Music
Professor BEN-AMOTS, Associate Professor AHARONY (associate chair), BAÑAGALE (chair); Assistant Professor L. CARRIZO, CHANG; Artist-in-Residence S. GRACE; Lecturers LASMAWAN, REED; Visitors A. CARRIZO, REYES, SWEUM
The Music Department at 鶹Ƶ strives to be an all-inclusive place where musicians of all interests and skills can come to participate in music activities. No audition is required to enter the department, and while we offer a course of study for both music majors and minors, all students at 鶹Ƶ are eligible to attend our classes and sign-up for our ensembles. In fact, many of the 350 students who are active in the department do so only for their own pleasure.
The Department of Music invites all students to indulge their musical interests, either through participating in adjunct credit lessons and ensembles, or perhaps through an elective course to enhance a different major. Music majors and minors have a growing wealth of options available to explore their specialties in considerable depth and prepare themselves for professional careers performing, composing, producing, and teaching. Our course offerings range from general and introductory classes to specialized studies in theory, Western music history, ethnomusicology, popular music, composition, and music technology. Our faculty includes a composer, an ethnomusicologist, music historians, theorists, and world-class performers, as well as a steady stream of visiting professors and performers from many disciplines and from all corners of the globe.
Our ensemble directors preside over a wide variety of group performance opportunities, and our studio instructors offer group classes and private lessons in instruments from the classical orchestra, the concert band, world music, bluegrass, and jazz. Online registration for music lessons is available through the first two weeks of each semester; detailed information is posted on the Music website. Scholarships are available for group and private music lessons.
The department occupies Packard Hall, with its acoustically superior 300-seat concert hall, state-of-the-art recording studio and classrooms, sound-proof practice rooms, and teaching studios. The Albert Seay Memorial Library of Music and Art is a unique resource of rare books, scores, and recordings. We welcome you to join us for one of our 80+ performances each year, to sign up for a course, or to participate in making music with us, either as a major/minor, or simply for the joy of it!Major Requirements
The music major provides students with a diverse foundation of approaches to the study, creation, and performance of music within the context of a liberal arts education. Courses are grouped primarily into three core areas, designed to introduce students to the broad approaches undertaken in the investigation of “Music in Culture” (3 units), the development of “Musicianship” skills (3 units), and the practice of “Creativity” (2 units). A set of four additional units allows individual students to follow a path of study that aligns with their musical aspirations and goals, forming “Connections” across their experience:
Core Course Requirements:
3 units of Music in Culture, one from each of the following areas (200-level and above):
- Social Justice courses
- Music Ethnography courses
- Western History courses
3 units of Musicianship, one from each of the following areas:
- Performance Oriented courses
- Tonal Harmony (MU251) OR Musicianship (MU228)
- Departmental Lessons and/or Ensembles (4 semesters @ .25 unit/semester)
2 units of Creativity, one from each of the following areas:
- Composition
- Music Technology
Connections Requirements:
- Concert Attendance (4 semesters @ .25 unit/semester)
- 2 units of upper-level seminars (300-level and above)
- Junior Seminar (MU435)
- Senior Capstone Thesis Block (MU438)
During the academic year the music department sponsors a series of performances by faculty, student ensembles, and visiting artists. Upon declaration, music majors must enroll in a .25 unit, extended-format Concert Attendance adjunct (MU216). As a part of this adjunct, majors will attend and/or perform in department-approved concerts to broaden their understanding of the rewards and challenges of the concert world and to gain a deeper understanding of performance practices and literature. Students will reflect upon all of this as part of the Concert Attendance adjunct.
Students will take two blocks of upper-level seminar (300-level), ideally related to their area(s) of interest and focus. These offerings emerge from each of the Music in Culture areas as well as Composition and Music Technology.
The “Senior Capstone” is a cumulative project undertaken by all majors that showcases their unique approach to music studies. The exact nature of each project will depend on the individual interests and specializations of the student, but all projects must combine both creativity and research. The process begins through participation in the Junior Seminar, where students develop a formal proposal for their thesis work. Subsequent work unfolds between the student and their respective faculty co-advisors, including at least one Senior Capstone block where students undertake focused, independent work on their projects. Some capstones may include a standalone performance or presentation, but all capstones will have two shared outcomes: a 20-minute capstone presentation at the annual Music Department Senior Colloquium and a formal final paper, the scope of which is determined between the individual student and their capstone advisors.
Departmental distinction at graduation for seniors will be awarded on the criteria of performance in departmental courses, the senior capstone project, and participation and presence in the life of the department.
