Lower-Division Courses

MUS 001. Basic Musical Concepts (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Fundamentals of music, including notation, rhythm, major and minor scales, intervals, tonality, triads. Includes ear training, sight singing, and elementary analysis. Designed for students who need basic musical literacy. Open to nonmajors and those with no previous musical background.

MUS 002. Introduction to Western Music (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): none.  A survey of the major styles and genres of Western music. Emphasis on creative and analytical listening without the use of musical notation. Designed for the general student with an interest in music and cultural practice. No previous musical background required.

MUS 003. Introduction to Opera (4) Seminar, 3 hours; assigned listening, 3 hours. Explores social, political, gender-related, and moral issues represented in 10 major operas between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries. Introduces dramatic and musical structures of opera, value of performance, and operatic conventions shared by composers, singers, and audience.

MUS 005. Women in Music (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): none. A survey course designed primarily for nonmajors. Examines representative works by women composers from antiquity to the present.

MUS 006. Introduction to World Music (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): none. A survey of people, identity, and music making. Includes listening to music from many cultural contexts. Also covers a variety of scholarly topics in world music.  Cross-listed with ANTH 006.

MUS 007. Music in Movies and TV (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): none. An exploration of popular film and TV soundtrack music, emphasizing drama and musical style. Scene study features such films as The Matrix, Casablanca, The X-Files, and Altered States. Cross-listed with FVC 009.

MUS 008. Popular Music Cultures of the United States (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour.  Prerequisite(s): none. Explores the so-called popular musics and music cultures of the United States and the social history of these cultures to provide students with a sonic understanding of these extremely fractured, ever reconstituted "United States."

MUS 009. Introduction to Digital Music (4) Lecture, 2 hours; workshop, 2 hours. Teaches basic theory and practical skills for understanding digital audio, recording, editing, and processing sound. Students work with audio and MIDI sequencers with the goal of writing musical compositions with computer notation programs. 

MUS 010. Advanced Fundamentals (4) Lecture, 3 hours; consultation, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): MUS 001 or a passing score on an equivalent examination or consent of instructor. A study of advanced musical fundamentals.

MUS 014. Popular Musics of the World (4) Lecture, 3 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): none.  Introduction to issues surrounding popular and urban musics of the world, focusing on three major geocultural areas: Africa, Asia, and the Americas. Emphasizes the relationship between mass-mediated music and issues of cultural hegemony, resistance, and subversion. Analyzes the cultural impact of media technology on music performance and reception.  Cross-listed with ETST 014 and URST 014.

MUS 015. Latin American Folk and Popular Styles (4) Lecture, 3 hours; assigned listening, 3 hours.  Prerequisite(s): none. Introduction to the vast array of folk and popular styles of music in Latin America, with an emphasis on cultural and ethnic interaction and exchange in the context of Latin American history, politics, and society. Cross-listed with LNST 015. 

MUS 016. Latin American Classical Heritage (4)Lecture, 3 hours; assigned listening, 3 hours.  Prerequisite(s): none. Survey of the rich heritage of Latin American classical music from Renaissance sacred polyphony to contemporary styles. Emphasis on the gradual emergence of Latin American music from European domination and the establishment of distinctive national traditions in the post-colonial era.  Cross-listed with LNST 016.

MUS 017. Music of Mexico (4) Lecture, 3 hours; extra reading, 2 hours; assigned listening, 1 hour.  Prerequisite(s): musical training and knowledge of Spanish is useful but not required. Surveys the rich traditional and art music of Mexico from the early 1500s to the present. Explores changes in social and political function, in time and across social classes and ethnicity. Cross-listed with LNST 017. 

MUS 030A. Harmony (4) Lecture, 3 hours; consultation, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): MUS 010 or a passing score on an equivalent examination or consent of instructor; concurrent enrollment in MUS 031A or MUS 031B or MUS 031C or MUS 131A or MUS 131B or MUS 131C. The study of harmony through melodic and rhythmic practices.

MUS 030B. Harmony (4) Lecture, 3 hours; consultation, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): MUS 030A or consent of instructor; concurrent enrollment in MUS 031A or MUS 031B or MUS 031C or MUS 131A or MUS 131B or MUS 131C. Diatonic and chromatic harmony of the common practice period.

MUS 030C. Harmony (4) Lecture, 3 hours; consultation, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): MUS 030B or consent of instructor; concurrent enrollment in MUS 031A or MUS 031B or MUS 031C or MUS 131A or MUS 131B or MUS 131C. Diatonic and chromatic harmony of the common practice period.

MUS 031A. Musicianship I (2) Studio, 2 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): MUS 001 or MUS 010 or a passing score on an equivalent examination or consent of instructor. Covers melodic reading, rhythmic reading, and ear training. Includes basic keyboard harmony.

MUS 031B. Musicianship I (2) Studio, 2 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): MUS 031A or consent of instructor. Covers melodic reading, rhythmic reading, and ear training. Includes basic keyboard harmony.

MUS 031C. Musicianship I (2) Studio, 2 hours; discussion, 1 hour. Prerequisite(s): MUS 031B or consent of instructor. Covers melodic reading, rhythmic reading, and ear training. Includes basic keyboard harmony.

MUS 080 (E-Z). Private Instruction: Voice, Keyboard, and Strings (1-2) Studio, .5-1 hour; individual practice, 5-10 hours. Prerequisite(s): MUS 001 or equivalent; consent of instructor. Students take a half- or one-hour lesson and practice 5 to 10 hours each week (see the note regarding fees under the Major Requirements section). Offered as demand indicates.  E. Voice; F. Classical Piano; G. Jazz Piano; I.  Harpsichord; J. Carillon; K. Jazz Guitar; L. Electronic Bass Guitar; M. Lute; N. Classical Guitar; O. Viola da gamba; P. Piano Proficiency; Q. Organ; R. Violin; S.  Viola; T. Violoncello; U. Double Bass Viol. Normally graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC), but students may petition for a letter grade on the basis of performance before a jury or at a recital. Segments are repeatable.

MUS 081 (E-Z). Private Instruction: Brass, Woodwinds, Percussion, and Other Instruments (1-2) Studio, .5-1 hour; individual practice, 5-10 hours. Prerequisite(s): MUS 001 or equivalent; consent of instructor.  Students take a half- or one-hour lesson and practice 5 to 10 hours each week (see the note regarding fees under the Major Requirements section). Offered as demand indicates. E. Trumpet; F. Trombone; G. Tuba; I. French Horn; J. Flute; K. Oboe; L. Clarinet; M. Bassoon; N. Saxophone; O. Recorder; P. Percussion; Q. Rondalla instruments; R. Bagpipe; S. Scottish Snare Drum; T. Tabla. Normally graded Satisfactory (S) or No Credit (NC), but students may petition the instructor for a letter grade on the basis of performance before a jury or at a recital. Segments are repeatable.