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Courses for Fall 2019

  • Reading Jazz

    This course will explore the musical aesthetics of jazz in texts about its world. Students will listen to music and read poetry, fiction, autobiography and criticism to investigate techniques (including improvisation, rhythm, timbre and articulation), which authors such as Langston Hughes, Ralph Ellison, Charles Mingus, Stanley Crouch and Jack Kerouac employed to describe and support a creative community. Enrollment limited to 19 first year students.
    MUSC 0021B S01
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell

  • Stephen Sondheim and the American Musical

    This seminar considers the theater shows of Stephen Sondheim in relation to the history of the American musical. Through close study of selected scenes and shows, we examine how and why Sondheim and his collaborators “reinvented” the genre. Special emphasis will be given to Sondheim's critical skepticism concerning the myths, characters, and ethos of social optimism that have been central to the Broadway tradition. We examine links between the shows and post-WWII historical contexts, and consider the political implications of the circumscribed social universe—predominantly white, urban, and affluent—within which most of his shows take place.
    MUSC 0021J S01
    Primary Instructor
    Gooley

  • Computers and Music

    Examine the history, literature, production and theory of music technology. Track development of musical inventions and their impact on musical thought, production and culture. Develop theoretical and practical knowledge of computer music based on first-hand experience in the Multimedia Lab, using computer music software and hardware to complete creative assignments. Gain an appreciation for the pioneering work done in previous decades, both in research and composition. Become familiar with the literature of electronic music and learn about the impact of technology on popular and experimental genres. Permission granted based on questionnaire given in first class. Preference given to lower-level students.
    MUSC 0200 S01
    Primary Instructor
    DeLuca

  • Introduction to Music Theory

    An introduction to musical terms, elements, and techniques, including notation, intervals, scales and modes, triads and seventh chords, modulation, melody writing and harmonization, analysis, and composition. Ear-training and sight-singing are included. For students with some musical training. Enrollment limited to 40.
    MUSC 0400 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Jiorle-Nagy
    MUSC 0400 S02

  • Theory of Tonal Music

    Prerequisite to music concentration. For students with knowledge of rudiments of music, including scales, intervals, key signatures, rhythm, and meter. Knowledge of keyboard strongly recommended. Intensive study of voice leading and tonal harmony; analysis, ear training, sight singing, keyboard exercises. An entrance exam will be administered in Orwig 315 at the first regular class meeting. Students intending to enroll in MUSC 0550 must pass this test. Experienced instrumentalists or singers who have facility sight reading music normally place into MUSC0550. MUSC0400 is appropriate for students who need training in the rudiments to prepare for MUSC0550. MUSC0550 is prerequisite to MUSC0560.
    MUSC 0550 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Steinbach
    MUSC 0550 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Nathan
    MUSC 0550 L01
    Primary Instructor
    Cole
    Schedule Code
    L: Lab
    MUSC 0550 L02
    Primary Instructor
    Cole
    Schedule Code
    L: Lab

  • Chorus

    Half credit each semester. A practical study of choral literature, techniques, and performance practice from Gregorian chant to the present, offered through rehearsals, sectionals, and performance. Enrollment is by audition, based on voice quality, experience, and music-reading ability. Instructor permission required.
    MUSC 0600 S01

  • Orchestra

    Half credit each semester. A practical study of the orchestra repertory from Bach to the present, offered through coaching, rehearsals, and performances. Enrollment is by audition. Students will be notified of audition results within the first seven days of the semester. Restricted to skilled instrumentalists. May be repeated for credit.
    MUSC 0610 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Seto

  • Wind Symphony

    Half credit each semester. A practical study of the wind band repertory from Mozart to the present, offered through coaching, rehearsals, and performances. Enrollment is by audition. Restricted to skilled instrumentalists. Instructor permission required.
    MUSC 0620 S01
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell

  • Jazz Band

    Half credit each semester. A practical study of jazz from the 1920s to the present through coaching, rehearsals, and performance. Seminars on arranging, ear training, and improvisation are conducted for interested students but the focus is on performance. Enrollment is by audition. Restricted to skilled instrumentalists and vocalists. Instructor permission required.
    MUSC 0630 S01
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell
    MUSC 0630 S02
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell
    MUSC 0630 S03
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell
    MUSC 0630 S04
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell
    MUSC 0630 S05
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell
    MUSC 0630 S06
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell

  • Ghanaian Drumming and Dancing Ensemble

    A dynamic introductory course on drumming, dancing, and singing of Ghana and the diaspora. Students learn to perform diverse types of African music, including Ewe, Akan, Ga, and Dagomba pieces on drums, bells, and shakers. No prerequisites. May be repeated for credit. Enrollment limited to 15. Instructor permission required.
    MUSC 0640 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Obeng

