The Department of Music grants a Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree in Music and also a minor in Music. The department is dedicated to a liberal education in the Arts and Humanities and introduces students to a wide variety of music practices in performance, music composition and technology, theoretical and creative studies, and historical and cultural studies. The curriculum is responsive to the interests of a diverse student body and offers a broad and flexible program.
The major offers pre-professional training for the student seeking a career in music, and also can provide a lasting source of enrichment for students with other career goals. A large number of double majors in the department represent such diverse fields as computer science, psychology, molecular and cell biology, physics, economics, English, and business administration, to name a few.
A performance audition is not required to declare the major.
Course of Study Overview
Lower division studies provide grounding in creative music practice, music history, and ethnomusicology via three required lower-division courses, Music 70, 80, and 90. For those who wish to further hone their skills, Music 20 (Introduction to Musicianship) and Music 25 (Introduction to Music Theory, Analysis, and Notation) are also available. In the upper division, three performance courses and two seminars in music history and ethnomusicology will be required, along with two introductory "Making Music" courses chosen from a long list of options. These "immersion" classes will then lead to various electives chosen by students from an extensive selection of elective classes, resulting in an individual course of study formed according to each student's interests. Finally, a capstone project, completed as part of one course chosen from a list of possible classes, concludes the major. Capstone projects may include performance recitals, music compositions, scholarly papers, or digital creations, among others. The department also offers an honors program in which a major in the senior year may develop a more in-depth honors project working with a faculty advisor in any area of music studies.
Students without keyboard proficiency are encouraged to enroll in two semesters of Elementary Piano (MUSIC 45M) in their first semesters in the major program.
Declaring the Major
To declare the Music Major, prospective students must:
Review Music major requirements and (if possible) attend the Undergraduate Orientation offered at the beginning of each semester.
Schedule a meeting with the Undergraduate Major Advisor to finalize their program plan and finish the process of declaration.
An Undergraduate Orientation is held once before the beginning of each semester. The orientation reviews important information such as auditions, major requirements, program planning, classes, major resources, and student life. It is imperative that prospective music majors make every possible effort to attend.
Students should submit the online major application on the department website, and meet with the Undergraduate Advisor for assistance to finalize a program plan as soon as possible.
Honors Program
The Department of Music offers an individualized program leading to a BA degree with honors. Students with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.3 overall and 3.5 in the major may apply to enroll in the honors program in the last two semesters of their undergraduate study. Under course MUSIC H195, students undertake a special project exceeding the scope of regular coursework for one or two semesters. The Music Department website includes a Honors Program in Music webpage with more detailed criteria. A Special Studies Application is required for approval and can also be obtained from the department office. The application must be submitted to the Major Advisor for Department Chair approval by 12 p.m. on the Friday of the third week of classes in the semester in which the project is started.
Minor Program
For information on declaring the minor, please see the Minor Program page on the department's website.
In addition to the University, campus, and college requirements, listed on the College Requirements tab, students must fulfill the below requirements specific to their major program.
General Guidelines
All courses taken to fulfill the major requirements below must be taken for a letter grade. A letter grade of C- or higher must be received in all of your lower and upper division Music Major courses. Other exceptions to this requirement are noted as applicable.
No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs, with the exception of minors offered outside of the College of Letters & Science. If you are an L&S student pursuing a minor in another school or college with overlap policies that differ than L&S, the stricter of the two minor policies applies to the minor program.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 must be maintained in both upper and lower division courses used to fulfill the major requirements.
For information regarding residence requirements and unit requirements, please see the College Requirements tab.
Lower-Division
Course List
Code
Title
Units
The three required lower-division courses may be taken in any order.
Additional courses from Music 100-189 to reach a total of 24 upper division units in Music. One semester of Music H195 or Music 195 may be counted toward major. Music 197, 198, and 199 may not be counted.
Notes:
* Music H195 (Honors in Music) may be substituted for the capstone requirement. The capstone project is typically completed during a student's final two semesters in the major.
** Students may not use a course taken a single time to satisfy multiple upper-division requirements for the major.
Minor Requirements
Students who have a strong interest in an area of study outside their major often decide to complete a minor program. These programs have set requirements.
General Guidelines
All minors must be declared before the first day of classes in your Expected Graduation Term (EGT). For summer graduates, minors must be declared prior to the first day of Summer Session A.
All upper-division courses must be taken for a letter grade.
A minimum of three of the upper-division courses taken to fulfill the minor requirements must be completed at UC Berkeley.
A minimum grade point average (GPA) of 2.0 is required in the upper-division courses to fulfill the minor requirements.
Courses used to fulfill the minor requirements may be applied toward the Seven-Course Breadth requirement, for Letters & Science students.
No more than one upper division course may be used to simultaneously fulfill requirements for a student's major and minor programs.
All minor requirements must be completed prior to the last day of finals during the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If students cannot finish all courses required for the minor by that time, they should see a College of Letters & Science adviser.
All minor requirements must be completed within the unit ceiling. (For further information regarding the unit ceiling, please see the College Requirements tab.)
Requirements
Course List
Code
Title
Units
Lower Division
Two lower-division courses are required. Choose one from each of the following lists:
A minimum of 5 upper-division Music courses (MUSIC 100-189), each of which must be two or more units.
At least two of the five courses must be a performance ensemble (MUSIC 116, 140-149, or 164-165) which MAY be repeated. Note that Music 116 may be repeated for credit up to a total of 2 times.
At least one of the five courses must not be a performance ensemble
Performance courses must be taken at UC Berkeley.
Three of the five upper division courses must be completed at UC Berkeley.
Upper-division courses designed primarily for music majors (150-189) may be substituted if the student has met the prerequisites or has the permission of the instructor.
*
MUSIC 70, MUSIC 80, and MUSIC 90 are requirements for the Music Major; enrollment in these three courses is highly competitive and declared/intended Music Majors are prioritized.
Exemption from Lower-Division Requirements
We do not accept course substitution by AP Music Theory or other examinations such as ABRSM or Certificate of Merit. There are no placement exams to waive the two required lower-division courses for the Music minor. Students with prior background in music theory may opt to take the Advanced Harmony Placement Exam if they wish to place into a higher level of harmony courses (MUSIC 151A-B-C-D).
College Requirements
Undergraduate students must fulfill the following requirements in addition to those required by their major program.
For a detailed lists of L&S requirements, please see Overview tab to the right in this guide or visit the L&S Degree Requirements webpage. For College advising appointments, please visit the L&S Advising Pages.
All students who will enter the University of California as freshmen must demonstrate their command of the English language by fulfilling the Entry Level Writing requirement. Fulfillment of this requirement is also a prerequisite to enrollment in all reading and composition courses at UC Berkeley and must be taken for a letter grade.
The American History and American Institutions requirements are based on the principle that all U.S. residents who have graduated from an American university should have an understanding of the history and governmental institutions of the United States.
All undergraduate students at Cal need to take and pass this campus requirement course in order to graduate. The requirement offers an exciting intellectual environment centered on the study of race, ethnicity and culture of the United States. AC courses are plentiful and offer students opportunities to be part of research-led, highly accomplished teaching environments, grappling with the complexity of American Culture.
College of Letters & Science Essential Skills Requirements
The Quantitative Reasoning requirement is designed to ensure that students graduate with basic understanding and competency in math, statistics, or computer/data science. The requirement may be satisfied by exam or by taking an approved course taken for a letter grade.
The Foreign Language requirement may be satisfied by demonstrating proficiency in reading comprehension, writing, and conversation in a foreign language equivalent to the second semester college level, either by passing an exam or by completing approved course work taken for a letter grade.
In order to provide a solid foundation in reading, writing, and critical thinking the College of Letters and Science requires two semesters of lower division work in composition in sequence. Students must complete parts A & B reading and composition courses in sequential order by the end of their fourth semester for a letter grade.
College of Letters & Science 7 Course Breadth Requirements
The undergraduate breadth requirements provide Berkeley students with a rich and varied educational experience outside of their major program. As the foundation of a liberal arts education, breadth courses give students a view into the intellectual life of the University while introducing them to a multitude of perspectives and approaches to research and scholarship. Engaging students in new disciplines and with peers from other majors, the breadth experience strengthens interdisciplinary connections and context that prepares Berkeley graduates to understand and solve the complex issues of their day.
Unit Requirements
120 total units
Of the 120 units, 36 must be upper division units
Of the 36 upper division units, 6 must be taken in courses offered outside your major department
Residence Requirements
For units to be considered in "residence," you must be registered in courses on the Berkeley campus as a student in the College of Letters & Science. Most students automatically fulfill the residence requirement by attending classes at Cal for four years, or two years for transfer students. In general, there is no need to be concerned about this requirement, unless you graduate early, go abroad for a semester or year, or want to take courses at another institution or through UC Extension during your senior year. In these cases, you should make an appointment to meet an L&S College adviser to determine how you can meet the Senior Residence Requirement.