Minor Requirements
The music minor provides students with an introduction of diverse approaches to the study, creation, and performance of music within the context of a liberal arts education. Courses are grouped into three core areas, designed to introduce students to the broad methods undertaken in the investigation of “Music in Culture” (3 units), the development of “Musicianship” skills (1 unit), and the practice of “Creativity” (1 unit). A set of two extended format “Connections” units requires individual students to take studio lessons and/or participate in ensemble activities, as well as attend department-approved concerts each semester for the duration of 2 years.
Core Course Requirements:
3 units of Music in Culture, one from each of the following areas:
- Social Justice courses
- Music Ethnography courses
- Western History courses
2 units of Musicianship, one from each of these areas:
- Music Fundamentals (MU199) OR Musicianship and Aural Skills (MU228) OR Tonal Harmony (MU251)
- Studio Lessons and/or Ensembles (extended format: 4 semesters @ .25 unit/semester)
1 unit of Creativity, from the following areas:
- Composition
- Music Technology
1 unit of Connections:
- Concert Attendance (extended format: 4 semesters @ .25 unit/semester)
During the academic year the music department sponsors a series of performances by faculty, student ensembles, and visiting artists. Upon declaration, music minors must enroll in a .25 unit, extended-format Concert Attendance adjunct (MU216). As a part of this adjunct, minors will attend and/or perform in department-approved concerts to broaden their understanding of the rewards and challenges of the concert world and to gain a deeper understanding of performance practices and literature. Students will reflect upon all of this as part of the Concert Attendance adjunct.
- Additional offerings are listed in the catalog of courses and should be discussed with the minor advisor.
- Only department-approved courses can count toward the minor.
- Only one of the introductory classes (CC100 and CC120) can count toward the minor.
Music Education
Students interested in becoming a licensed music teacher at 鶹Ƶ should major in music and minor in education. Students can receive teaching credentials through the 9th semester program or the Master of Arts in Teaching (MAT) program. Both require a formal application and admission process.
The list below reflects the requirements for both the music major and education minor leading to teacher licensure. All interested students need to meet with Deb Mortenson in the Education Department to talk through the possibilities for licensure.
MUSIC MAJOR
- 3 units of Music in Culture, one from each of the following areas (200-level and above):
- Social Justice courses
- Music Ethnography courses
- Western History courses
- 3 units of Musicianship, one from each of the following areas:
- Performance Oriented courses
MU325: CONDUCTING is recommended for Music Ed and fulfills this Music Major requirement
- Tonal Harmony (MU251) OR Musicianship (MU228)
- Departmental Lessons and/or Ensembles (4 semesters @ .25 unit/semester):
Music Education students should fulfill this requirement by taking four semesters of large ensemble—band, orchestra, or choir: MU164: Concert Band, MU165: Chamber Orchestra, MU160: Chamber Chorus, or MU161: College Choir
- Demonstrated piano proficiency—required for all music teachers^
- 2 units of Creativity, one from each of the following areas:
- Composition
- Music Technology
-4 units of Connections Requirements, from the following areas:
- 2 units of upper-level seminars (300-level and above)
- Junior Seminar (MU435)
- Senior Capstone Thesis Block (MU437/438)
-1 unit of Concert Attendance (MU216 extended format; 4 semesters @ .25 unit/semester)
- Additional Music Education Recommendation:
- Music Learning Theories for Teaching Band and Orchestra Instruments (MU217/ED217)
EDUCATION MINOR (5 UNITS)
- ED101: Introduction to the K-12 Classroom Culture^
- Two of the following:
-ED110 Linking Literacy, Language, and Linguistics (REQUIRED FOR ELEMENTARY LICENSURE)
-ED205 Disability and Society
-ED210 Power of the Arts in Education
-ED211 Critical Perspectives on the U.S. Educational System: 19th Century – Present
-ED250 Topics in Education
-ED131 Youth Organizing for Social Change
-ED200 Teaching Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Learners
-ED222/320 Diversity and Equity in Education (prerequisite: ED101 or CC100/120)
-ED225 Foundations of Environmental Education (TREE semester)
-ED235 Critical Multicultural Education
-ED255 Urban Education
-ED280 Sociology of Education
-ED350 Advanced Topics in Education
-MU217: Music Learning Theories for Teaching Band and Orchestra Instruments
- ED311: Educational Psychology^
- ED477: Culturally Responsive Teaching and Disciplinary Literacy Methods^
^ Required by Colorado Department of Education for teacher licensure
Music Major + Education Minor satisfies the prerequisites for the MAT program –
which leads to a license and MAT
IF COMPLETING LICENSURE AS UNDERGRADUATE/9TH SEMESTER
(If applying to MAT program, these courses do not need to be taken as an undergrad – they are part of the graduate program)
- ED478: Advanced Methods: Critical Pedagogies in Literacy, Curriculum and Instruction (2 units) ^
- ED466: Data Driven Instruction for Diverse Learners in the 21st century (1 unit)
- ED479: Teacher Candidate Practicum (3.5 units) ^
Courses
Music
Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
(Not offered 2025-26).