  • World Music Ensemble

    This ensemble focuses on global percussive and song traditions, especially those of the African diaspora (based on instructor's vast musical experiences). Here western instrumentalists fuse with traditional musicians from every culture: bongo, gyil, ukulele, tabla, etc. Students will grow and develop their musical skills by learning new techniques on their own instrument, exploring a range of repertoire representing genres such as highlife, reggae, salsa, afrobeat, Afro-jazz, and global fusions. There will be unique opportunities to work on improvisation taking influence from Steve Reich, Tito Puente, Randy Weston, Hugh Masekela, Paul Simon, Miriam Makeba, Ghanaba, and Milton Nasimiento.
    MUSC 0642 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Obeng

  • Javanese Gamelan

    Half credit each semester. Instruction, rehearsals, and performances in the gamelan music of Java, on instruments owned by the department. No prerequisites. Enrollment limited to 18 students.
    MUSC 0650 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Perlman

  • Old-Time String Band

    Half course each semester. Instruction and ensemble playing. Music taught by ear. American (southern Appalachian Mountain) traditional music on violin (fiddle), 5-string banjo, mandolin, and guitar. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
    MUSC 0670 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Astrausky

  • Chamber Music Performance

    Half credit each semester. The practical study of the literature of chamber music through participation in a small ensemble. Regular rehearsals, coaching by department staff, and performances are required. Enrollment is by audition. Students will be notified of audition results within the first ten days of the semester. Restricted to skilled instrumentalists. May be repeated for credit.
    MUSC 0680 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Finkel

  • Applied Music Program: Instruction in Vocal or Instrumental Music - Voice

    Half credit each semester. Restricted to skilled musicians. Openings are limited. Enrollment and re-enrollment is by audition and jury. Lessons are given by consultants to the Applied Music Program. A fee is charged for enrollment. Copies of the Applied Music Program Guidelines giving detailed information are available online at www.brown.edu/music. May be repeated up to four times for credit.
    MUSC 0810 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Jodry
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 0810 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Cole
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 0810 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Finkel
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 0810 S04
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 0810 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Perlman
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 0810 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Rovan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Social Justice and the Musical Afrofuture (RELS 0822)

    MUSC 0825 S01

  • Arts Workshop for Practice and Practice-Oriented Research (LITR 1000)

    MUSC 1005 S01

  • Advanced Musicianship I

    Training in advanced musicianship skills relevant to Western art music from the sixteenth Century to the present, including sight singing, ear training, score reading, keyboard harmony, improvisation, and musical transcription. Prerequisite: MUSC 0560 or MUSC 0570, or permission of the instructor.
    MUSC 1010 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Cole

  • Introduction to Composition

    Composition students begin by using technical resources developed in their previous theoretical studies. Analysis and discussion of contemporary music provides examples of alternatives to traditional compositional strategies, which students integrate into later assignments. A study of contemporary notational practices and computer-based manuscripting and sequencing is also included. Prerequisite: MUSC 0560 or MUSC 0570 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limited to 20 students.
    MUSC 1100 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Warren

  • Reality Remix - Experimental VR

    This course pursues collaborative experimentation with virtual and augmented reality (AR and VR). The class will work as a team to pursue research (survey of VR/AR experiences, scientific and critical literature review), reconnaissance (identifying VR/AR resources on campus, in Providence and the region), design (VR/AR prototyping). Research findings are documented in a class wiki. The course makes use of Brown Arts Initiative facilities in the Granoff Center where an existing VR laboratory will be expanded through the course of the semester based on student needs. Class culminates in the release the class wiki as a resource for the Brown community.
    MUSC 1205 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Momeni

  • Building Musical Instruments

    In Building Musical Instruments, we will study and create expressive musical sound by building electronic instruments. Using sonic goals as inspiration for design features, we will build contact microphones, basic synthesizers, digital controllers, and physical enclosures, and we will consider the ways in which these distinct objects can unite to form a musical performance system. Topics include: musical listening and design, resonance of different materials, soldering, breadboarding, reading a basic schematic diagram, creating an enclosure, and expressive interaction with instruments. Override codes required; interested students must attend first day and complete questionnaire, only after which will override codes be distributed.
    MUSC 1240I S01
    Primary Instructor
    Warren

  • Seminar in Electronic Music: Advanced Studio Techniques

    This course will focus on developing and reinforcing technical skills, musical concepts, and critical listening abilities associated with the practice of composition in an electronic music studio. These studies will be tied to a broad range of aesthetic approaches and discussions of sound synthesis and processing, spatialization, and recording techniques.

    Through a series of projects and focused study, students will expand their knowledge and craft, and will provide each other with a forum for exploring their creative studio work. MUSC 1200 is a prerequisite, and preference will be given to students who have also taken MUSC 1210, and/or 1250.
    MUSC 1260 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Moses

  • Mahler's Century

    This seminar will explore key works of Gustav Mahler in multiple contexts, including critical/interpretive traditions, conducting and performance practices, and the contexts of political, cultural, intellectual, and aesthetic history. Readings will include work of Sigmund Freud, Theodor Adorno, Carl Schorske, Julia Kristeva, Judith Butler, and others; we will think about problems such modernism, orientalism, Jewishness, montage, noise, shock, and melancholy.
    MUSC 1660A S01
    Primary Instructor
    Steinberg

