Music Course Descriptions: Graduate

Last updated Aug. 19, 2008

Please note that these graduate courses are limited to students in the Conservatory of Music.

Composition MCO 5000–5999
Performance, Ensemble MPE 5000–5999
Theory and Analysis, Performance Practice MTH 5000–5999
Additional Studies MUS 5000–5999

Composition: Graduate

Composition Seminar
MCO 5115 / 1 credit / Every semester
Group discussions and presentations of student works, together with analysis of music by arange of established composers, encompassing many different styles. Live performances and guest artists enhance class sessions.

Writing and Production Seminar I and II
MCO 5200 and 5210 / 2 credits (per semester)
I: Fall; II: Spring
Practical collaborations between writers and engineers/producers. Writers and producers are teamed with one another to produce high-quality demo recordings in the digital studios, within realistic professional time and personnel constraints. Emphasis is on the collaborative aspect of musical composition and production.

20th-Century Orchestration
MCO 5340 / 2 credits / Spring
A survey of the orchestration techniques of Debussy, Stravinsky, Webern, Bartok, Hindemith, Ellington, Gil Evans, and Quincy Jones. Brief projects based on each style.

Studio Composition Seminar
MCO 5400 / 1 credit / Every semester
Group discussions and presentations of student works, together with analysis of music by a range of established composers, encompassing many different styles. Live performances and guest artists enhance class sessions.

Melody Writing
MCO 5415 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Fall)
A practical study of the craft of writing contemporary melody. Analytical and creative focus on effective melodic practice, plus musical rhyme, dramatic pitch curve, repetition and excursion, bridge, prechorus and chorus writing, melodic psychology and hooks. Studies may include Franz Schubert, Richard Rogers, Cole Porter, Billie Holiday, Carole King, Bob Dylan, Joni Mitchell, Stevie Wonder, Randy Newman, and others. Prior musical accomplishment as a melodist and ability to read notation are required.

Added Spring 2009 (7/16/08):
Lyric Writing
MCO 5420 / 2 credits / Spring
A practical study of the craft of writing contemporary lyrics. Analytical and creative focus on effective musical structures, plus rhyme forms and schemes, line and unit densities, text and subtexts. Studies may include Langston Hughes, Chuck Berry, Bob Dylan, Otis Redding, Joni Mitchell, Patti Smith, Chuck D, Tupac Shakur, and others. Prior musical accomplishment as a lyricist and a desire to collaborate are required.

Seminar in Mixing and Engineering
MCO 5450 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Fall)
An advanced study of digital signal processors in the modern digital studio environment, focusing on their specific uses during the mix-down process. Engineers are immersed in real-world situations to foster technical and creative solutions within a typical engineer/client relationship. Emphasis is on the perception of the mind and the ear, mix techniques, and standard business practices.

Seminar in Studio Design
MCO 5455 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Spring)
A practical exploration of design options for the modern recording studio, including its growing role in video and film postproduction. Construction techniques, space design, acoustic treatments, and facility ergonomics are examined, and changes in studio facilities in the digital age are discussed. Students learn how to spec and budget their own midsize recording facility, accounting for all aspects of equipment, construction, HVAC, electrical, and overhead.

Seminar in Studio Arranging
MCO 5460 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Fall)
Advanced arranging skills for transforming music from its simplest rendering into complex orchestral and experimental arrangements. Class time includes projects using Pro Tools and MOTU Digital Performer as compositional/arranging platforms. Students alternately assume the roles of composer, musician, and engineer to develop collaborative communication skills from each of these points of view.

Seminar in World Music
MCO 5465 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Fall)
An overview of global musical styles with a special focus on African and Latin cultures. Emphasis is placed on understanding the present and historical practices of music making and why this music is relevant in the world-music scene today. Invited guests, together with video and audio recordings, provide additional insight into the sociological and practical relevance of these styles.