(Not offered 2025-26).
Private instruction in electric bass guitar in various genres including jazz, pop, rock, and alternative.
Private instruction in electric guitar in various genres including jazz, pop, rock, and alternative.
(Not offered 2025-26).
(Not offered 2025-26).
A group-class instructional setting for beginning students to learn about Folk and Bluegrass playing techniques. Students will learn basic chords and strumming patterns as well as learn how to back up a vocalist and create a solo. We will also explore how harmony singing works and build repertoire in the Folk and Bluegrass genres resulting in the ability to perform with others.
The International Phonetic Alphabet (I.P.A.)- a vital system which identifies each individual sound in speech- will serve as the foundation for learning the pronunciation of the four dominant languages in vocal repertoire- German, French, Italian and English. Students will gain the essential knowledge of pronunciation necessary for enhancing their appreciation of vocal art, their own performance practice, and their ongoing music and/or language studies. This adjunct course is required of all vocal performance students wishing to present a junior or senior recital. .25 units a semester.
Mariachi Tigre was founded on CC Campus in 1999 and has seen several successful performances since. The mariachi band is open to any student wishing to play, sing, play violin, trumpet, guitar, vihuela, or guitarron. Harp and accordion players are also encouraged to join. Mariachi Tigre performs at least two concerts every year. The mariachi band is a fun way to continue to play your instruments in a new style, or it can be a great way to learn a new instrument. Mariachi Tigre rehearses every Thursday, 4:30-6:30 in Packard 9. .25 units a semester
(Not offered 2025-26).
This course provides students with instruction on Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) fundamentals, focusing on recording, editing, and mixing techniques essential for music production. Using the Ableton Live DAW, students gain hands-on experience with industry-standard software, developing skills to create, manipulate, and produce audio projects. (Not offered 2025-26).
(Summer only 2025-26).
In this course students develop an understanding of the basic elements of Western art music through written and aural exercises and analysis. Students explore the rudiments of Western music theory including melody, rhythm, and harmony, and concentrate on notation, aural recognitions of rhythm and meter, key signatures, scales, and intervals; the construction and connection of basic triads and chords; basic keyboard and sight singing skills. This class is designed to assist students planning to pursue more advanced music theory classes such as Analyzing Music, Tonal Harmony, Counterpoint and Musical Form. (Not offered 2025-26).
Introduction to digital sound in all three categories of composition, orchestration and musical arrangement, with primary focus on Finale Notation Software. Work in the computer lab will explore a range of possibilities that combine digital samples, multimedia, and the Internet. Students will create their own orchestral arrangements and explore new combinations of sound and rhythm in an atmosphere of experimentation and discovery. Students will print, playback and record their own music. (Not offered 2025-26).
An introduction to the cultural and political scene of Cuba, past and present. Through a careful examination of the classical repertoire and salon music, from the 18th to the 20th Centuries, we will explore the Danzón Music as well as the various Afro-Cuban religious groups like the Santería, Palo, Abakuá and Arará. Special attention will be given to the question of the way post-revolution Cuban society deals with nationality, race, and gender issues in the arts and how ideas of a Cuban cultural identity are remodeled by the government. Finally, the course will address questions of marketing and commercializing of contemporary Cuban music as demonstrated by the enormous success of the “Buena Vista Social Club” and other movies. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
How do our listening habits shape our perceptions of the world around us? And what can our responses to sound reveal about our identities and communities? This course invites students to move beyond passive hearing and engage with music more intentionally—examining diverse genres, traditions, and historical moments to discover how cultural, social, and personal contexts influence the act of listening. Through guided exercises, discussions, and reflections, we’ll explore new ways to describe and interpret the sounds we encounter, both in and out of class. Students will leave with an expanded set of listening strategies that enrich daily life and deepen their appreciation of music’s role in shaping our collective experience. Open to all students, regardless of musical background or prior training. (Not offered 2025-26).
