and styles from the Classical Period to the present. Emphasis is placed on the development of analytical listening skills. Upon completion, students should be able to recognize the music, identify the major composers and describe the styles of the various musical periods.

This course provides a study of the development of music from ancient times through the Baroque Period. Emphasis is placed on period style characteristics, representative composers and their works, and socio-cultural influences. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and an aural perception of period style characteristics, forms, composers and representative works.

This course provides a study of the development of music from the Classical Period to the present. Emphasis is placed on period style characteristics, representative composers and their works, and socio-cultural influences. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate knowledge, understanding and an aural perception of period style characteristics, forms, composers and representative works.

This course introduces the student to the chromatic harmonic practices in the Common Practice Period. Topics include secondary functions, modulatory techniques, and binary and ternary forms. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate competence using chromatic harmony through analysis, writing, sight singing, dictation and keyboard skills.

This course completes the study of chromatic harmonic practices in the Common Practice Period and introduces the student to twentieth-century practices. Topics include the Neapolitan and augmented sixth chords, sonata form, late nineteenth-century tonal harmony and twentieth-century practices and forms. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate competence using chromatic harmony and basic twentieth century techniques through analysis, writing, sight singing, dictation and keyboard skills.

aterials through sight singing; melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation; and keyboard harmony. Topics include melodies with simple modulations, complex rhythms in simple and compound meter, and secondary function chords. Upon completion, students should be able to write, sing and play modulating melodies, rhythmic patterns with beat subdivisions and four-part chromatic harmony.

This course provides the practical application of chromatic musical materials and simple twentieth century practices through sight singing; melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation; and keyboard harmony. Topics include chromatic and atonal melodies; complex rhythmic patterns in simple, compound and asymmetric meters; chromatic chords and twentieth-century harmony. Upon completion, students should be able to write, sing and play chromatic and atonal melodies, complex rhythms and meters, four-part chromatic harmony and simple twentieth-century chord structures.

This course introduces the basic techniques and applications of musical composition. Emphasis is placed on creativity and original thought processes in music. Upon completion, students should be able to create an original musical composition.

This course provides more advanced instruction in musical composition techniques. Emphasis is placed on musical thought processes which result in musical composition. Upon completion, students should be able to create, notate correctly and stage performances of original musical compositions.

This course is designed to prepare the student with the theoretical background and improvisational techniques utilized in jazz performance. Emphasis is placed on the understanding of chord structures, chord progressions, scale structures and melodic design. Upon completion, students should be able to perform an improvisational solo with a jazz ensemble.

This course introduces the fundamentals of conducting choral and/or instrumental ensembles. Topics include a study of simple and compound meters, score reading and techniques for conducting effective rehearsals. Upon completion, students should be able to prepare and conduct a choral and/or instrumental score in a rehearsal or performance setting.

This course is designed to explore administrative models of a comprehensive church music program. Topics include leadership, administrative structure, music personnel, facilities, equipment, vestments, music library, budgeting, planning, vocal and instrumental ensembles and scheduling for a music program. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate how to plan, coordinate and administer a comprehensive church music program.

This course provides an historic survey of traditional church music from the 17th century to the present and introduces contemporary Christian styles. Topics include criteria for choosing appropriate music for graded church choirs at easy, medium and advanced levels of difficulty, and a survey of publishing resources and cataloging systems. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of church music literature.

This course is designed to provide techniques for working with the child’s voice in a choral setting. Topics include working with children’s voices, rehearsal techniques, selecting literature, vestments and organizing a graded choir program. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate howto plan, coordinate and administer a graded choir program in a church.

This course is designed to acquaint the singer with literature appropriate for use in services of worship. Topics include voice classification, study of the literature for general and seasonal use, and resources for publications and materials. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate a knowledge and understanding of repertoire suitable for use throughout the church year, sources of solo literature and vocal classification.

This course is designed to provide supervised experience in the various areas of church music through directed study, practice, observation and other supervised experiences. Emphasis is placed on designing, implementing and documenting a practicum project related to a particular area of church music. Upon completion, students should be able to produce documentation that demonstrates the scope of the project.

This course provides an introduction to the commercial music industry and the types of careers in commercial music. Topics include music publishing, recording, contracts, agents and managers, copyrights, unions, music companies and dealers. Upon completion, students should be able to demonstrate a basic knowledge and understanding of the different components of the commercial music industry and the various career options.