Seminar in Research and Writing
MCO 5470 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Spring)
Research and writing techniques as they apply to emerging musical artists, especially in the popular arts. Research component includes journal articles and technological and historical pieces suitable to published media. Writing component includes promotional copy, reviews, advertising and distribution strategies, effective graphic collaborations, merchandizing concepts, and other aspects critical to a productive writing career in the popular arts.

Seminar in Synchronization and Digital Media
MCO 5475 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Fall)
A hands-on seminar on advanced digital editing with a focus on the visual image. Studies include film sound and scoring, game sound, television sweetening, and Internet audio. Studies explore frame rates, video latency, troubleshooting, and various technologies and their relationship to working with sound for picture. Students also explore various delivery formats and media.

Seminar in Music Psychology
MCO 5480 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Spring)
An exploration of the phenomena of human perceptions, reactions, and responses to various music genres. Students compare their subjective reactions with those of selected sample groups. Assignments include composing music that elicits specific emotional responses and testing it on the sample groups. Once compiled, data from the course is used to draw conclusions about current trends in music.

Seminar in Studio Scoring
MCO 5485 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Spring)
A writing-intensive course geared toward meeting client deadlines, with a strong emphasis on the craft involved in creating music scores in the studio. Assignments include writing for television, film, advertising, spoken-word, and Web-based situations. The composer as businessperson and current practices in the music business are also addressed.

Master’s Studio Arranging I
MCO 5650 / 2 credits / Fall
Designed to provide graduate-level students with the skills needed to become consummate and versatile musical arrangers. Equal time is spent in the classroom discussing advanced arranging techniques/concepts and in the recording studio implementing the ideas via hands-on experience with the recording/mixing console and software programs. In particular, the use of Pro Tools as a compositional/arranging device is frequently demonstrated.

Master’s Studio Arranging II
MCO 5655 / 2 credits / Spring
In this extension of MCO 5650, advanced arranging devices and techniques continue to be discussed in depth. The ability of the arranger/composer to collaborate harmoniously with musicians, engineers, and producers in the studio is essential. Students take on these roles to learn different perspectives and broaden their understanding of the vast array of musical styles. Students are also encouraged to focus on their specific field(s) of interest.

Performance, Ensemble: Graduate

Chamber Music
MPE 5140 / 2 credits / Every semester
The study and performance of works from the chamber music repertoire and/or the sonata literature for piano and instruments. Coaching sessions (up to one and a half hours per week) culminate in performance.
Prerequisite: Audition

Brass Chamber Music
MPE 5142 / 2 credits / Every semester
Coached by members of the brass faculty, this ensemble class focuses on group intonation, phrasing, articulation, and blend. Literature is selected from all styles and eras of music, and composition for the ensemble is also encouraged. Rehearses weekly for one and a half hours.

Symphony Orchestra
MPE 5201 / 2 credits / Every semester
Intense preparation of works, mostly from the standard repertoire, for performance. Study of characteristic styles, performance practice, and acquisition of large ensemble skills and professional etiquette.
Prerequisite: Audition

Camerata
MPE 5205 / 2 credits / Every semester
Interpretation of music of the 17th and 18th centuries from the perspective of historically informed performance. Instructors teach basic principles of interpretation that are evident from early performance manuals, then encourage students to actively engage these principles by forming personal interpretations around them. Students are encouraged to form creative, original approaches to the repertoire, particularly when the historical record may be incomplete, inchoate, or simplistic.

Woodwind Instrumental Lab
MPE 5211 / .5 credit / Every semester
Companion performance lab for participants in MPE 5450.

Brass Instrumental Lab
MPE 5221 / .5 credit / Every semester
Companion performance lab for participants in MPE 5142.

Trombone Ensemble
MPE 5226 / 1 credit / Every semester
In this ensemble extension of the private-study studio, emphasis is placed on group intonation, phrasing, articulation, and blend. Literature is selected from all styles and eras of music, and composition for the ensemble is also encouraged.

Horn Ensemble
MPE 5229 / 1 credit / Every semester
This ensemble rehearses and prepares for performance of well-known horn compositions in many different styles, from the Hindemith Sonata for Four Horns to the Fripperies by Lowell Shaw. The class also works with the IVASI video system for orchestra training.