Note: Courses taken through UC Extension do not count toward residence.
Senior Residence Requirement
After you become a senior (with 90 semester units earned toward your B.A. degree), you must complete at least 24 of the remaining 30 units in residence in at least two semesters. To count as residence, a semester must consist of at least 6 passed units. Intercampus Visitor, EAP, and UC Berkeley-Washington Program (UCDC) units are excluded.
You may use a Berkeley Summer Session to satisfy one semester of the Senior Residence requirement, provided that you successfully complete 6 units of course work in the Summer Session and that you have been enrolled previously in the college.
Modified Senior Residence Requirement
Participants in the UC Education Abroad Program (EAP), Berkeley Summer Abroad, or the UC Berkeley Washington Program (UCDC) may meet a Modified Senior Residence requirement by completing 24 (excluding EAP) of their final 60 semester units in residence. At least 12 of these 24 units must be completed after you have completed 90 units.
Upper Division Residence Requirement
You must complete in residence a minimum of 18 units of upper division courses (excluding UCEAP units), 12 of which must satisfy the requirements for your major.
Plan of Study
Below are sample plans of study for music majors who are admitted as freshman or transfer, respectively. Each student’s program will vary based on experience and interest, and the samples listed below are not intended as the only program planning scenario. Students should familiarize themselves with the Music major requirements before making a program plan, and consult the Major Advisor should any question arise.
Please note that the sample program plan below include only courses required for the major. Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with university, campus, and college requirements. Students in the College of Letters and Science, see the L&S Advising Degree Requirements page for more detail and consult their college advisor to address any questions and concerns. Students in other colleges should consult their respective college’s information.
All courses are subject to change every semester. Students must check the Class Schedule for the most up-to-date class offerings in a given semester.
Three performance ensemble courses are required, chosen from Music 116, Music 140-149, Music 164-165, or the Music 168 series provided that students are in an ensemble in conjunction with their 168 lessons.
2
Strongly recommended for those without keyboard experience.
3
Two "Making Music" courses (which may not be repeated for this requirement) are required, chosen from the following: Music 108, Music 116, Music 151A, Music 154A, Music 155, Music 156, Music 157A, Music 158A, Music 161A, and Music 166A.
4
See the major requirements page for a list of eligible capstone courses. Music H195 (Honors in Music) may be substituted for the capstone requirement.
Student Learning Goals
Berkeley music majors are expected to do the following:
To acquire knowledge and understanding of music in an integrated way—through creative music research and practice, musicology, and ethnomusicology. These studies prepare students to pursue a career in some aspect of music or to maintain music as a central part of their lives.
To cultivate musical creativity and scholarly inquiry, by completing the three required lower-division courses (Music 70, 80 and 90).
To further develop skills of critical thinking and writing about music history and ethnomusicology (upper-division electives in Musicology and Ethnomusicology).
To engage more deeply in cutting-edge music research and practice (upper-division electives in Making Music).
To gain ensemble performance experience (upper-division electives in performance).
To exercise student agency and choice, charting a path through the Music curriculum culminating in a capstone project that is personally meaningful, centered on their own interests and purpose.
Major Map
Major maps are experience maps that help undergraduates plan their Berkeley journey based on intended major or field of interest. Featuring student opportunities and resources from your college and department as well as across campus, each map includes curated suggestions for planning your studies, engaging outside the classroom, and pursuing your career goals in a timeline format.
Use the major map below to explore potential paths and design your own unique undergraduate experience:
Traditional music of Indonesia performed on the Music Department's gamelan, Khyai Udan Mas. Public performances may also feature Indonesian shadow play.
Instructor: Midiyanto
Sections for beginners and for advanced students
Auditions: Come to first class meeting
Bold programming and high artistic standards have made this one of the country's finest university orchestras. It is not only a preprofessional training orchestra but also a major performing ensemble in the Bay Area as well.
Instructor: David Milnes
Auditions: Held during first week of instruction
Performing course for the study and practice of traditional and contemporary wind band repertoire.
Instructor: Matthew Adam Sadowski
Auditions: Call 510-643-9644, or stop by Room 53 César Chavez Center to schedule an audition or for more information.
Music of the African American gospel tradition with particular emphasis on contemporary performance techniques.
Instructor: Candace Johnson
Auditions: Held during the first week of instruction
Location: 125 Morrison Hall
Praised by the San Francisco Chronicle as "very impressive in sonority, quality of tone, and expressiveness." From Slavonic chant to choral-orchestral repertoire to contemporary music, this large chorus performs an exciting variety of literature.
Instructor: Wei Cheng
Auditions: Held during the first week of instruction
Location: Hertz Hall
Focusing on lesser-known choral works, this small ensemble also sings and records with Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra.
Instructor: Wei Cheng
Auditions: Held during the first week of instruction
Location: Hertz Hall
Learn to perform music suited to Balinese gamelan Semar Pagulingan, Pelegongan, Baleganjur, or Gender Wayang. Classes will consist of instruction on playing technique and memorization of pieces taught by ear in the traditional Balinese manner.
Instructor: Lisa Gold
Auditions: Come to first class meeting
Location: Morrison Hall
Instrumental and vocal performances of Renaissance and Baroque music.
Instructor: Christine Brandes
Auditions: Come to first class meeting
Location: Hertz Hall
A study of the fundamental principles in improvisation designed for performers with the aim in developing skill in improvisation.
Instructor: Myra Melford
Auditions: Come to first class meeting
Location: Morrison Hall
This advanced small ensemble of improvisers will explore a range of repertoire including music by innovative jazz composers of the 1960s and 70s as well as contemporary works and original student compositions and arrangements.
Instructor: Myra Melford Auditions: Come to first class meeting Location: Morrison Hall
Courses
Music
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session
This course aims to help students improve their writing skills, taking a particular type of music as its central material. The goal of the course is to help students prepare for academic writing, develop analytical skills appropriate to the subject matter, and receive an introduction to college-level research papers. Depending on the topic the course may include a section of one to two hours for further listening to musical examples in a group setting. Reading and Writing about Music: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: UC Entry Level Writing Requirement and 1A or equivalent
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the second half of the Reading and Composition requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
A course in basic vocal techniques, only for students in the University Choruses, covering techniques of breathing, pronunciation, and articulation. Vocal Technique: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to music majors or those enrolled in the University Choruses and consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
Fundamentals of musicianship, including musical time and pitch space. Conducting, singing, listening, and beginning linear analysis. Introduction to Musicianship: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 3 weeks - 15 hours of lecture per week 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Fall 2014
The Freshman Seminar Program has been designed to provide new students with the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member in a small-seminar setting. Freshman seminars are offered in all campus departments, and topics vary from department to department and semester to semester. Enrollment is limited to 15 freshmen. Freshman Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final Exam To be decided by the instructor when the class is offered.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
This course introduces students with little or no previous musical experience to the fundamentals of Western music theory, analysis, and notation. After an introduction to basic terminology and how notes, rhythm, meter, tempo, and other expressions are notated, the course covers the fundamentals of music theory and specialized notation for common instruments of the symphony orchestra. The second half of the semester focuses on notational analyses of medieval and renaissance music, jazz, popular music, and twentieth century graphic and electronic music. Introduction to Music Theory, Analysis, and Notation: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 3 weeks - 15 hours of lecture per week 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session
Two perspectives are developed: 1) diverse music of groups in America, and 2) American music as a unique phenomenon. Groups considered are African, Asian, European, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American. Lectures and musical examples are organized by topics such as music of socio-economic subgroups within large groups, survival of culture, pan-ethnicity, religious and concert music, and the folk-popular music continuum. Music in American Culture: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for MUSIC 26AC after completing MUSIC S26X, or MUSIC W26AC. A deficient grade in MUSIC 26AC may be removed by taking MUSIC W26AC.
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2020 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2020 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session
Two perspectives are developed: 1) diverse music of groups in America, and 2) American music as a unique phenomenon. Groups considered are African, Asian, European, Hispanic/Latino, and Native American. Lectures and musical examples are religious and concert music, and the folk-popular music continuum. Music in American Cultures: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Music N26AC after completing Music 26AC. A deficient grade in Music 26AC may be removed by taking Music N26AC.
