Music Courses

A first introduction to the study of music. Students learn to talk and write about music effectively, notice musical features when listening and understand the variety of ways in which music is made and valued around the globe. Explores musics of several distinct regions or ethnicities.

An introduction to contemporary Western musical design and notation. This course introduces terminology and symbolic notation for sounds and their properties of frequency, duration, volume, and timbre. Students will gain musicianship through introductory singing, keyboard playing, listening, analyzing, reading, and composition exercises. Topics include staff notation, solfege, scales, intervals, triads, 7th chords, harmonic function, and simple musical forms. No previous knowledge of music notation or theory required.

An introduction to the study of music as a scholarly pursuit, including the professional disciplines of ethnomusicology, historical musicology and popular music studies. This course explores diverse ways of thinking and writing about music using repertoires drawn from non-Eurogenic traditional, Western classical and mass-mediated musics as case studies. Reading, listening and writing projects pose core philosophical questions about music's nature, meaning, cultural significance and distinctiveness among the arts. After reading essays by musicians, composers, journalists and scholars, students will augment this body of literature with their own original research and writing project.

A one-semester overview of the Western classical music tradition from the Baroque Period to the present day. Listening to, analyzing, and understanding representative pieces of music in their historical, cultural, social, and political contexts will be the primary focus of the course. Problems of aesthetics (what makes great music great?), historical periodization (does music fit neatly into chronological boxes?) and canon formation (which pieces get to be famous and why?) will also be addressed.

Trace the life of prolific German composer Johann Sebastian Bach, his major contributions to music history, and how
they impact classical music today. Explore his musical forms, ideas, and learn to write analytical studies of his works.

This course covers core concepts in the study of music theory: scales and modes, intervals and ratios, two- and three-part modal counterpoint, staff notation, chord structures, chord progressions, and musical form. Musical examples are drawn from the world of Western classical music (especially Bach, Beethoven, Chopin and Debussy), American Jazz and popular musics, a well as from the worlds of Indian Classical and Javanese gamelan music and theory. Also included in the course is training in beginning musicianship, including solfege, sight singing, melodic and harmonic dictation, and keyboard harmony.

The purpose of this course is to build and fortify ones understanding of harmony, melody and rhythm as it relates to jazz improvisation. We will employ in constant score analysis, creating practicing regiments, understanding jazz etiquette and playing transcriptions. Each student will gain information plus materials that kickstarts the journey of development and finding your sound.

This course surveys Rock from its roots in Blues, Folk and Country music to “Postrock” and recent developments of the “noughties.” In addition to the “classic” sounds of artists such as the Beatles, Bob Dylan, the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Led Zeppelin and Bruce Springsteen, students will explore Rock's fragmentation into subgenres such as Glam, Prog, Punk and Indie. The class will discuss issues that have occupied Rock musicians, scholars and critics over the past 50 years. Through extensive listening assignments, students will become familiar with landmark recordings, learn to distinguish between musical styles, and to analyze popular songs. While previous experience with music is useful, it is not a requirement for success in this course.

The purpose of this course is for students to gain an in-depth view within this important African American art-form and its relationship to social, economic, and political climates in which it developed. This course will delve into how various elements of music are utilized in this genre through iconic recordings, key musicians, and all the styles within the evolution of jazz. This course aims to foster an understanding, appreciation and enjoyment for jazz.

SERIES: TOPICS IN NON-WESTERN MUSICS AND ORAL TRADITIONS OF THE WEST — MUS 360-369 Courses introduce specific repertoires and survey the music of a geographic region, ethnicity or broad genre. Students explore what is valued in these musics by the people closest to them (musicians, patrons, intended listeners), identify regional or historical styles, and understand the factors contributing to their formation.  *MUS 365 MUSICS OF SOUTH AMERICA (3 credits)

This course builds on the foundations of Music Theory II. Here, we study more advanced musical concepts through score analysis and the composition of short musical exercises. Emphasis is on the techniques found in 20th and 21st century musics, including late Chromaticism, Impressionism, Mixed-Mode techniques, Post-tonal approaches, Minimalism, and the current trend towards hybrid compositions that embrace both the club and the concert hall.

An introduction to conducting classical music. Students learn the fundamentals of score study, score marking, and a robust conductor's gestural ability and vocabulary. Ample lab time is spent in workshop conducting for each other and providing feedback, as well as conducting Earlham's own musical ensembles. 

A topical study of various aspects of Western classical music, focusing primarily on Europe and North America during some portion of time from the early Middle Ages to the present day. Students may take the course more than once for credit, since the topic will be different each semester. Topics may vary from genre surveys (e.g. a history of the symphony) to geographic surveys (e.g. music in Italy) to historical surveys (e.g. Western classical music 1600-1827). Topics include Opera History Choral Music History of the Symphony Women Composers Western Classical Music to 1827 Western Classical Music since 1827.

Builds on the basic gestural vocabulary developed in MUS 376. Addresses more complex music and more demanding choral situations. Significant time devoted to ear training, choral score analysis, observation of other professional conductors in the area, and scholarly writings in the field. Individual tutorial sessions alternate with hands-on experiences with three- and four-part choirs and opportunities for conducting section rehearsals with existing student choirs.

The course explores the world of writing for a full symphony orchestra, with an emphasis on the techniques used in modern film scoring. Knowledge of Western music notation required. We study the techniques of writing for the string, woodwind, brass, and percussion families, both separately and in combination. The last portion of the course studies classic film scores and the techniques that composers such as John Williams, Hans Zimmer, Howard Shore, and Bernard Hermann used in their films, drawing on the work of classical composers that preceded them. Final project is the composition of an original film score.

This course focuses on developing multimedia software for music performance, human-machine interaction, and game design through the use of the object-oriented programming language "Max." After a thorough investigation of Max's approach to programming, students will study its use in a wide variety of new music and multimedia applications. Students will work towards a completed project in Max and, if interested, in its related programs Jitter (for video) and Gen (for algorithmic composition). This course also will explore the close relationship between Max and Ableton Live.

This course combines traditional approaches to composing and arranging for the Western symphony orchestra with a software-based approach using MIDI and sampled acoustic instruments. Both approaches will be taught in conjunction with analyses of classic and contemporary film scoring techniques. Projects can be realized using either traditional music notation or the MIDI system. A final project will include the scoring of an original short video or a video in public domain.

*MUSG 121/221/321 HAND-DRUM ENSEMBLE (0-1 credit)
Open to all students. This 20-30 member ensemble encourages drummers of all ability levels. No prior experience required. Concert performances twice a semester in addition to impromptu events, jam sessions and collaboration with student groups (dance groups, brass groups, choral groups).