Percussion Ensemble
MPE 5231 / 1 credit / Every semester
Study and performance of the percussion ensemble repertoire. Students have the opportunity to perform a range of parts, from basic to virtuosic, in all areas of percussion: timpani, mallets, and multiple percussion.

Composer in Residence
MPE 5235 / 2 credits / Every semester
Designed to provide a preprofessional environment for graduate composition students. Composers are placed “in residence” with an ensemble for which they compose a new work and fully integrate themselves into the workings of the ensemble. Specific duties vary depending on the size and nature of the performing ensemble and the demands of the composition.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor

Opera Workshop
MPE 5250 / 2 credits / Every semester
In a performance lab setting, students prepare and perform in a concert of staged scenes with piano or instrumental ensemble; and/or participate in at least one fully staged opera, given in its original language, with orchestra, sets, and costumes. This course further develops and refines the musical and dramatic skills acquired in previous courses.

Opera Workshop Lab
MPE 5253 / 1 credit / Spring
A practical application of opera rehearsal techniques as studied in MPE 5250.
Corequisite: MPE 5250

Operatic Styles I, II, III
MPE 5255, 5256, 5257 / 2 credits (per semester)
I, III: Fall; II: Spring
This three-semester class is the principal focus of the graduate program in opera studies. Students prepare operatic scenes and arias for presentation in a master-class setting every week. Emphasis is on correct stylistic interpretation and performance practice in each stylistic period of opera history, from Monteverdi to recent works. Repertoire is assigned according to each participant’s needs and abilities.

Opera Coaching
MPE 5260 / .5 credit / Every semester
Private weekly music coachings that support the student’s development (technical and artistic) and presentation (linguistic, stylistic, musical, and dramatic). Prepares the student for performance situations throughout the department. The goal is to enable the student to function as an independent professional upon completion of the program.

Teaching Techniques for Voice
MPE 5275 / 2 credits / Spring
A seminar class in the fundamentals of teaching vocal technique. Students learn the physiological and pedagogical fundamentals of the workings of the voice, followed by practical application (working in a classroom setting to recognize and solve various vocal problems).

Teaching Techniques for Stage
MPE 5276 / 2 credits / Fall
A seminar class in the fundamentals of stage directing with a practical application of directing opera scenes in MPE 3350/Opera Workshop.

Guitar Performance Class
MPE 5410 / 2 credits / Every semester
Covers a full range of solo repertoire and performance. Students actively participate in the analytic and critical process for pedagogical purposes.

String Performance Class
MPE 5440 / 1 credit / Every semester
A weekly gathering of all violinists, violists, violoncellists, and bass students, providing a forum for string players to perform for each other and to discuss and examine the many facets of string playing. Repertoire may include solo, chamber, and orchestral. Audition techniques, performance traditions, and instrument maintenance may also be covered.

Woodwind Performance Class
MPE 5450 / 1 credit / Every semester
Provides an opportunity for students to perform solo and chamber repertoire for their peers in a master-class environment. Supervised by members of the wind faculty, the class is designed to help students develop quality performances and overcome any issues related to performance anxiety. Meets weekly for one and a half hours.

Percussion Performance Class
MPE 5460 / 1 credit / Every semester
A forum for percussionists to discuss and examine the many facets of percussion performance. The study of the orchestral repertoire for timpani and percussion is the primary focus.

Brass Performance and Ensemble
MPE 5465 / 1 credit / Every semester
The main instrumental ensemble (20–30 players) in the brass program. Conducted by members of the brass faculty, this ensemble performs repertoire from the 16th century to the present. It also performs music from the British “brass band” repertoire, in which students are required to play traditional brass band instruments. Rehearses weekly for one and a half hours.

Baroque Keyboard Literature
MPE 5470 / 2 credits / Fall
Examines music for organ, harpsichord, clavichord, and early piano from 1550 to 1770 by Byrd, Sweelinck, L. Couperin, Buxtehude, F. Couperin, J.S. Bach, and the Bach sons W.F. and C.P.E. Primary source materials include ornamentation and early fingering charts, as well as studies of contemporary music instruction. Outside readings of secondary source materials include Apel and Ferguson. Discussion of in-class performance is integral to the course.