Requirements this course satisfies: Satisfies the American Cultures requirement
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2022
Devoted to the development of listening skills, and a survey of major forms and types of Western art music. Introduction to Western Music: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2000, Summer 1996 10 Week Session
Opening ears and minds to musical sounds and the people who make them, imparting basic concepts and ways of listening in order to deepen students' experience of music from a variety of cultures, including Western, Middle Eastern, and Southeast Asian traditions (specific traditions may vary depending on instructor). While the emphasis is on listening, students will become physically involved through hands-on workshops. Listening to Many Musics: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture and 1.5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024, Summer 2023 First 6 Week Session
This course explores the basic materials and models that set the boundaries for various present-day musical experiences. Students are exposed to terminology and modes of engagement with the aim of inspiring new paradigms of listening (e.g., listening to silence, noise, space, and timbre). Composers and musicians of today continue to explore new ways of defining and organizing sounds into music. The course focuses on the most adventurous music of our time, but the concepts learned can be applied to any style of music. The course is designed to enrich and deepen the students' musical abilities through direct involvement with musical materials. Direct engagement through listening and participatory learning is accomplished in part with software created at the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies. The course does not require students to be able to read music nor to own a personal computer. Music Now: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 5.5 hours of lecture and 2.5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Spring 2022
The advancements in machine learning, especially the recent breakthrough of artificial neural networks, promoted novel art practices in which computers play a fundamental role and fostered research in the field of computational creativity.
Music 30 (Computational creativity for music and the arts) aims at exploring the
potential that computers have to support, enhance and challenge music creation.
The course is divided into three modules. The first module introduces the essential
mathematical and machine learning tools and gives a general introduction to sound.
The second module shows real applications of creative computing for music. The
third module focuses on the connection between the society and computational
creativity at large. Computational Creativity for Music and the Arts: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2022
We explore music by considering its connections to broader ideas like culture, memory, identity, and gender. Listening to music with these perspectives can deepen our emotional connection to it, which helps us develop stronger senses of empathy, influencing how we interact with others as compassionate citizens.
We’ll practice this "radical listening" by analyzing popular music from artists like The Beatles, Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé, Taylor Swift, Missy Elliott, David Bowie, Kanye West, and more. We'll also explore experimental music and new trends, and the impact of AI. No previous music experience is required.
You will also learn to use a digital audio workstation (DAW) to edit audio files, create mashups, and produce podcasts.
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Fall 2013, Fall 2012
Freshman and sophomore seminars offer lower division students the opportunity to explore an intellectual topic with a faculty member and a group of peers in a small-seminar setting. These seminars are offered in all campus departments; topics vary from department to department and from semester to semester. Freshman/Sophomore Seminar: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Priority given to freshmen and sophomores
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-4 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: The grading option will be decided by the instructor when the class is offered. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
A course designed for students who wish to attain a beginner's level of proficiency on the carillon. Prospective students must have a working knowledge of the keyboard, read treble and bass clefs fluently, be secure in key signatures through three sharps and flats, and be comfortable with common duple and triple meters. Group Carillon Lessons for Beginning Students: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Private carillon lessons stressing musical questions and de-emphasizing technical and repertory issues. Composition and arranging may be included. Personal musicianship is examined and musical horizons are extended. Private Carillon Lessons for Intermediate Students: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 41A or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 6 units.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - .5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2013
This course is designed for students to reach an advanced level of proficiency. Students are required to play one ten-minute concert per week plus participate in the student recital. Private Carillon Lessons for Advanced Students: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 41A, 41B, and/or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 12 units.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course is a requirement for those students who are studying for examination by the Guild of Carillonneurs in North America. Carillon Lessons for Advanced Students: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 41A, 41B, or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 6 units.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2024
Students will learn the fundaments of healthy singing. The classical style will be learned and applied to other styles of singing. Students will receive group instruction and individual feedback throughout the semester. Singers will perform two solos: one in English and one in a foreign language. The course is open to all undergraduates. Students involved in campus vocal ensembles are encouraged to enroll. No prior music experience required. Voice Class: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Students must undergo an initial vocal assessment in the first class session before being admitted into the class
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of studio per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 10 Week Session, Summer 2023 10 Week Session, Summer 2022 10 Week Session
Piano instruction includes music theory (musical notation, triads, scales and primary chords) at the keyboard. Repertoire draws from simple classical pieces and melodies accompanied with chords. Mastery of the material will be demonstrated at the keyboard and through three written assignments.
Weekly class attendance and daily practice (5 hours weekly) are expected.
Terms offered: Summer 2018 10 Week Session, Summer 2017 10 Week Session, Summer 2016 10 Week Session
Continuing from MUSIC 45, pianists will build on their musical skills through understanding music theory. Course covers minor scales (relative/parallel keys; three forms of the minor scale; primary chords in minor scales), chord inversions, chord progressions, and dominant seventh chords. Repertoire will include classical works and music suggested by students. Weekly class attendance and daily practice (five hours weekly) are expected.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Two semesters are strongly recommended for music majors who lack the basic keyboard skills needed for musicianship and harmony classes. Elementary Piano: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to music majors by audition
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session
Fundamentals of guitar performance, including tuning, basic pitch and rhythm reading, melody and chord playing. Fundamentals of Guitar Performance: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This course is designed to introduce students to the field of music therapy with an overview of: what music therapy is, bases for uses of music in therapy, key theoretical models of music therapy, and clinical applications of music therapy with various populations. Through didactic and experiential assignments and classroom discussions, we will create a collaborative and process-oriented learning environment. Pre-requisites: Open to all interested students. Introduction to Music Therapy: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: •Students will learn definitions of music therapy and be able to define music therapy in their own words.
•Students will understand the rationale for the use of music in therapy.
•Students will gain a foundational understanding of various music therapy treatment models and approaches.
•Students will gain an understanding of the application of music therapy with various populations.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021
Diatonic sight singing, ear training, and keyboard harmony. Musicianship I: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music Placement Examination
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for Music 52A after completing Music 52B. Students cannot receive credit for 52A after having completed 49B.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2021
Continuation of diatonic sight singing and ear training, introduction to chromatic sight singing, ear training, keyboard harmony, and score reading. Musicianship II: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Advanced placement in Music Placement Exam or successful completion of Music 52A
Credit Restrictions: Students cannot receive credit for 52B after having completed 50.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
This course provides a gateway to the more advanced music and technology curriculum including the Music 158 series and is open to non-majors and majors alike. Basic concepts and techniques of electronic music composition and sonic art are presented. Compositional etudes are accomplished using models and techniques drawn from the history of electronic music including present day digital music practices. Formal problems and aesthetics related to sound design and the shaping of electronic sound are studied. Core topics in audio and digital signal processing are covered with a focus on hands-on experience using delays, echos, filters and equalization, samples, noise, and related sound materials. Introduction to Electronic Music Composition: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Introduction to the study of music history; required for music majors. This writing-intensive course offers an in-depth study of musical genres and styles in relation to conditions of production and reception. Through listening, reading musical scores, and studying historical documents, students will draw connections between specific features of music and the ways in which listening, performance, and the function of music have changed over time. History of Music: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Must have taken and passed the Musicianship Placement Exam; be fluent in reading music notation; or have consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Studies of selected traditional and popular musical practices from an ethnomusicological perspective. Taking into account local, regional, and transnational connections among the selected practices, this will include approaches to music making and listening, relevant music theory, issues of identity and power, connections to ritual, dance, and theater, and social, economic, and aesthetic values. Topic and geocultural area will vary. Music majors should take this course in the first two years of the bachelor degree program if at all possible, but no later than their junior year. Transfer students must take the course in their junior year. Studies of Musics of the World: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music majors and intended music majors only
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2017, Spring 2016
Department organized and supervised field programs involving experiences in tutoring and related activities. Students taking the course for the first time will be provided with training suitable to the subject matter being tutored. Field Studies: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music major
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of fieldwork per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-7.5 hours of fieldwork per week 8 weeks - 1.5-5.5 hours of fieldwork per week 10 weeks - 1.5-4.5 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
Group study in a field that may not coincide with that of any regular course. See the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of the General Catalog for enrollment restrictions. Directed Group Study for Freshmen and Sophomores: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Lower division standing and consent of instructor
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the section on Academic Policies-Course Number Guide in the Berkeley Guide.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of directed group study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-10 hours of directed group study per week 8 weeks - 2-7.5 hours of directed group study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate. Berkeley Connect: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2018
Directed individual study in a field that may not coincide with that of any regular course. See the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of the General Catalog for enrollment restrictions. Independent Study for Freshmen and Sophomores: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Lower division standing and consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-10 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 2-7.5 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
This course will cover the fundamentals of music production, including (but not limited to): the science of sound, signal flow and recording chain, intro to various Digital Audio Workstations (Logic, Reaper, Pro Tools, Garage Band and the differences between them), with a focus on music production using Ableton Live, effects processing, and mixing and mastering. If time and interest allow, basics of Max for Live. This course is best suited for those with little to no experience with DAWs or Ableton. Introduction to Music Production using Ableton Live: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Provide a strong conceptual foundation and technical skill set when using Ableton Live and comfort using common Digital Audio Workstation interfaces, with emphasis on producing original music using a variety of setups, troubleshooting, and listening to/discussing other students’ tracks using musical vocabulary.