How do we capture the impact of music through words? And what different approaches do musicians, scholars, journalists, and fans take when writing about what they hear? This course invites students to explore the diverse ways we communicate musical meaning. We will examine and practice forms of writing—scholarly essays, reviews, program notes, and more—to translate sound into language that resonates with multiple audiences. Along the way, students will discover how the writing process itself opens up deeper insights into music’s structures, histories, and cultural contexts. By the end of the block, participants will have refined their voice as writers, learning how to shape arguments, incorporate research, and engage readers in meaningful musical conversations. Open to all students curious about bridging their love of music and writing, regardless of previous experience or background. (Not offered 2025-26).
What makes a piece of music feel cohesive, powerful, or surprising? And how do we uncover the deeper workings beneath its surface? In this course, students will break down music into fundamental elements for analysis—scales, harmony, rhythms, form, and beyond—while understanding how and when such theoretical constructions can be applied to a range of historical and global repertoires. Through hands-on exercises, listening sessions, case studies, and digital technologies, we will explore an array of analytical techniques that reveal new layers of meaning. Students will gain fresh perspectives on how music is constructed, emerging with analytical skills that can be applied in future music-making, scholarship, and everyday listening. All interested students are welcome to join, regardless of their level of music theory background. (Not offered 2025-26).
As part of this adjunct course, majors will be attend and/or perform in 8 department-approved concerts per semester to broaden their understanding of the rewards and challenges of the concert world and to gain a deeper understanding of performance practices and literature. Students will reflect upon all of this as a part of the Concert Attendance adjunct. .25 units. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course introduces music learning theories foundational to teaching others how to play an instrument in the context of school, private lessons, and informal settings. The course considers how sound is produced, which motor and aural skills enhance instrumental performance, and what teaching methods improve instruction and learning. Students acquire intermediate performance skills on two band instruments and one orchestral instrument. Group practice labs, much like rehearsals, provide opportunities for students to conduct, plan, and present lessons, as well as to experience the complexity of working with multiple instruments in a heterogeneous setting. The course culminates with solo and small ensemble performances. This course is required for K-12 music teaching licensure candidates. (Not offered 2025-26).
Study of the methods and practices for teaching elementary music by learning about elementary general music education in school settings, planning lessons, delivering instruction, and designing assessments guided by the national and Colorado music standards. Practicum portion includes observations and participation in several elementary schools. (Not offered 2025-26).
Special topics in ethnomusicology, approached through emphasis on a particular musical area, theoretical issue, genre or repertory, compositional technique, or instrument. The course is devoted to non-Western musical cultures. Meets the ethnomusicology requirement for the music minor.
Special topics in ethnomusicology, approached through emphasis on a particular musical area, theoretical issue, genre or repertory, compositional technique, or instrument. The course is devoted to non-Western musical cultures. Meets the ethnomusicology requirement for the music minor.
This interdisciplinary course traces the many musical traditions of the Jewish world communities in a journey from Temple singing and desert ceremonies in biblical times, through music of Mendelssohn, Mahler, and Schoenberg, to works of individuals such as Gershwin, Copland, Berlin, and Bernstein. Included will be a comparative study of the three Abrahamic religions exploring their respective voices and musical interaction. Sociology, literature, religion, and history, as well as issues of ethnicity, anti-Semitism, cultural identities, social justice, and equality will be explored in depth throughout the course. May meet either the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures or Social Inequality requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
Special topics in music history, theory, creativity, or technology. Topics vary from year to year, but typically emphasize a particular musical area, theoretical issue, genre, repertory, creative/compositional technique, or instrument.
Special topics in music history, theory, creativity, or technology. Topics vary from year to year, but typically emphasize a particular musical area, theoretical issue, genre, repertory, creative/compositional technique, or instrument. Courses may be offered as half-block or regular-block offering.
Music is first and foremost a sonic experience, but one that relies significantly on the visual to convey meaning. Film, television, and the internet have fundamentally changed the ways in which we experience music. This course explores the vibrant world of musical performance and how a change of venue, from the stage to the screen, affects both our experience of the musical event and our understanding of it. Some of the transformations investigated include: film adaptations of Broadway musicals; the classical canon as soundtrack and subject; popular music as music video and video games; and the live broadcast of performance into alternative sites and surroundings. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course builds on the basic aspects of musicianship while introducing students to the harmonic language and techniques of 17th-19th century western music. Students will analyze chorals and other harmonic genres, learn to interpret figured bass, write basic four-part chord progressions according to proper voice leading rules, and be able to demonstrate these musical genres at the keyboard. A major component of this course is the development of aural skills and sight singing including intervallic and chordal quality recognition as well as melodic and rhythmic dictations. The course will cover the full scope of diatonic through Chromatic harmony, including secondary dominants, extended subdominants, special sixth chords, modulations, and simple score reading.