Classical Sonata Literature
MPE 5471 / 2 credits / Spring
A survey of the piano music of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, including sonatas, variations, and other shorter works. The Classical style is examined in relation to its emergence from the late Baroque era, with special attention given to keyboard technique, instruments of the period, range, and the continued evolution of musical forms.

Romantic Piano Literature
MPE 5472 / 2 credits / Fall
A survey of piano literature from Beethoven’s late works through the end of the 19th century. Primary focus on the works of Schubert, Mendelssohn, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, and Brahms, with emphasis on the character piece, new trends in the use of older forms, and developments in timbre and range. Late Romantic composers are examined, focusing on their impact on early 20th-century styles.

20th-Century Piano Literature
MPE 5473 / 2 credits / Spring
A survey of piano literature from 1900 to the present. The works of Debussy, Ravel, Scriabin, Prokofiev, Ives, Janacek, Bartok, and Cage are the primary focus, with emphasis on extended techniques, new trends in the use of older forms, and developments in timbre and range.

Credits changed from 1.5 to 2 (7/21/08):
Piano Performance Class
MPE 5480 / 2 credits / Every semester
Covers the full range of solo repertoire for piano. Students perform and actively participate in the analytical and critical process for pedagogical purposes.

Harpsichord/Fortepiano/Organ Class
MPE 5495 / 3 credits / Fall
For graduate piano students. An introduction to the techniques of playing keyboard instruments other than the modern piano, and an exploration of the repertoire particular to these instruments. Topics include performance practice, ornamentation, instrument construction, and sound production.

Conducting Techniques
MPE 5500 / 2 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
A practical introduction: simple beat patterns with both hands, cues with the left hand, as well as indications for sforzati, cut offs, and lyric gestures. Works from early Haydn to Brahms.

Conducting Strategies
MPE 5510 / 2 credits / Fall
A seminar that explores how conductors approach musical challenges. Studies and assignments incorporate score analysis, orchestral arranging, and conducting techniques. Students conduct short works that they have arranged or composed for small ensembles formed in the class. Limited to graduate students concentrating in instrumental or vocal performance.

Jazz Orchestra
MPE 5550 / 2 credits / Every semester
The Jazz Orchestra is a 17-piece big band that performs jazz from every era. From staples like Ellington and Basie to more modern works by today’s leading composers and arrangers, this orchestra swings and is always a pleasure to listen to. Limited to graduate jazz studies students.
Prerequisite: Audition

Contemporary Ensemble
MPE 5560 / 2 credits / Every semester
Presents the opportunity to study and perform 20th-century works for diverse instruments, in all styles. Open to all graduate music majors with permission of instructor.

Conducting/Score Reading/Analysis
MPE 5600 / 2 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
A continuation of MPE 5500. Analysis of scores in the Schenkerian and compositional device modes. The science of measure groupings and the construction of main materials, especially during the Classical period.
Prerequisite: MPE 5500

Collaborative Piano
MPE 5610 / 1.5 credits / Every semester
Study of the art of accompanying singers and instrumentalists. Members of the class perform regularly.

Latin Jazz Orchestra
MPE 5620 / 2 credits / Every semester
Focuses on the music of the Machito Orchestra, Tito Puente, Chico O’Farrill, and Dizzy Gillespie, among others. The conversion of standard jazz repertoire to what is currently known as Latin jazz is emphasized through an in-depth study of clavé (the rhythmic pulse found in Afro-Caribbean music) and the variety of rhythms incorporated in this genre. Orchestra members are encouraged to contribute original arrangements.
Prerequisite: Audition