Student Learning Outcomes: Create at least 4 dynamic and thoughtful tracks in Ableton from start to finish using any combination of recorded audio and MIDI clips. These tracks will demonstrate progressively advanced production techniques within the style(s) of music that students are interested in.
Demonstrate an increased awareness and use of musical terminology when discussing their own and other students’ tracks, based on an overview of relevant music theory concepts (writing chord progressions, rhythm and syncopation exercises).
Select a microphone (from a given list) to use in various recording contexts (which are based on the student setups in the class). If no fellow student setups allow, common recording studio contexts (i.e. 5 piece band, acoustic duo).
Set up and check from start to finish an Ableton Live session using their personal setup (could include analog/MIDI devices, microphones, acoustic instruments) or if none of the above, a setup with built in microphone and laptop MIDI keyboard. This includes recording and editing MIDI and Audio clips in both Session and Arrangement view while understanding the differences between them.
Understand and apply basic mixing and mastering techniques and plugins available in Ableton, including but not limited to: compression, EQ, delay, and reverb and the use of return tracks.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2-2 hours of lecture and 2-2 hours of laboratory per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 5-5 hours of lecture and 5-5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Spring 2023
Students will explore the fundamentals of music production using Ableton Live 11 and participate in group discussions about genres, electronic music history, bay area hip hop, remixing, sound design concepts, and audio career options. This course is recommended for students who desire to learn about the creative process within Ableton Live 11 and have beginning experience with other digital audio workstations or hardware. Electronic Music Production & History: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 5 hours of lecture and 5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Students will develop, in consultation with the instructor, a semester length project that focuses on creating a piece of music, and/or researching and building new software tools for music. Independent Projects in Computer Music: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Completion of Music 158A with letter grade of A or A+ and consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
A review of the sensory, perceptual, and cognitive foundations of listening, performing, and composing. Topics include relations among various acoustical and perceptual characterizations of sound; perceptions of pitch, time, temporal relations, timbre, stability conditions, and auditory space; auditory scene analysis and perceptual grouping mechanisms; perceptual principles for melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic organization; orchestration as spectral composition. A course research project is required. Music Perception and Cognition: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
A review of the sensory, perceptual, and cognitive foundations of listening, performing, and composing. Topics include relations among various acoustical and perceptual characterizations of sound; perceptions of pitch, time, temporal relations, timbre, stability conditions, and auditory space; auditory scene analysis and perceptual grouping mechanisms; perceptual principles for melodic, rhythmic, and harmonic organization; orchestration as spectral composition. This course is restricted to declared Music Majors. These students will hold an individual meeting with the instructor to insure that their final projects are aligned closely with their musical skills and other coursework in the major. A course research project is required. Music Perception and Cognition: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018
The goal of this class is to interrogate and make explicit the powerful musical intuitions that are at work as you make sense of the music all around you. What is the nature of the knowledge that is guiding these intuitions? How does this knowledge develop in ordinary and extraordinary ways? To approach these questions, small composition-like projects aided by a specially designed computer music environment will function as a workplace. You will explore, experiment, question, and reflect on how and what you know how to do as you generate the musical coherence that you seem simply to find. Music Cognition: The Mind Behind the Musical Ear: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2020, Fall 2019, Fall 2018
The goal of this class is to interrogate and make explicit the powerful musical intuitions that are at work as you make sense of the music all around you. What is the nature of the knowledge that is guiding these intuitions? How does this knowledge develop in ordinary and extraordinary ways? To approach these questions, small composition-like projects aided by a specially designed computer music environment will function as a workplace. Music Cognition: The Mind Behind the Musical Ear: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music majors only
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Theory and practical experience in the art of musical improvisation, through study and internalization of the Black American music known as jazz.
This is a class for acquiring knowledge and skills necessary for improvising in the jazz tradition, with the goal of creating a personal and ensemble language. Areas of study include transcription, harmonic analysis, melodic research, and composition.
We will study the work of practitioners from across the history of jazz, such as Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Charlie Parker, Mary Lou Williams, Thelonious Monk, Sun Ra, and Steve Lacy.
Open to both music majors and non-majors by audition at the start of term. Improvisation in the Jazz Tradition: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: This class is open to both music majors and non-majors by audition at the beginning of the term. Prospective students should be able to demonstrate proficiency on their instrument, have taken one year of university-level music theory or the equivalent, and possess a keen interest in jazz and improvised music
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 2 times.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session, Spring 2024
For majors and non-majors. A study of issues in the history of music and sound. Topic will vary from class to class. Topics in the History of Music: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 27, Music 70 or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes. Students may enroll in multiple sections of this course within the same semester.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3-3 hours of lecture and 0-1 hours of discussion per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8-8 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week 8 weeks - 6-6 hours of lecture and 0-2 hours of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2020, Spring 2020, Fall 2016
A study of musical and dramatic aspects of opera. Lectures on selected operas will be supplemented by assigned recordings and films or videotapes of notable performances. Opera: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 27 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2020, Fall 2016, Fall 2015
A study of musical and dramatic aspects of opera. Lectures on selected operas will be supplemented by assigned recordings and films or videotapes of notable performances. Analytical studies and a term paper required. Opera: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 61B, and 75 or 76. Restricted to music majors
Credit Restrictions: Students will not receive credit for 128AM after taking 128A.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2015, Spring 2013
This course is an introduction to Beethoven's music and its historical contexts. While closely analyzing individual works, this course also examines how Beethoven and his music have been represented and interpreted until our own day, exploring the values--musical and cultural--that have ensured Beethoven's towering position in Western music. Beethoven: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 27 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2018, Spring 2015, Spring 2013
This course is an introduction to Beethoven's music and its historical contexts. While closely analyzing individual works, this course also examines how Beethoven and his music have been represented and interpreted until our own day, exploring the values--musical and cultural--that have ensured Beethoven's towering position in Western music. Beethoven: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to music majors
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2012, Summer 2011 8 Week Session, Spring 2009
An introduction to the music of J. S. Bach (1685-1750), a central figure in the history of Western Art Music. The course includes discussion of his organ music, harpsichord works, cantatas, Passion settings, and instrumental chamber music, discusses the relationship between Bach's biography and his compositions, and places study of the man and his music in its cultural and historical context. Required work will include one short paper and one longer paper. There will also be weekly reading and listening assignments. J. S. Bach: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 27 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2012, Summer 2011 8 Week Session, Spring 2009
An introduction to the music of J. S. Bach (1685-1750), a central figure in the history of Western Art Music. The course includes discussion of his organ music, harpsichord works, cantatas, Passion settings, and instrumental chamber music, discusses the relationship between Bach's biography and his compositions, and places study of the man and his music in its cultural and historical context. Required work will include one medium-length paper, one longer research paper, and one analytical study. There will also be weekly reading and listening assignments. J. S. Bach: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to music majors
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2008, Spring 2005, Spring 2001
A study of song and the interaction of poetry and music, from late 18th through the 20th century, with texts in English, German, French, and Russian in translation. Music by composers ranging from Mozart and Schubert to Gershwin and Bernstein will be included, with occasional live performances by local artists. The European/American Art Song: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 27 or consent of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2021 Second 6 Week Session
A survey of jazz music from the 1920's through the 1980's covering the major stylistic periods, including the New Orleans and Chicago styles of the 1920's, big band jazz, bebop, hardbop, free jazz, fusion, and neo-classicism. Major innovators to be studies in depth include Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman. History of Jazz in America: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2021 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2020 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session
A survey of jazz music from the 1920's through the 1980's covering the major stylistic periods, including the New Orleans and Chicago styles of the 1920's, big band jazz, bebop, hardbop, free jazz, fusion, and neo-classicism. Major innovators to be studies in depth include Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Lester Young, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Thelonious Monk, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and Ornette Coleman. Satisfies music major elective requirement. History of Jazz in America: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2010, Fall 2008, Spring 2007
Topic(s) in contemporary improvised music will be selected from among the following: innovations in jazz in the 1960s; further innovations in jazz in the 1970s; women in improvised music; improvisation, intermedia, and new technologies; the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM); the phenomenon of the composer/performer/improviser in today's music; a global look at improvisation: fusion and hybrid forms. Please contact instructor for information on current topic(s). Topics in Contemporary Improvised Music: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Jazz history recommended, though not required
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2010, Fall 2008, Spring 2007