  • Score Reading and Conducting

    The art of reading, analyzing, and conducting a musical score. Studies in clef reading, transposition, ear-training, and structural analysis to develop the skills needed for full comprehension of an orchestral score. Introduces the theory and technique of conducting with practice in the art of physical gesture. Selected repertoire from the Baroque through contemporary periods are studied and conducted in class. Prerequisite: MUSC 0550 or permission of the instructor. May be repeated for credit.
    MUSC 1700 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Seto

  • Applied Music Program: Instruction in Vocal or Instrumental Music - Voice

    Half credit each semester. Restricted to skilled musicians. Restricted to skilled musicians demonstrating mastery of an advanced repertory in their fields. Openings are limited. Enrollment and re-enrollment is by audition and jury. Lessons are given by consultants to the Applied Music Program. MUSC 0830, 0840 is prerequisite to this course. A fee is charged for enrollment. Copies of the Applied Music Program Guidelines giving detailed information are available online at www.brown.edu/music. Prerequisite: MUSC 0400, or MUSC 0550, MUSC 0560. Written permission required. May be repeated up to four times for credit.
    MUSC 1810 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Jodry
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1810 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Cole
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1810 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Finkel
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1810 S04
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1810 S05
    Primary Instructor
    Perlman
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1810 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Rovan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Advanced Ghanaian Drumming and Dancing Ensemble

    Students with experience in African and related musical traditions perform drumming, dancing, and singing of Ghana and the diaspora. Focus on a more challenging repertoire with emphasis on multi-part, lead, and improvisational playing. Prerequisite: audition. May be repeatable for credit. Instructor permission required. Enrollment limited to 15 students.
    MUSC 1960 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Obeng

  • Individual Independent Study

    Directed undergraduate research for advanced students. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    MUSC 1970 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Warren
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Jaeger
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Cole
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Momeni
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S05
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Obeng
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Perlman
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S08
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Rovan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Nathan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S11
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S12
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S13
    Primary Instructor
    Winkler
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S14
    Primary Instructor
    Moses
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S15
    Primary Instructor
    Miller
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S16
    Primary Instructor
    Tucker
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S17
    Primary Instructor
    Steinbach
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S18
    Primary Instructor
    Jodry
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S19
    Primary Instructor
    Osborn
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S20
    Primary Instructor
    Gooley
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S21
    Primary Instructor
    Wang
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 1970 S22
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Timbre

    This seminar takes as its starting point a collection of commonplace complaints in music studies around timbre: timbre is misunderstood; it is difficult to define; it is a woefully understudied musical parameter; it lacks a standardized theory and vocabulary; it needs more systematic analysis. At the same time, with the recent publication of books, edited volumes, and special issues devoted to timbre, people have also begun to speak of timbre studies as an emerging, discrete subfield. This seminar delves into this diverse literature in order to think critically about the concept of timbre and the struggles to understand it.
    MUSC 2026 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Dolan

  • Seminar in Ethnomusicology: Historiography of Music and the Performing Arts

    Advanced seminar in methods of historical research and their relevance to the interpretation of music, the performing arts, and culture. Readings include Foucault, Collingwood, Schorske, Said, Adorno, Pierre Nora and Diana Taylor, as well as musicological essays by Taruskin, DeVeaux, Nettl, Tomlinson, Treitler, Lawrence Kramer, Susan McClary, Kerman, and Nicholas Cook. Open to juniors, seniors, and graduate students.
    MUSC 2080E S01
    Primary Instructor
    Gooley

  • Composition Seminar

    A forum for graduate composers to share and critique current projects. Visiting artists and analysis of relevant outside repertoire will augment the group and one-on-one meetings. Enrollment is limited. Written permission required. May be repeated for credit.
    MUSC 2200 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Nathan

  • Preliminary Examination Preparation

    For graduate students who have met the tuition requirement and are paying the registration fee to continue active enrollment while preparing for a preliminary examination.
    MUSC 2970 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Grad Enrollment Fee/Dist Prep

  • Reading and Research

    Directed graduate research. Section numbers vary by instructor. Please check Banner for the correct section number and CRN to use when registering for this course.
    MUSC 2980 S01
    Primary Instructor
    Nathan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S02
    Primary Instructor
    Wang
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S03
    Primary Instructor
    Cole
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S04
    Primary Instructor
    Osborn
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S05
    Primary Instructor
    McGarrell
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S06
    Primary Instructor
    Obeng
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S07
    Primary Instructor
    Perlman
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S08
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S09
    Primary Instructor
    Rovan
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S10
    Primary Instructor
    Warren
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S11
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S12
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S13
    Primary Instructor
    Winkler
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S14
    Primary Instructor
    Moses
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S15
    Primary Instructor
    Miller
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S16
    Primary Instructor
    Tucker
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S18
    Primary Instructor
    Jodry
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S20
    Primary Instructor
    Gooley
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research
    MUSC 2980 S21
    Schedule Code
    I: Independent Study/Research

  • Thesis Preparation

    For graduate students who have met the residency requirement and are continuing research on a full time basis.
    MUSC 2990 S01
    Schedule Code
    E: Grad Enrollment Fee/Dist Prep

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