Added Fall 2008 (8/05/08):
Klezmer Ensemble
MPE 5660 / 2 credits / Fall
The study and performance of traditional and contemporary repertoire from the Eastern European Jewish music tradition known as klezmer. Students develop improvisational skills using the traditional ornaments and modal melodic language. They also learn the klezmer approach to ensemble playing, which combines unison playing, call and response, and improvised solos. This course culminates in a performance as final project.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor

Jazz Combos
MPE 5700 / 2 credits / Every semester
These combos are thematically based and speak directly to the firsthand performing experiences of faculty mentors. Focusing on repertoire derived from the master composer/bandleaders from all eras of jazz, elements of group interaction, group dynamic, improvisation, arranging, and stylistic interpretation are integrated into a professional ensemble experience. Limited to graduate jazz studies students.

Reinstated Fall 2008 (7/28/08):
Purchase Wind Ensemble
MPE 5750 / 2 credits / Every semester
An ensemble comprised of wind, brass, and percussion instrumentalists. Repertoire is chosen from the vast spectrum of literature written and transcribed for concert band setting. The ensemble engages in rigorous preparation that culminates in an end-of-semester concert performance. Membership is by audition for Conservatory of Music students as well as area music teachers and professionals at the invitation of the instructor.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor

Master’s Recital
MPE 5991, 5992, 5993 / 2 credits / Every semester
A 60-minute recital of repertoire or original compositions, demonstrating the ability to design and execute a substantial program at a professional level. String players must include a substantial work (from the mid-20th century through the contemporary era) in one of their recitals. Students register as follows: MPE 5992, jazz studies recitals; MPE 5993, studio composition recitals and/or recordings; MPE 5991, all other master’s recitals (instrumental programs).

Certificate Recital
MPE 5994
Diploma Recital
MPE 5995
2 credits (per recital) / Every semester
A 60-minute recital of repertoire demonstrating the ability to design and execute a substantial program at a professional level.

Composer in Residence Recital
MPE 5996 / 2 credits / Every semester
A 60-minute recital of original compositions, demonstrating the ability to design and execute a substantial program at a professional level. Required for master’s candidates in composition.

Theory and Analysis, Performance Practice: Graduate

Research and Writing for the Modern Musician
MTH 5000 / 2 credits / Fall
Develops skills in music research and writing through guided assignments (e.g., a research paper, a concert review, liner and program notes, grant proposals, and “pitch letter” to a potential sponsor or concert presenter).
Prerequisite: Excellent proficiency in written English

Harmonic and Contrapuntal Techniques
MTH 5005 / 2 credits / Fall
A review of species counterpoint. Exploration of canon, fugue, chorale prelude, and variations. Emphasis is on the music of Bach, especially his Well-Tempered Clavier, and on composers just before Bach. Regular written assignments.

Structure and Analysis
MTH 5010 / 2 credits / Fall
Analysis of the structure and design of melody, tendency tones, and rhythmic stress; relationship of melody to harmony; serialism; tension, rhythmic units; and techniques of minimalism. From Gregorian chant to Nixon in China.

Practicum in Music Pedagogy
MTH 5025 / 2 credits / Every semester
M.M. students selected for the Graduate Honors Program in Music prepare five to seven lectures and/or lecture-demonstrations under the direct supervision of the director of graduate studies. Most of these are presented in undergraduate musicology courses at Purchase. One lecture-demonstration is presented in a semiannual Honors Program show to an audience of faculty, staff, students, and community members. Serves in lieu of one MTH course in the M.M. curriculum.
Prerequisite: Permission of the director of graduate studies

Overview of Performance Practice
MTH 5060 / 2 credits / Fall
Reviews the main issues involved in the attempt to perform music of the past 500 years in ways that acknowledge the historical realities of the works’ periods of origin. Attention is paid to instruments, textual interpretation, contemporary writings, and performing approaches and conditions.

20th-Century Harmony/Counterpoint
MTH 5100 / 2 credits / Fall
Intensive study of impressionist and expressionist techniques, plus serialism and pandiatonicism. Excerpts from Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Bartok, Stockhausen, Crumb, Penderecki, and Reich.