Topic(s) in contemporary improvised music will be selected from among the following: innovations in jazz in the 1960s; further innovations in jazz in the 1970s; women in improvised music; improvisation, intermedia, and new technologies; the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians (AACM); the phenomenon of the composer/performer/improviser in today's music; a global look at improvisation: fusion and hybrid forms. Please contact instructor for information on current topic(s). Topics in Contemporary Improvised Music: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Jazz history recommended, though not required
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2017, Summer 2017 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session
A study of the American musical in the 20th century, beginning with its roots in operetta, vaudeville, and Gilbert and Sullivan, and focusing on its connections to politics, technology, film, opera, and a variety of musical styles, including Tin Pan Alley, jazz, and rock. We will consider a selection of shows through a series of theme units, including American mythologies (and counter-mythologies), race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, issues of fandom and performance of personal identity. For non-majors. The American Musical: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 5.5-6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2017, Summer 2017 First 6 Week Session, Summer 2016 Second 6 Week Session
A study of the American musical in the 20th century, beginning with its roots in operetta, vaudeville, and Gilbert and Sullivan, and focusing on its connections to politics, technology, film, opera, and a variety of musical styles, including Tin Pan Alley, jazz, and rock. We will consider a selection of shows through a series of theme units, including American mythologies (and countermythologies), race and ethnicity, gender and sexuality, issues of fandom, and performance of personal identity. For music majors. The American Musical: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week 8 weeks - 5.5-6 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2017
Songs can mark occasions, convey emotions, and create communities. We’ll explore the ways songs produce the different effects and impact that they do. We’ll analyze the qualities and moods created by melody and rhythm, the singing voice, phrasing and form. The aim is to develop a critical understanding and vocabulary about song—an awareness that will be applicable to the papers you write and the music you create. By the end of the term students will have written and recorded original songs and learned how to listen closely to and write about music. Assignments and discussion will emphasize keen listening, the challenge of describing musical experiences in writing, and developing creativity through engagement with song-writing. Songs and Song-writing: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2017
Songs can mark occasions, convey emotions, and create communities. We’ll explore the ways songs produce the different effects and impact that they do. We’ll analyze the qualities and moods created by melody and rhythm, the singing voice, phrasing and form. The aim is to develop a critical understanding and vocabulary about song—an awareness that will be applicable to the papers you write and the music you create. By the end of the term students will have written and recorded original songs and learned how to listen closely to and write about music. Assignments and discussion will emphasize keen listening, the challenge of describing musical experiences in writing, and developing creativity through engagement with song-writing. Songs and Song-writing: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2019
This course is intended, above all else, to create the circumstances in which we will each independently develop as intimate a relationship as we can with Beethoven’s music. With an open mind and a bit of application, we ought to become well-acquainted with several of his compositions, extremely friendly with others, and perhaps even head over heals in love with a couple of them.
We’ll be seeking to understand this music through attentive listening and close technical description, but also by looking at the historical environments in which it was composed, performed, and heard.
For that reason, we’re going to take a roughly chronological route through Beethoven’s life and works. Topics in the History of European and American Music: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2016
The decade from 1959-1969 was tremendously exciting in the evolution of Jazz. The experimentation with freedom principles and hybrid forms, the influences of African and Indian musical traditions, the larger socio-cultural revolution, and the rise of the Black Nationalist Movement all contributed to the making of a very potent and creative body of work which continues to influence many contemporary music and art scenes throughout the world today. Through lecture, guided listening, discussion, short papers and research projects, we’ll examine the acknowledged conventions in jazz pre-1960, how those conventions were transformed in various ways throughout the 60s, and how the new practices continue to influence artists today. The Shape of Jazz to Come: Innovations in Jazz from 1959-1969: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Jazz history recommended, though not required
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2016
The decade from 1959-1969 was tremendously exciting in the evolution of Jazz. The experimentation with freedom principles and hybrid forms, the influences of African and Indian musical traditions, the larger socio-cultural revolution, and the rise of the Black Nationalist Movement all contributed to the making of a very potent and creative body of work which continues to influence many contemporary music and art scenes throughout the world today. Through lecture, guided listening, discussion, short papers and research projects, we’ll examine the acknowledged conventions in jazz pre-1960, how those conventions were transformed in various ways throughout the 60s, and how the new practices continue to influence artists today. The Shape of Jazz to Come: Innovations in Jazz from 1959-1969: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to Music majors. Jazz history recommended, though not required
Credit Restrictions: Students will not receive credit for 128ZM after taking 128Z.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2009, Spring 2009, Spring 2006
Historical and analytical study of African-American music in the 20th-century. Emphasis on the evolution of jazz and various forms of popular and religious music. African American Music: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2014 First 6 Week Session
Historical and analytical study of African-American music in the 20th-century. Emphasis on the evolution of jazz and various forms of popular and religious music. African American Music: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit when topic changes.
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Not yet offered
This course considers select musical practices stemming from Latin America and its diasporic communities. Focusing on the 20th and 21st centuries, but tracing longer historical threads, we will study musics that go from the “folkloric” to the “popular,” the local to the transnational, and from south to north of the American continent. We will address these practices at the intersection of the “musical” and “cultural.” We will delve into historical and site-specific issues of race, gender, ethnicity, nationality, migration, media capitalism, and power. We will query the role music has played in processes of identity formation and un/belonging in the context of Latin America and the communities this loaded signifier includes/excludes. Musics of Latin America: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for MUSIC 131 after completing MUSIC 131. A deficient grade in MUSIC 131 may be removed by taking MUSIC 131.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Not yet offered
Cumbia is a music found throughout the American continent. Though particular types of cumbia are found in most countries, they differ musically and contextually. This class focuses on local cumbia practices in and outside the Americas. Tracing its musical similarities and differences, as well as the circulation networks through which it has spread, the class disentangles cumbia’s convoluted genealogy and considers its many manifestations within their geopolitical backdrop. Along the way, it also offers an overview of relevant sociopolitical issues in 20th and 21st century Latin America. Cumbia: Music, Difference, and Circulation in the Americas: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Not yet offered
This course considers a wide variety of musical practices emanating/taking place in Mexico and the U.S.-Mexico borderlands. An interdisciplinary course, it critically engages with issues of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality, media, migration, and trans/nationalism by focusing on specific music practices and artists. We will cross the border often and cover musics that go from the “folkloric” to the “popular,” the nationalistic and the “regional,” and the local to the transnational. We will emphasize developing critical reading and writing skills via readings and writing assignments. Musics in the US-Mexico Borderlands: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2018, Fall 2009, Spring 2007
Music of the Middle East, including folk, art, popular, and religious music of the Pan-Islamic and Israeli traditions. Music of the Middle East: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2022, Fall 2014, Fall 2012
Surveys musical traditions of Indonesia and mainland Southeast Asia with special emphasis on Java and Bali and the central role of music in theater and dance in these countries. Music and Theater in Southeast Asia: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2009, Fall 2005, Spring 2001
In-depth study of the Central Javanese gamelan tradition including performance contexts, repertoire, vocal and instrumental idioms, modal practice and improvisation in current practice and in historical perspective. Music of Central Java: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 1997
This course explores the complex webs and flows of historical and contemporary transnational musical exchanges of Asian/Asian American popular music in the 20th and 21st centuries. For each musical practice, we will give attention to the histories of violence, im/migration, contested claims about national identity, and technological development that have produced the conditions in which the particular music was created. Resisting a monolithic imagination or understanding of “Asia,” this course will show how popular musical practices enable us to “hear” a dynamic production of Asia through hidden histories, memories, distant places, social differences, struggles, and innovations that go far beyond geographic national borders. Popular Musics in Transnational Asia: Read More [+]
Terms offered: Not yet offered
The course explores the intersection of music, politics, and social transformation through a survey of ethnographic accounts of musical protest from the US to Egypt, South Africa, Chile, Japan, and beyond. Examples will include songs that critique gender, class, and racial inequalities, violence, environmental damage, greed, complacency, and the notion of “protest music” itself. Students will examine what the function, potential, and limits of musical protest have been in transforming civic life; the role of musical sounds in mediating and contesting oppressive regimes, structural inequalities, and social injustice; and how music might offer creative rethinking of the relationship between critical attention, compassion, and commitment. Music and Social Protest: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2001, Fall 1999, Spring 1996
This course offers an introductory survey of musical practices in four selected regions of the world. Students will cultivate critical listening skills and open-minded/eared sensibilities to appreciate diverse approaches to music making. Performing artists will be invited to give an interactive, hands-on workshop on music/dance for each area, providing an opportunity for students to gain embodied insights into the musical practice under discussion. Students will also be introduced to basic musical concepts and terminologies, and acquire listening skills that will enable them to better encounter and understand music in this course and beyond. Final project will take the form of a mini local ethnography or a research paper. Listening to Musics of the World: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2014, Spring 2012, Spring 2010
Focus on the history, musical structure, and socio-political, economic, and cultural roles of selected traditional and popular music genres of the Caribbean. Musics of the Caribbean: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Not yet offered
