Catalog

Music Courses

MUS 099R Department Performance Attendance (0)
Attendance at five music department recitals and concerts, as well as other approved events. Only two events in which the student participates as a performer may count toward the requirement.

MUS 108 Music Fundamentals (GE) (3)
Basic decoding of musical symbols, namely note-reading in treble and bass clefs, accidentals, intervals, major and minor scales, keys and key signatures, triads, meter, and rhythm. Assumes no prior knowledge of music. Designed to prepare students for MUS 151 (Music Theory I).

MUS 121 Diction I (3)
This course provides an introduction to the International Phonetic Alphabet and applies IPA to the pronunciation of English and Italian. A brief introduction to the structure of the Italian language is included to aid the student in Italian Translation.

MUS 122 Diction II (3)
This course provides a review of the International Phonetic Alphabet, pronunciation of the French and German languages, with a brief introduction to the structure of each language. Prerequisite: MUS 121.

MUS 129R Group Voice Instruction (GE) (3)
This course is designed for the beginning vocal student offering group instruction to familiarize students with the fundamentals of singing and provide opportunities for development of vocal skill and public performance.

MUS 139R Group Piano (GE) (3)
Beginning group piano instruction, including technique, sight-reading, harmonization, transposition, and repertoire. No previous musical experience required.

MUS 148R Applied Music I (0.5)
Private instruction for instruments or voice. $300 per semester for music and performing arts majors. Twelve 30-minute lessons per semester. Jury or recital required. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

MUS 149R Applied Music I (1)
Private instruction for instruments or voice. $600 per semester for music and performing arts majors. Twelve 50-minute lessons per semester. Jury or recital required. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

MUS 167 Conducting Fundamentals (GE) (3)
Conducting Fundamentals is one of several courses that satisfies fine arts elective requirements at SVU. This course is designed for those who desire to develop basic skills in congregational (non-rehearsed) conducting. There are no prerequisite courses or skills for this course. Students who would benefit the most from this course are those who have no previous background in music, which for the purposes of this course is defined as: 1) no formal instruction, whether in a private or classroom setting, with one’s voice or on an instrument, and/or 2)no singing or playing in an organized choir, band or orchestra. The topics that will be covered are: gaining a basic rhythmic sense and becoming able to decode the rhythmic symbols in printed music; learning how to conduct the 2, 3, 4, and 6 metric patterns using the legato and marcato styles; how to effectively stop one verse of a hymn and start conducting the next verse; how to handle fermatas (holds) in several hymns; and learning to hold and release using the non-dominant hand. The students will achieve competence in conducting approximately twenty more-challenging hymns. This course may serve as an introduction to MUS 267.

MUS 175R Topics in Music (3)
Topics in music.

MUS 215 Music in Civilization (GE) (3)
A study of music in its traditional functions in civilization, such as ritual, social, dramatic, and aesthetic. Provides an introduction to world music traditions, with emphasis on Western music, including classical and non-classical genres. Music literacy not required.

MUS 221 SVU Orchestra (1)
Full orchestra including strings, winds, brass, and percussion, performing a wide variety of works from the orchestral repertoire. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

MUS 239R Group Piano II (GE) (3)
Continuation of Group Piano I. Prerequisite: MUS 139 or instructor consent.

MUS 248R Applied Music II (0.5)
Private instruction for instruments or voice. $300 per semester. Twelve 30-minute lessons per semester. Prerequisite: two semesters of MUS 148R or 149R, or consent of instructor.

MUS 249R Applied Music II (1)
Private instruction for instruments or voice. $600 per semester for music and performing arts majors. Twelve 50-minute lessons per semester. Jury or recital required. Prerequisite: two semesters of MUS 148R or 149R, or consent of instructor.

MUS 250R Bella Voce (1)
Bella Voce is an ensemble whose aim is the training of women’s voices and intellect. This group is an audition choir performing choral music crossing many genres and eras.

MUS 251 Music Theory III (3)
Continuation of MUS 152. Study of chromatic harmony and musical form. Prerequisite: grade of “C” or better in MUS 152. Co-requisite for majors: MUS 261.

MUS 253 Musicianship I: Rhythm and Melody (4)
An “ears first” explanation of the basics of melodic pitch and rhythm, modes and scales, and acoustics.

MUS 254 Musicianship II: Diatonic Harmony (4)
Basic harmonic structures, musical notation, functional tonality, melodic form, and embellishing tones. Prerequisite: grade of “C” or better in MUS 253. Corequisite: MUS 254L.

MUS 254L Musicianship II Keyboard Lab (1)
Prerequisite: grade of “C” or better in MUS 253. Corequisite: MUS 254.

MUS 256R Ensemble (1)
Small ensemble practice and performance. Prerequisites: audition and consent of instructor.

MUS 256R Men’s Chorus (1)
Small ensemble practice and performance. Prerequisites: audition and consent of instructor.

MUS 259R Opera Workshop (3)
This course provides each student with the opportunity to perform in an operatic scene in cooperation with other singers and to familiarize students with some of the standards in operatic repertoire. This course may be used as ensemble credit in the music and performing arts majors and minors. Prerequisite: Two semesters of MUS 149R or consent of the Instructor.

MUS 263 Musicianship III: Chromatic Harmony (4)
Wider compositional possibilities, such as counterpoint, chromaticism, modal mixture, and modulation. Prerequisite: grade of “C” or better in MUS 254 and MUS 254L. Corequisite: MUS 263L.