The Beatles hold a special location in the history of popular music, seemingly unrivaled in both their day and the half-century since they disbanded. John, Paul, George, and Ringo long ago became icons and their songs live on in the cultural imagination of the world. This course introduces students to the legendary status of the band and its music, while also interrogating such standing by delving into the historical, social, racial, technological, and commercial factors that contributed to their success in the past and maintain their standing in the present. Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPUS requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
Musicals stood at the center of American culture for much of the twentieth century. They not only generated tunes and tales that became the hits of their day, but also commented on the ever-shifting social and political landscape. Rather than offer a comprehensive survey, this course explores the musical artistry and cultural resonances of the American musical through a cluster of shows that confront issues of race, ethnicity, politics, immigration, and globalization. The course places an emphasis on compositional style through the development critical listening and analysis skills. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Social Inequality requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
A creative course within an intensive hands-on environment, it serves as an introduction to concepts and methods in the intersection of music and technology. Students will work on a series of creative projects utilizing a range of techniques, with a focus on artistic applications of a digital audio workstation. The students’ creative work will be informed by a basic introduction to the fundamental theoretical context (acoustics, digital and analog audio, MIDI), as well as analytical listening, discussion, and peers’ feedback and collaboration. Topics will include digital audio, signal processing, live electronics, and basic recording techniques, including sessions at the music department’s professional recording studio. With an openness towards any form of personal musical expression, unbounded by genre or style, this course is designed to encourage experimentation and exploration, aesthetically as well as technologically. This course is open to any interested student and welcomes a diversity of backgrounds and levels of experience; no previous musical experience, digital or otherwise, is required. 1 unit. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement.
How do some musicians challenge the musical, cultural, technological, and societal norms of their time? What gives rise to such challenges, and what can be their impact? The development of music in the last 100 years has been marked by numerous paths of innovation and experimentation. Some have left behind mere traces of originality and vision, while others evolved into essential features of today's musical vocabulary. In this course, students will examine a wide spectrum of key experimental musical works, through the lens of several core aesthetic elements. works explored will range from the mid-20th century American Classical -avant-garde and early pioneers of Electronic Music, through a diverse array of artists (from John Cage, Steve Reich, and Pauline Oliveros, to Public Enemy, Laurie Anderson, Radiohead, Kendrick Lamar, and others), and to today's more unconventional and envelope-pushing corners of music-making. Listening will be enhanced by a critical discussion of the works, as well as their context, impact, and potential connections to other artistic and cultural developments. Importantly, students will explore the topics covered in the course also through a series of creative projects, including assignments that involve basic digital audio editing and processing. No previous experience or musical background required. 1 unit. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
An intensive and supportive environment for the creation of original songs, unbounded by genre or style, focusing on both music and lyrics. This course welcomes a diversity of backgrounds and musical interests, and is geared towards students with some songwriting experience, whether minimal, advanced, or anything in between. It is designed for those who are motivated to grow and expand their practice; be challenged through a series of creative projects and exercises; learn through hands-on creativity, analysis, and conversation; and experiment with new approaches. The students’ creative work will be informed by feedback sessions in small groups, analytical explorations of various songs, and guest songwriter’s visits. The main focus will be on process and creative growth rather than outcome; however, the students will ultimately take part in an informal performance of their work. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course is designed to explore the relationship between sound, music, and place, as well as various aspects of how we experience and engage with our sonic environment. The course is first and foremost experiential. Students will learn through making field recordings in multiple locations, creating sound art from their soundscape documentation, collaborating on site-specific group performances, mapping sounds, engaging in soundwalks, and deep listening. This work will be informed by an interdisciplinary discussion of the intersections between sound and the environment, as well as the role of listening within the context of environmental change. In addition, students will critically explore and discuss musical works that interact with sonic landscapes and the environment. No previous experience, musical or otherwise, required. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
In this course we will study the role of music and musical instruments in museums, considering both the literal and figurative “museumification” of music. We will explore a particular moment in musical history through the lens of material culture studies and design an exhibition using instruments from that period. We will investigate shifting reception histories and issues of performance practices as well as new ideas in critical organology dealing with the agency of musical instruments and the complex networks of which they are a part. Students will gain hands-on experience in museums, learning from curators and restoration specialists about the challenges they face when dealing with musical instruments as museum objects (e.g. How should they be displayed, and what story does it tell? To play or not to play?). The concept of “authenticity” serves as a through-line in this course, continuously bringing our discussions back to the question of what it means for something (a piece of music, an instrument) to be an “original.” Open to all students. (Not offered 2025-26).