How might critical attention to sound and music yield a new insight into the interactions among societies and their environment? This course will examine how the ecological relationships between humans and their surroundings are expressed, sustained, and sometimes challenged through musical sounds. From bird songs in the rain forest to songs of the indigenous land rights movement in Australia, students will investigate how sonic/musical creativities have intersected with the production, preservation, or destruction of ecologies—natural, social, cultural, or otherwise. We will focus on the social and political issues around environmental resources, and the role of the arts (especially music) in relation to conflicts and power relations. Sound, Music, and Ecology: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019
This course explores the intersections between aesthetic practice and social change. Students will investigate—in both theory and practice—the capacity of art making to cultivate transformation of themselves, their relationships, their practices, their institutions, and the larger economic and socio-political structures in which they function, locally and globally. Focusing on historical and contemporary artists and political issues, we ask: 1) How is art impacted by social change? 2) How has art been used toward social change? and 3) How can we, as course participants, use art to bring about social change? Art and Activism: Read More [+]
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session
Surveys the music and music making of different world cultures outside the United States, with a focus on current issues in the arts, culture, and society. Such issues can include the impact of government polices on the arts, transnational circulation, intellectual property rights, as well as the current movements in the arts ranging from popular styles to cutting-edge contemporary experimentation. The particular culture to be studied will vary. Topics in Musics of the World: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 1 hour of laboratory per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 8 hours of lecture and 2 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 First 6 Week Session
A performing course for the study and practice of Indonesian music and instruments. Javanese Gamelan: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of studio per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
A performing course for the study and practice of traditional and contemporary wind band repertoire. University Wind Ensemble: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Audition
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction. Students may enroll in multiple sections of this course within the same semester.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
A course that will focus on the performance of choral music of the African American gospel music tradition with a particular emphasis on contemporary performance techniques. The Gospel Chorus, as is the case with other formal University music performance ensembles, will prepare music to be presented to the public in at least two concerts each semester. Students will be selected for the chorus on the basis of individual auditions. Gospel Chorus: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of studio per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
The University Chorus performs music primarily from the 17th to the 20th centuries including works for chorus and orchestra. University Chorus: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Audition
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of studio and 1 hour of discussion per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
This is a three-week intensive choral workshop where singers will learn a program set and give a concert performance at the end of the term. This workshop will be in conjunction with the Summer Conducting Workshop, where multiple active conductors and the master teacher will be working closely with the chorus during the last two weeks of the three-week term. Chorus Summer Workshop: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Objectives:
● To develop sight-reading skills within choral context.
● To develop oral communication skills through tone quality, phrasing, expression, diction, dynamics and active listening.
● To develop the skill of singing independently and cooperatively in a group.
● To develop students’ flexibility to work with different conductors.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Audition required
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Summer: 3 weeks - 10 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Fall 2023
A smaller mixed chorus that aims at a professional standard of ensemble singing and explores the lesser-known choral repertory. University Chamber Chorus: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Audition
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Learn to perform music suited to Balinese gamelan Semar Pagulingan, Pelegongan, Baleganjur, or Gender Wayang (emphasis may change from one semester to the next). Classes will consist of instruction on playing technique and memorization of pieces taught by ear, in the traditional Balinese manner. The course will culminate with a public performance. Balinese Gamelan: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: by audition
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of studio per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2018 First 6 Week Session
A performing course for the study and practice of Indonesian music and instruments. Balinese Gamelan: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
Performance of West African music with particular emphasis on the music of Ghana. Practical instruction in traditional instrumental and vocal techniques. African Music Ensemble: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Summer 2021 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2020 Second 6 Week Session, Summer 2019 Second 6 Week Session
Performance of West African music with particular emphasis on the music of Ghana. Practical instruction in traditional instrumental and vocal techniques. African Music Ensemble: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: An audition may be required
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 6 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2024, Fall 2023
This course will help students develop musical skills through sightsinging, score reading, and piano harmony, acquiring confidence with music that has chromaticism, modulations, meter changes, and contemporary influences. Sightsinging and Score Reading: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 52A, Music 90, or consent of instructor
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2016, Fall 2015
This course will help students develop musical skills through sightsinging, score reading, and piano harmony, acquiring confidence with music that has chromaticism, modulations, and meter changes. Sightsinging and Score Reading I: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 90, Music 52A or consent of the instructor
Credit Restrictions: Students will receive no credit for MUSIC 150A after completing MUSIC 150.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit with instructor consent.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternate method of final assessment during regularly scheduled final exam group (e.g., presentation, final project, etc.).
Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
By audition for experienced vocalists. A comprehensive program of vocal studies including participation in University Choruses, vocal technique training, and ensemble work with other instrumentalists or vocalists. The student's program will be worked out in consultation with the faculty in charge of the course. Each student's studies will lead to some kind of public performance. Vocal Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music majors only
Credit Restrictions: Must be taken for a letter grade.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2016, Fall 2015, Spring 2015
The program will focus on the study of solo repertoire. The student's program will be worked out in consultation with the faculty in charge of the course. Each student's studies will lead to some kind of public performance. Keyboard Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music majors only. By audition, for experienced performers of keyboard or related instruments
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Diatonic harmony, chorale harmonization, and analytical studies. Emphasis on written exercises. Harmony I: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music Placement Examination
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Introduction to chromatic harmony and analytical studies. Emphasis on written exercises. Harmony II: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Advanced placement in Harmony Placement Exam or successful completion of Music 53A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
Advanced chromatic harmony, advanced modulation, altered chords, linear chromatic harmony, and analytical studies. Emphasis on written exercises. Advanced Tonal Harmony: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Advanced placement in Harmony Placement Examination or successful completion of Music 53B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
Materials and techniques of 20th-century music. Analytical studies. Emphasis on written exercises. Twentieth-Century Harmony: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Advanced placement in Harmony Placement Examination or successful completion of Music 151C
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2019, Spring 2017
Continuation of the skills acquired in prerequisite courses, with an emphasis on score reading skills (including use of the voice) and the realization of Baroque figured bass lines, harmonization, transcription, rhythm,study of several 20th-century and contemporary practices, and further work on ensemble singing. Advanced Musicianship II: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Music 152A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2023, Fall 2022
A study of species counterpoint. Regular exercises in two and three voices required. Group discussion and analysis. Sixteenth Century Counterpoint: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 25 or Music 151A
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Spring 2023
A study of 18th-century counterpoint. Regular exercises required. Analysis of chorale preludes, two- and three-part inventions, canons, and fugue expositions. Counterpoint: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50 and 60
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
A study of formal problems using contemporary composition techniques. Music Composition: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50 and 60
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024, Fall 2021
The study of various analytical techniques and their application to important works of music. Studies in Musical Analysis: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50 and 60
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2020
A study of instrumentation--the construction capabilities and idiomatic qualities of all of the individual instruments which comprise the contemporary symphony orchestra followed by a study of the 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century orchestrational technique. Analysis of scores and assignments in scoring of selected instrumental combinations. Orchestration: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50 and 60. 61; 151 recommended
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2023, Spring 2021
A study of instrumentation--the construction capabilities and idiomatic qualities of all of the individual instruments which comprise the contemporary symphony orchestra followed by a study of the 18th-, 19th-, and 20th-century orchestrational technique. Analysis of scores and assignments in scoring of selected instrumental combinations. Orchestration: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 50 and 60
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2024 Second 6 Week Session
Explores the intersection of music and computers using a combination of scientific, technological, and artistic methodologies. Musical concerns within a computational frame are addressed through the acquisition of basic programming skills for the creation and control of digital sound. Will learn core concepts and techniques of computerbased music composition using the Cycling74/MaxMSP programming environment in combination with associated software tools and programming approaches created by the Center for New Music and Audio Technologies. Included will be exposure to the essentials of digital audio signal processing, musical acoustics and psychoacoustics, sound analysis and synthesis. The course is hands-on and taught from the computer lab. Sound and Music Computing with CNMAT Technologies: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Consent of the instructor, or a single music course drawn from the following list: Music 20A/B, Music 25A, Music 29, or any single advanced musicianship or harmony course