Seminar in Recorded Music I
MTH 5120 / 2 credits / Fall
An exploration of individual topics: ragtime, gospel, blues, vaudeville, New Orleans brass band, swing, Tin Pan Alley, bebop, and early rhythm and blues. Individual lecture-demonstration for undergraduates required.

Seminar in Recorded Music II
MTH 5130 / 2 credits / Spring
A continuation of MTH 5120. Cool, mainstream, progressive/free jazz, rhythm and blues, country and western, Broadway, rock ’n’ roll, reggae, soul and Motown, fusion, disco, punk, metal, and hip-hop. Individual lecture-demonstration for undergraduates required.

Electroacoustic Music I
MTH 5180 / 2 credits / Fall
A historical overview of electroacoustic music, beginning in the late 1940s with the devotees of musique concrète, recorded natural sounds, and synthesized tone construction. Students learn about the gradual evolution of technology and composition and its impact on many music traditions and trends.

Electroacoustic Music II
MTH 5190 / 2 credits / Spring
An overview of current creative trends in electroacoustic music. Contemporary digital music systems offer unprecedented dynamic control over timbre. This course reviews aspects of musical acoustics and psychoacoustics and explores electroacoustic simulation through recent experimental examples.
Prerequisite: MTH 5180 or permission of instructor

The Golden Age of Recorded Opera
MTH 5225 / 1.5 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
Students listen to recordings of such preeminent artists as Birgit Nilsson, Leontyn Price, Teresa Berganza, Christa Ludwig, Nicolai Gedda, and Leonard Warren from the golden age of recorded opera (1950–1985). Attention is paid to the variety of styles, techniques, and interpretations found in various arias, ensembles, and art songs.

Topics in Professional Development
MTH 5400 / .5 credit / Every semester
A moderated series of guest lectures that address practical concerns of the professional musician. Topics may include dealing with injuries and injury prevention, tax strategies and tax-related record keeping, advertising and self-promotion in the age of the Internet, travel and airport security issues for the touring musician, and union protections and benefits.

The Business of Music
MTH 5450 / 2 credits / Spring
An exploration of business issues relevant to different performing careers in music. Topics include self-promotion, recording, touring and booking, grant writing, contracts, tax concerns, and union issues.

Topics in Music History
MTH 5540 / 2 credits / Spring
Provides a contiguous understanding of music history and prepares students for the comprehensive examination. A stream of guided readings and oral reports is designed to help students broaden and deepen their knowledge of the subject. Study groups work together on areas of common interest.
Prerequisite: Proficiency in English and sufficient prior studies in music history

Seminar in Repertoire
MTH 5560 / 2 credits / Spring
Several major works related to the student’s specialization are examined in depth from musicological and performance-practice perspectives. A deeper understanding of these works is developed through guided readings and preparation of research papers, fact sheets, and annotated bibliographies. The course also provides an overview of existing repertoire from the historical period of specialization and fills any gaps in the student’s general knowledge of that repertoire.

Added Spring 2009 (8/19/08):
Improvisation for Classical Musicians
MTH 5570 / 2 credits / Alternate years (Spring)
Students are set on a path of lifelong learning with the goal of being able to improvise in all the genres they perform. Instructors provide a graded series of tasks that begins with rudimentary ornamentation of existing lines and concludes with the improvisation of convincing fantasias, cadenzas, and dance-based pieces. Open to graduate students in the classical instrumental performance, voice/opera studies, and composition concentrations.

Music, Culture, and Ideas
MTH 5710 / 2 credits / Spring
A survey of traditional and recent perspectives on music as an object of philosophical and cultural inquiry. Questions raised include: Does music have a “metaphysical” nature? Is musical form separable from its emotional or social content? Has the postmodern culture of reproductive media changed the nature of musical experience? What are the causes of stylistic change in the arts?