Overview of classical and popular traditions in American music. Draws out this music's relevance to audiences of the past and of the present. Assigned listening and readings paired with source materials (such as correspondence, diary entries, and historical reviews) selected to increase understanding of a given work or historical figure. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course examines music-making as a significant site of gender performativity during the Georgian era (1714-1832), the period in which Jane Austen lived, and a critical period for gender construction in England. Her novels are full of musical scenes that offer fascinating commentary on the gendering power of music-making, however, the coded language and dated references often make these scenes difficult for the modern reader to parse. To situate ourselves in Austen’s gendered musical world, we will read from a variety of primary and secondary sources on music, gender and sexuality, as well as current scholarship on musical instruments and repertoire during the period. In the second half of the course, we will turn to Austen’s 1815 novel, Emma, to observe the ways in which the Georgian construction of gender played out in literature, particularly through representations of domestic music-making. Open to all students. (Not offered 2025-26).
How do people use sound and music to access alternate states of consciousness and otherworldly realms? This course explores the connection between music, sacred soundscapes, and spiritual perception across a range of musical practices and belief systems. Through different case studies from around the world, we will investigate the essential role of sound and melody in conjuring mystical and extrasensory states of being across social and regional contexts. Our study will include environmental-based sound explorations, where we explore techniques involving deep listening and sound painting. One manifestation of our deep listening practice will be engaging in nuanced conversations about appropriation, and systems of white supremacy, learning to clearly and respectfully navigate these topics with others. We will contextualize sacred and spiritual soundscapes within religious and cultural frameworks: exploring trance, possession, and intoxication from a musical perspective. Various sensorial exercises will heighten our awareness of sound and space – including breath, silence, and movement. By illuminating how sound moves within and across human bodies, we will explore how music enables transcendent experiences of ecstatic and otherworldly realms. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement.
In this introductory course to the musics of the world, we will survey several rich and dynamic performance and cultural practices from around the globe. Through ethnographic case studies, hands-on musical performance, and body movement classes, we will approach the study of music and cultural meaning across various historical and social contexts. Our exploration will uncover the many and varied meanings inherent in musical expression, and how music forms an essential means through which people understand themselves and their worlds (including investigations of popular music, sacred and spiritual soundscapes, musical traditions rooted in historical processes, as well as sound practices of rituals, dance, and rites of passage). This class will teach you how to listen to, analyze, participate in, identify, discuss, and perform a selection of basic music-making styles from around the world. Yet the question begs: How on earth can we cover music from around the globe in a single block? The short answer is: We can't. Instead, this class will be devoted to engaging with a wide range of local community musicians and artists – recognizing that a diverse “world of music” exists locally and can be engaged right outside our doors. In the process, we will interrogate the limitations and radical possibilities of a 'world music” survey course while also gaining a fuller understanding of how music can help us understand the human condition – the world, its peoples, and the transnational movement of people over time – from the perspective of sound. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course explores music and cultural belonging in the contemporary American Southwest, and the many interweaving forms of music-making across the region. We will examine how tapestries of ethnicity and cultural identity are crafted, reflected, negotiated, and altered through musical, artistic, and culinary expression. Our investigation will consider processes of settler-colonialism that have contributed to waves of migration across the region, and the forms of musical practice that have emerged from, and shaped, these processes. We will focus on various genres that comprise the musical fabric of the region, including modern Latin pop, Pueblo music, Mariachi, Hispanic folk music, Chicano Rock, Navajo country, Ranchera, Norteño, Flamenco, Tejano, and Indigenous rock. The “heart” of our course is centered in an 8-day field trip experience in northern New Mexico, where we will experience hands-on creative and musical-performance workshops with acclaimed regional artists. In the process, we will create meaningful musical-ethnographic projects based on our encounters in the field, engaging and amplifying regional BIPOC and LGBTQIA+ scholars and musicians, in ways that help build community-based connections across the region. (Not offered 2025-26).