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2024, Spring 2023, Spring 2022
The practice and theory of contextual instrument design for use in musical expression is explored. Students create new instruments and performance environments using a variety of physical interaction paradigms, programming practices, and musical processes emerging from the UC Berkeley Center for New Music and Audio Technologies (CNMAT). Building on the methodologies established in Music 158A, the course develops aesthetic, analytic and technical skills through discussion, empirical study, and collaborative engagement. With a balance of artistic and technical concerns, participants deepen understanding of the creative process, demonstrating the results through class installation and public performance. Situated Instrument Design for Musical Expression: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 158A or consent of the instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of laboratory per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 7.5 hours of lecture and 7.5 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2021, Spring 2020
Software engineering for musical applications covering programming concepts for live-performance real-time systems as well as cloud-based music information retrieval applications. Topics include the software representation of sound and music, real-time scheduling, analysis of gestures from systems of sensors, common design patterns, analysis and controlled synthesis, and machine learning applications for music understanding and creation. Behavior driven design and test driven development are core ideas that permeate the course. Computer Programming for Music Applications: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 158 or permission of instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture and 4 hours of laboratory per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
A study of the basic elements of conducting: physical gesture, score reading, and score analysis. Development of skills with emphasis on conducting and rehearsal techniques applicable to orchestral literature in various languages and musical styles. Preparation of selected works for rehearsal and performance in class. Should be taken in a two-semester sequence. Instrumental Conducting: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 51 and 61; 152 and 156 recommended
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 1 time.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 10 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2021, Spring 2020, Spring 2019
A study of the basic elements of conducting: physical gesture, score reading, and score analysis. Development of skills with emphasis on conducting and rehearsal techniques applicable to orchestral literature in various languages and musical styles. Preparation of selected works for rehearsal and performance in class. Should be taken in a two-semester sequence. Instrumental Conducting: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 51 and 61; 152 and 156 recommended
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2013, Fall 2009
Continued development of skills introduced in 160 with emphasis on conducting and rehearsal techniques applicable to choral literature in various languages and musical styles. Preparation of selected works for rehearsal and performance in class. Choral Conducting: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 160 or consent of instructor; 152 and 156 recommended
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Summer 2015 10 Week Session, Summer 2015 3 Week Session, Summer 2007 3 Week Session
This class is an intensive two-week conducting workshop that is designed in two parts. We will cover conducting techniques in the morning session and have rehearsals in the afternoon. The goal of this class is to help establish a solid foundation in conducting with an eye toward being a better future conductor or performer. The course will focus on working with proper physical gesture vocabulary and related abilities. Conducting technique classes will be taught at an intermediate/advanced level. See prerequisites. Workshop in Conducting: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: By the end of the semester, students should be able to:
1.
Express clear musical ideas through physical gestures. This includes the ability to master the basic conducting patterns; rhythmic, dynamic, and articulation functions; and basic cueing techniques.
2.
Provide aural analysis and error identification.
3.
Understand basic score analysis for choral performance.
4.
Understand basic rehearsal procedures.
5.
Develop aural skills to communicate musical ideas with efficiency.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 161A or Music 161B, or consent of instructor. Prior conducting experience is expected
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Summer: 2 weeks - 30 hours of session per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Fall 2019, Fall 2017, Fall 2016
Creative Jazz and Improvised Music Performance Workshop is an intermediate-level performance course in which we’ll explore many approaches to making improvisational music including, jazz, blues, and experimental practices, along with a study of the music of innovative improvising musicians/composers from around the world. Class projects and activities include: deepening our ability to “listen,” developing a lexicon of musical materials and strategies for improvising in small and large ensembles, studying graphic scores and alternative notation, playing game pieces, and improvising film scores. Students with technical instrumental facility and some knowledge of music theory, from diverse musical backgrounds, are welcome to audition. Creative Jazz and Improvised Music Performance Workshop: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Participation is by audition. Suggested prerequisites: Music 116 and prior jazz, classical, or other musical ensemble experience. Students are expected to read western notation and learn by ear. Music 164 is a prerequisite for Music 165, The Berkeley Nu Jazz Collective
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of session per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
This advanced small ensemble of improvisers (The Berkeley Nu Jazz Collective) will explore a range of repertoire including music by innovative jazz composers of the 1960s and 70s, as well as contemporary works and original student compositions and arrangements. Students will be expected to practice, compose, and arrange music for the bi-weekly rehearsals outside of class time, and will be given individual guidance on composing and arranging by appointment. Berkeley Nu Jazz Collective: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 116A, 116B, or 164 suggested, though admission is by invitation or audition
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Spring 2023
A study of problems in creative music, with emphasis on listening, collaboration and the development of original work. Aurality and Creative Interaction 1: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 52A, Music 52B, Music 90, or consent of the instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025
Further studies in active listening, collaboration and creation, with emphasis on experimental and global practices of the last 100 years. Includes projects in composition and collaborative performance. Aurality and Creative Interaction 2: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 166A, or consent of the instructor
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Private instruction of 6 hours of lessons for non-music majors throughout the semester for performers of the orchestral instruments. Lessons are focused on the study and performance of etudes and repertoire on the organ with a member of the private instructor faculty. Orchestral Instrument Instruction: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1. Audition for, and be accepted into, private lessons. 2. Commitment to: a. study a broad variety of styles and periods of notated orchestral instruments literature as developmentally appropriate; b. participate in planning of varied repertoire with the private instructor and supervising faculty; c. prepare for each lesson received as directed by their instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 12 weeks - 0.5 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Private instruction of approximately 6 hours of lessons throughout the semester for singers who participate in the University Chorus (Music 144) or University Chamber Chorus (Music 145). Lessons are focused on the study and performance of vocalises and repertoire for voice with a member of the private instructor faculty.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
By audition, for intermediate performers of the notated keyboard repertoire, offering private instruction in 6 hours of lessons throughout the semester, typically given as twelve 30-minute lessons, focused on study and performance of keyboard repertoire with a member of the piano faculty. Placement is determined by audition of 2 contrasting pieces from the standard keyboard repertoire. Intermediate Piano/Fortepiano Instruction: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1. Audition 2. Satisfactory performance in musicianship placement test and intent to major in music; or have already declared major in music. 3. Commitment to: a. study a broad variety of styles and periods of notated keyboard literature, spanning pre-Baroque era through 21st century; b. participate in planning of varied repertoire with private instructor and supervising faculty;
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 12 weeks - 0.5 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Private instruction of 6 hours of lessons and additional small group coaching throughout the semester for instrumentalists and singers who participate in the University Baroque Ensemble (Music 149). Lessons are focused on the study and performance of exercises and repertoire for Baroque instruments or voice with a member of the private instructor faculty.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Private instruction of 6 hours of lessons for non-music majors throughout the semester for performers of the organ. Lessons are focused on the study and performance of etudes and repertoire on the organ with a member of the private instructor faculty. Organ Instruction: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1) Audition for, and be accepted into, private lessons. 2) Commitment to: a. study a broad variety of styles and periods of notated organ literature as developmentally appropriate; b. participate in planning of varied repertoire with the private instructor and supervising faculty; c. prepare for each lesson received as directed by their instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 12 weeks - 0.5 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
By audition, for experienced performers of orchestral instruments. A directed program of study including participation in the University Symphony or other department-sponsored ensembles, in workshops, and in special projects. Will include instruction and/or coaching, individually or in groups. The student's program will be worked out in consultation with the faculty in charge of the course. Each student's studies will lead to some kind of public performance. Instrumental Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music majors only
Credit Restrictions: Must be taken for a letter grade.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Music 168B is a vocal performance course for music majors and intending majors who perform in the University Chorus or the University Chamber Chorus. Placement is determined by audition and is made at the discretion of the coordinator and supervisor. In addition to enrollment in one of those choruses, the class is a combined applied studies and performance technique course designed to develop fundamental vocal technique, stage technique, and musical and dramatic interpretation. Vocal Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1) Audition and acceptance into the program based on that audition 2) Satisfactory performance in musicianship placement test and signed intent to major in music form; or have already declared major in music
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 5 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
By audition, for experienced performers of notated keyboard repertoire from Baroque (or pre-Baroque) eras through the twenty-first century. The course will consist of two parts:
1) Private Instruction in 12 hours of lessons focused on study and performance of keyboard repertoire each semester with a member of the piano faculty.