MUS 263L Musicianship III Keyboard Lab (1)
Prerequisite: grade of “C” or better in MUS 254 and MUS 254L. Corequisite: MUS 263.

MUS 264 Musicianship IV: Form and Interpretation (4)
Apply harmonic principles to large-scale forms, culminating in an individualized capstone project utilizing knowledge gleaned from all muscianship courses. Prerequisite: grade of “C” or better in MUS 263 and MUS 263L.

MUS 267 Conducting Fundamentals (3)
Conducting is a course that fulfills music major and music minor requirements, as well as being of interest to others who are already comfortable reading pitches and rhythms in treble and bass clefs. Congregational conducting skills that will be covered include beat patterns, styles of conducting, starting and stopping, handling fermatas, using the non-dominant hand for a variety of gestures, and speeding up and slowing down the tempo. Skills that are used in choir conducting, such as working with an organist/pianist and rehearsal techniques, will also be covered. The students will achieve competence in conducting more than one hundred more-challenging hymns, as well as two selections for choir.

MUS 275R Topics in Music (3)
Topics in music.

MUS 321 Music Composition I (3)
Introduction to the craft of composition, with occasional semi-private lessons. Addresses aesthetic considerations inherent in composition through readings of living composers and theorists. Prerequisite: Ability to read music.

MUS 322 Music Composition II (3)
Continuation of MUS 321. Further study of instrumental and vocal composition. Prerequisite: grade of “B” or better in MUS 321.

MUS 330 Music History I (3)
This course explores the music of Western European culture, beginning with its philosophical and theoretical origins in ancient Greece and extending through the life and music of J. S. Bach. Topics will include how the sound of music changed over 2,000 years, the different functions it served, how genres developed to serve these functions, and the lives of the men and women who shaped Western art music. Required of music majors. Prerequisite: Grade of C or better in MUS 152 or consent of instructor.

MUS 335 Music History II (3)
An in-depth and comprehensive survey course exploring the development of music in Western Europe from the Viennese Classical period to the present day. Changing musical styles will be examined within the framework of the philosophy and aesthetics of the periods, with special attention paid to the use and purpose of music and the role of the musician in his or her society. Co-requisite: MUS 251 (or grade of “C” or higher if already taken); recommended prerequisite: MUS 330.

MUS 340 Vocal Literature (3)
This course provides a brief survey of art-song literature focusing on German, French, American, and English song with some exposure to other nationalities. Recommended prerequisite: MUS 210.

MUS 348R Applied Music III (0.5)
Private instruction for instruments or voice. $300 per semester. Twelve 30-minute lessons per semester. Prerequisite: two semesters of MUS 248R or 249R, or consent of instructor.

MUS 349R Applied Music III (1)
Private instruction for instruments or voice. $600 per semester for music and performing arts majors. Twelve 50-minute lessons per semester. Jury or recital required. Prerequisite: two semesters of MUS 248R or 249R, and jury approval.

MUS 350R Concert Chorale (1)
A mixed choir numbering 50-65 musicians who perform a wide variety of challenging choral works from the standard repertoire of medieval to contemporary, including new works and arrangements in many languages and styles. By audition only.

MUS 357 Vocal Pedagogy (3)
This course examines the physical functioning of the vocal mechanism, acoustical properties of singing, current and historical perspectives in vocal pedagogy, and practical vocal teaching techniques. Prerequisite: two semesters of MUS 149R.

MUS 367 Advanced Conducting (3)
Conducting techniques will be studied and developed through the examination of text, videos of major groups and conductors. Using the department’s ensembles and the class for practice, students will focus on conducting gesture as applied to elements of tone, diction, musicianship, intonation, blend balance, interpretation, rehearsal techniques, score study and style periods of repertoire. Repertoire will include works from the early Renaissance through the present day. Issues of conducting, organizing, and managing ensembles at various skill levels will be addressed. Evaluation will be based on class participation, completion of conducting assignments, a research paper, and other class projects. Prerequisite: MUS 267 or permission of the instructor.

MUS 375R Topics in Music (3)
Topics in music. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

MUS 385R Directed Studies in Music (3)
Directed study in music. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

MUS 399 Internship/Practicum in Music (3)
Internship or practicum in field of potential employment or advanced study. Internship proposal must be approved before registration. Prerequisites: consent of instructor and music or performing arts major.

MUS 453 Form and Analysis (3)
A study of standard forms in tonal art music, and analysis of forms from the classical repertoire. Prerequisite: Grade of “C” or higher in MUS 252.

MUS 459R Advanced Opera Workshop (3)
This course provides each student with the opportunity to perform in an operatic scene in cooperation with other singers and to familiarize students with some of the standards in operatic repertoire. Students in this course will gain experience with some of the theatrical aspects of opera. This course may be used as ensemble credit in the music major and minor. Prerequisite: MUS 259R and two semesters of MUS 249R or consent of the Instructor.

MUS 497 Senior Performance (1)
Performance of 25 minutes or more of music prepared in applied music lessons. Prerequisite: Music major.

MUS 498 Senior Project (1)
Research paper, original composition, or other approved project. Prerequisite: Music major.

MUS 499 Senior Internship/Practicum (3)
Internship or practicum in field of potential employment or advanced study. Internship proposal must be approved before registration. Prerequisites: senior class standing, consent of instructor, and music or performing arts major.