Gamelan orchestras, featuring a variety of bronze, bamboo, and wooden percussion instruments, are a global icon of Indonesian culture. This course introduces the vibrant and dynamic gamelan traditions of Bali and Central Java in historical and contemporary perspectives, surveying diverse repertories including ritual, court, village, dance, theater, and popular musics. Students learn the fundamentals of Indonesian music theory and the elements of form and design that create the distinctive sounds of gamelan music. The role of Hinduism and Islam in Indonesian musical life is discussed, along with the impact of Dutch colonization, decolonization, and tourism. Emphasis is placed on performance and creative components; students compose and perform gamelan music and participate in hands-on workshops with Indonesian musicians. The class culminates in a public performance, in which students present music learned during the course. All students are welcome; no prior musical background needed. The class is team-taught by an Indonesian musician and an ethnomusicologist. This course meets the ethnomusicology requirement for the music minor. As a cross-listing with Anthropology, it centers on humans as producers of music, situates musical activity comparatively, and makes meaningful connections with the body of knowledge and theory of cultural anthropology. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement. Meets the Critical Learning: SHB requirement.
Practical guidance in the composition of original music, with reference to 20th century music theory and compositional methods. Students will be able to concentrate on both the creative and the analytical aspects of contemporary composition. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement.
The art of orchestration in the Western European tradition is tightly connected to the understanding of musical forms, harmonic language, and contrapuntal procedures. It also requires a thorough knowledge of the traditional and extended playing techniques of individual instruments. The objective of this course is twofold: 1. to explore the ranges, transpositions, capabilities and characteristics of orchestral instruments, both in solo and in conjunction with chamber and orchestral ensembles, and 2. to examine orchestration techniques with emphasis on the historical development of the orchestra from the early baroque to the twentieth century. During the course, students will study and analyze the orchestration of numerous scores, learn to extract piano reductions from large orchestral scores, and orchestrate several piano works in a variety of styles. Finally, a live performance of the scores created during the block is one of the course’s highlights. Students will learn how to adequately prepare scores and parts for actual performance. (Not offered 2025-26).
Harmonic practices of the late 19th century; elementary instrumentation and score-reading; keyboard harmony, ear-training, and sight-singing. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course investigates a diverse set of musical pieces to introduce analytical tools such as harmonic structure, counterpoint, voice leading, sonic analysis, textual/musical hermeneutics, historical/contextual analysis, and interdisciplinary analysis. It will consider the strengths and limitations of such approaches with respect to a variety of musical genres. The analytical exploration will be augmented by the development of listening and aural skills and enriched by creative exercises implementing the newly acquired tools. (Not offered 2025-26).
Semester-long, advanced-level course in instrumental or vocal performance with exposure to a wide variety of music literature, styles, and genres through experiential learning. Students receive full-hour lesson each week and perform publicly at least once during that semester, participating in Music at Midday, teacher seminars, master classes by visiting artists, and demonstrations for academic classes as appropriate. (Not offered 2025-26).
Semester-long, advanced-level course in instrumental or vocal performance with exposure to a wide variety of music literature, styles, and genres through experiential learning. Students receive full-hour lesson each week and perform publicly at least once during that semester, participating in Music at Midday, teacher seminars, master classes by visiting artists, and demonstrations for academic classes as appropriate. (Not offered 2025-26).
This course is open to singers and instrumentalists with a functional ability to read Western music notation. Objectives include the development of basic conducting and rehearsal techniques, score analysis and preparation, the history and philosophy of conducting, and an understanding of the relationship between gesture and sound.
(Not offered 2025-26).
This upper-level seminar will introduce you to complex theories of gendered and sexual identity from the perspective of music and sound. Considering insights from the intersection of feminist studies and ethnomusicology, we will develop a critical stance toward the study of gender and sexuality as we explore the power dynamics that play into the social construction of the body. We will examine how manifestations of sound and gender can be structurally mobilized to reproduce oppression across different socio-cultural setting over time. Simultaneously, we will also explore how these form sites of performative resistance that also challenge and defy structures of power through projects of reclamation centered in music and art. Furthermore, this course critically engages with the wide variety of approaches and discourses from musicians and activists around the world working to further LGBTQIA+ rights, while also considering how these (successfully and problematically) manifest in unique ways in relation to race, class, gender, religion, and nationality across varying social contexts from around the globe. Meets the Critical Learning: AIM requirement. Meets the Equity and Power: EPG requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
This upper-level course explores the roots and branches of folk music in the United States of America with an emphasis on the bluegrass tradition. Given the inherently social nature of the subject, students consider music of the past and present through a combination of oral history and performance. Co-taught by a musicologist and professional bluegrass musician, the course enables students to enhance their documentary, listening, and analytical skills, while immersing themselves in the tradition through performance. Instrumental and vocal tutorials provide both musical instruction and a sense of the development of the tradition over the course of time. Students must be able to play an acoustic instrument with basic chords and rhythm strumming. Emphasis is placed on the process of creation, including authorship, arranging, and presentation. When schedules permit, there may be a field trip to the Durango Bluegrass Meltdown or another music festival. Should such a trip take place, travel and other expenses will be covered by the department. Fulfills the Musicianship Performance Oriented Course requirement for majors. Meets the Critical Learning: CP requirement.