2) In repeating the course the students must enroll in a separate Studio component consisting of:
A.
a one-semester Performance Studio (168CS)
B.
a one-semester Ensemble Studio (168CE)
The student’s program will be planned in consultation with the faculty in charge of the course. Each student’s studies will lead to public performance prior to graduation. Piano/Fortepiano Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 1) Audition that demonstrates close-to-performance level accomplishment or better, with two or more contrasting, well-prepared pieces(s) selected from standard keyboard repertoire. 2) Satisfactory performance in musicianship placement test and intent to major in music; or have already declared major in music
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 12 weeks - 1 hour of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
By audition, for pianists enrolled in 168C, offering ensemble work including individual practice with fellow performers. Ensembles may include working with vocalists or instrumentalists. Focused on the study and performance of the ensemble repertoire, including two sessions of coaching by the instructors involved. May be repeated, with or without credit. Piano/Fortepiano Ensemble Studio: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Concurrent enrollment in 168C or permission of the instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1.5 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
By audition, for pianists enrolled in 168C, offering instruction in performance and performance practice before a studio class. The course will be a conservatory-style performance option for 168C pianists, providing expanded opportunities and incentives for performance. To achieve credit, students will be required to prepare and play work(s) from the keyboard repertoire during the studio. In addition, the instructor will provide an introduction to the department’s early keyboards instruments in Room 120 Morrison Hall, and may organize lectures on the use of printed editions from the Hargrove Library, comparisons of early recordings, instruction in historically-informed performance, improvisation, decided at the discretion of the instructor. Piano/Fortepiano Performance Studio: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Concurrent enrollment in 168C or permission of the instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
By audition. Intermediate or advanced instruction in musical practices not encompassed in 168A-168B-168C, within the context of a directed academic program of studies. Students must have experience on the instrument or have studied it in the 130 series. The student's program will be worked out in consultation with the faculty in charge of the course. Each student's studies will lead to some kind of public performance. Various Musical Practices Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music major only
Credit Restrictions: Must be taken for a letter grade.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 4 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
Intermediate or advanced instruction in the performance of jazz and improvisation. A directed program of study including participation in department-sponsored or UC Jazz ensembles, workshops, and special projects where applicable. Will include instruction and/or coaching, individually or in groups. Each student's studies will lead to some kind of public performance. The student's program will be worked out in consultation with the faculty in charge of the course. Units range from 1 to 3, depending on number of lessons and ensemble participation. Jazz Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Open to music majors by audition only
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
The program will include ensemble work in addition to the study of solo repertoire. The student's program will be worked out in consultation with the faculty in charge of the course. Each student's studies will lead to some kind of public performance. Guitar Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music majors only. By audition, for experienced guitar performers
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 2 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
The program will include ensemble work in addition to the study of solo repertoire. The student's program will be worked out in consultation with the faculty in charge of the course. Each student's studies will lead to some kind of public performance. Early Music Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music majors only. By audition, for performers on early music instruments
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Prior to 2007
By audition, for experienced performers of organ repertoire from Baroque (or pre-Baroque) eras through the twenty-first century. The course will consist of 12 hours of private instruction, with an organ instructor on the Music Department faculty, focused on the study and performance of organ repertoire.
Music 168I is for music majors and intending music majors only. Placement is determined by audition and is made at the discretion of the instructor and supervisor.
Prerequisites: 1) Audition that demonstrates close-to-performance level accomplishment of organ repertoire. 2) Satisfactory performance in musicianship placement test and intent to major in music; or have already declared major in music
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 12 weeks - 1 hour of studio per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
A seminar for upper division music majors. Topics will change each semester but will always represent a fairly narrow focus on a single issue in the history, interpretation, or social meaning of music. The course provides students with an opportunity to go deeply into one subject, to discuss their ideas in a seminar setting, and to carry out a substantial independent research project. Topics in History, Culture, and Analysis: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Music 53B and 70 or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
A seminar for upper division music majors. The primary purpose of this course is to create an environment in which students can combine the research and analysis of music with live performance. The specific topic covered will change each semester. Class time will be divided equally among (1) historical and analytical readings; (2) discussion and analysis of recorded and live performances; (3) in-class performance. The final project will combine scholarly work and performance in the form of a lecture-recital or collaborative creative project. Topics in Research and Performance: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Music 53B and 70 or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Fall 2024, Fall 2022, Fall 2021
Materials and techniques of popular music across historical and global styles including new and current practices. Popular Music Theory: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Provide students with a set of analytical and compositional frameworks for the study and creation of popular music.
Student Learning Outcomes: Apply selected analytical techniques to a work of popular music.
Compose, perform, record and/or share publicly an original work of popular music
Present in the form of a paper and/or lecture conclusions drawn from analysis
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 52B
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2016, Fall 2015
A seminar for upper division music majors. Topics will change each semester but will always represent a fairly narrow focus on a single issue in the history, interpretation, or social meaning of music. The course provides students with an opportunity to go deeply into one subject, to discuss their ideas in a seminar setting, and to carry out a substantial independent research project. Topics in History, Culture, and Analysis: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: 60 and 76 or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2022, Spring 2021
A seminar for upper division music majors and other prepared students by permission of the instructor. Topics will change each semester but will always concentrate on a selected musical practice from an ethnomusicological perspective. The course provides students with an opportunity to go deeply into one subject, to discuss their ideas in a seminar setting, and to carry out a substantial independent research project. Seminar in Ethnomusicology: Selected Topics: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Successful completion of Music 80 or consent of instructor
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Spring 2024
For those students who have completed Music 48 (Introduction to Music Therapy), a more in-depth study of the music therapy profession. From analysis of case studies and research studies to clinical improvisation techniques and a closer look at music therapy interventions, this course will dive deeper into the profession. This course will also begin an exploration into the psychology of music, the neurological responses to music and the innate human propensity for musical response and musical communication from a Music Therapist’s perspective. Inside Music Therapy: Read More [+]
Objectives & Outcomes
Course Objectives: Students will be able to engage in an informed discussion about what it means to be musical, the definition of music, the role of music within society, and different perspectives that seek to explain why music can be effective in communication. Students will be able to identify, define and demonstrate at least 5 different clinical Music Therapy interventions. Students will begin to understand through experiential music projects the efficacy of music therapy interventions as well as how they serve different populations. Students will gain a perspective of why music therapy is effective by engaging in individual and collaborative music-making opportunities.
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music 48
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 3 hours of seminar per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Alternative to final exam.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Summer 2023 Second 6 Week Session
Individual study, undertaken in conjunction with an academic course, leading to the completion of the capstone project for the Music major. Capstone Project in Music: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Restricted to declared Music majors
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0-1 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Alternative to final exam.
Prerequisites: Restricted to seniors with a grade-point average of 3.3 overall and 3.5 in the major. Consent of instructor and Department Honors Committee
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit up to a total of 8 units.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 8 weeks - 5.5 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Letter grade. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Fall 2022, Fall 2021, Spring 2018
Department organized and supervised field programs involving experiences in tutoring and related activities. Students taking the course for the first time will be provided with training suitable to the subject matter being tutored. Field Studies: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Prerequisites: Music major
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1-3 hours of fieldwork per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 2.5-7.5 hours of fieldwork per week 8 weeks - 1.5-5.5 hours of fieldwork per week 10 weeks - 1.5-4.5 hours of fieldwork per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2025, Fall 2024, Spring 2024
Berkeley Connect is a mentoring program, offered through various academic departments, that helps students build intellectual community. Over the course of a semester, enrolled students participate in regular small-group discussions facilitated by a graduate student mentor (following a faculty-directed curriculum), meet with their graduate student mentor for one-on-one academic advising, attend lectures and panel discussions featuring department faculty and alumni, and go on field trips to campus resources. Students are not required to be declared majors in order to participate. Berkeley Connect: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Credit Restrictions: Enrollment is restricted; see the section on Academic Policies-Course Number Guide in the Berkeley Guide.
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 1 hour of lecture per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
Terms offered: Spring 2023, Fall 2022, Spring 2022
Not to serve in lieu of regular courses of instruction. Enrollment restrictions apply; see the Introduction to Courses and Curricula section of this catalog. Supervised Independent Study and Research: Read More [+]
Rules & Requirements
Repeat rules: Course may be repeated for credit without restriction.
Hours & Format
Fall and/or spring: 15 weeks - 0 hours of independent study per week
Summer: 6 weeks - 1-5 hours of independent study per week 8 weeks - 1-4 hours of independent study per week
Additional Details
Subject/Course Level: Music/Undergraduate
Grading/Final exam status: Offered for pass/not pass grade only. Final exam not required.
When you print this page, you are actually printing everything within the tabs on the page you are on: this may include all the Related Courses and Faculty, in addition to the Requirements or Overview. If you just want to print information on specific tabs, you're better off downloading a PDF of the page, opening it, and then selecting the pages you really want to print.