This course is designed to offer a hands-on workshop setting for the development of individual advanced creative projects within the wide field of digital music. During the block, each student will choose and design their own creative projects, work towards learning and implementing the necessary tools for realizing them and develop the projects from conception to a finalized version. Guidance and support will be provided by the course instructor as well as the music department’s technical director, with the creative processes also aided by collaboration and feedback from peers. This course is welcoming to any form of personal musical expression, with aesthetic and technical aspects examined and explored within the framework of each student’s creative intentions and learning goals. Work will utilize CC’s recording studio and other music technology facilities, equipment, and resources. (Not offered 2025-26).
Independent, in-depth investigation of a subject previously studied or an area of academic interest not covered in a regular departmental course. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Quantitative Reasoning requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
Independent, in-depth investigation of a subject previously studied or an area of academic interest not covered in a regular departmental course. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Quantitative Reasoning requirement.
Thinking about music is a universal human behavior, although people from diverse musical cultures think about music in very different ways. This course investigates the fundamentals of musical thought around the world and explores alternative approaches to the analysis of world musics. Students learn about the history and methods of music notation and pitch naming systems from global perspectives and compare practices of musical transmission, musicianship, and creativity around the world. Students apply ear-training and music dictation skills to the transcription of archival recordings from Spanish New Mexico, and demonstrate competence in transcription, analysis, and research methods through an individually-designed project. Students develop critical thought by reading and discussing analytical case studies from Bali, Bulgaria, Central African Republic, China, Cuba, India, Iran, Java, Native America, and other musical cultures. This course meets the ethnomusicology requirement for the music minor. As a cross-listing with Anthropology, it centers on humans as producers of music, situates musical activity comparatively, and makes meaningful connections with the body of knowledge and theory of cultural anthropology. Meets the Critical Perspectives: Global Cultures requirement. (Not offered 2025-26).
Particular topics in music that require a more advanced background in music theory and history. Specific offerings vary from year to year and focus on periods, composers, areas, or mediums that are not otherwise offered through the regular curriculum
Particular topics in music that require a more advanced background in music theory and history. Specific offerings vary from year to year and focus on periods, composers, areas, or mediums that are not otherwise offered through the regular curriculum
Specialized concentration in fields appropriate to the needs of the individual student, under the direction of the music faculty. May be taken by non-music majors.
Specialized concentration in fields appropriate to the needs of the individual student, under the direction of the music faculty. May be taken by non-music majors.
This course prepares students to successfully complete their Senior Capstone projects. Development of research topics, questions, and proposal, with emphasis on project design, exploration of secondary literature and primary sources, bibliographic construction, and format. Students will complete a formal project proposal for submission to music department faculty for approval as well as prepare research funding proposals (such as a Venture Grant) for their respective project. Capstone projects in the music department capstone project may take one of several forms, depending on the student’s interests and focus within the field of music. Students may conduct original research in ethnomusicology, music history, or music theory; they may compose or arrange a large-scale piece of music; or they may perform a public recital approximately 45 minutes in length; or some combination of these options. In all instances, students will also offer public presentations of their work as well as write a formal paper in accordance with the guidelines set forward by their advisors. (Not offered 2025-26).
Advanced work on the senior capstone project in music oriented towards individual student’s interest and focus. Ordinarily taken following MU 435 (Capstone Seminar).
Advanced work on the senior capstone project in music oriented towards individual student’s interest and focus. Ordinarily taken following MU 435 (Capstone Seminar).
Advanced individual work on the senior capstone project with emphasis on music education-oriented research or creativity. Music Education students will work with two advisors from the Music and Education departments, respectively. Capstone Projects will be presented at the annual Music Senior Colloquium. (Not offered 2025-26).
The Capstone Seminar serves as an integrative experience for music majors, providing an opportunity to draw together and synthesize their cumulative coursework and creative experiences. This course also prepares students to successfully complete their Senior Capstone projects through the development of research topics, questions, and proposal, with emphasis on project design, exploration of secondary literature and primary sources, bibliographic construction, and format. Students will complete a formal project proposal for submission to music department faculty for approval. Additionally, students will develop and prepare elements for their Capstone Portfolio. (Not offered 2025-26).