Aesthetics of Film Music
MTH 5715 / 2 credits / Special topic (offered irregularly)
Film music remains on of the least theorized branches of contemporary music. Building on the work of Royal S. Brown, Claudia Gorbman, and Max Winkler, this course explores diegetic vs. nondiegetic scoring, leitmotivic construction, and the genre’s stylistic debts (particularly to Viennese fin de siècle composers). Students view films both in and outside of class and provide analyses.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor

Graduate Exit Exam: Classical
MTH 5840 / 0 credit / Every semester
A comprehensive, three-hour essay exam that tests that M.M. students have reached or exceeded a baseline of competency in music-historical topics. It is recommended that students take the exam in their third semester. Grading is on a pass/no credit basis.

Graduate Exit Exam: Jazz
MTH 5845 / 0 credit / Every semester
This required, comprehensive exam covers an overview of the entire graduate curriculum in jazz studies. The candidate must demonstrate understanding of all aspects of the curriculum. Grading is on a pass/no credit basis.

Graduate Exit Exam: Studio Composition
MTH 5850 / 0 credit / Every semester
A comprehensive, curriculum-based assessment administered on a pass/no credit basis. The candidate must demonstrate understanding of the numerous broad-based facets of the studio composition curriculum in both artistic and technical terms. In addition, compelling evidence must be presented and supported of in-depth understanding and expertise in one or more areas relevant to both the curriculum and present trends in the industry.

History Specialization: Major
MTH 5990 / Variable credits / Every semester
Students choose a topic for an advanced individual project related to their area of study.

Additional Studies: Graduate

Chorus
MUS 5250 / 2 credits / Every semester
A mixed ensemble of vocal performance with students from all areas of the campus. The chorus performs a varied repertoire of music and presents concerts on campus and in touring venues with orchestra and professional soloists.
Prerequisite: Prior choral experience

Advanced Jazz Arranging I and II
MUS 5310 and 5320 / 3 credits (per semester)
I: Fall; II: Spring
Covers advanced arranging concepts in both big bands and small groups, centering on the styles of Thad Jones, Bob Brookmeyer, Gil Evans, and Duke Ellington. Students have opportunities for performance and recordings of their work.

Topics in Jazz Seminar
MUS 5350 / 3 credits / Fall
Problematic aspects of each student’s playing are remedied through transcription and analysis of solos by master players. Students are assisted in reaching the next level of their playing ability and in developing a passion for life through music.

Seminar in Jazz Styles
MUS 5360 / 3 credits / Spring
This seminar focuses on fostering students’ creativity in their original compositions, arrangements, and related original works. These works prepared and presented for live in-class group evaluation.

Seminar in Jazz Pedagogy I and II
MUS 5370 and 5380 / 2 credits (per semester)
I: Fall; II: Spring
This course affords students the opportunity to gain firsthand experience with a faculty member in a classroom or rehearsal environment. Topics include goal setting, rehearsal techniques, problem solving, preparation of materials, and group dynamics. Students are given both group and individual attention.

Jazz Pedagogy Practicum
MUS 5381 / 2 credits / Spring
Description currently not available; for information, contact the Conservatory of Music.

Seminar in Studio Pedagogy I and II
MUS 5375 and 5385 / 2 credits (per semester)
I: Fall; II: Spring
Practical classroom and tutorial experience in the concepts of teaching. Assignments may include teaching assistantships in theory, ear training, basic keyboard, music history, and recording technology.

Seminar in Music Notation Software
MUS 5430 / 1.5 credits / Every semester
In this hands-on primer, students become proficient in the use of Finale and Sibelius, the industry standards in music notation software. The embedded tutorials are used as a basis for a project-driven introduction to music notation via the computer.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor

Seminar in Jazz History
MUS 5550 / 2 credits / Spring
Covers selected topics in jazz history. Each student chooses a topic to research, makes an oral presentation to the class, and submits a written research paper. The faculty assists the student in research techniques as well as organization and presentation of materials.

Independent Study
MUS 5900 / Variable credits / Every semester
Independent study at the graduate level is intended to address special artistic, philosophical, ethnomusicological, technological, or entrepreneurial issues.
Prerequisite: A special course contract, filled out by the student and a faculty advisor, specifying goals, criteria, and credits

Graduate Project
MUS 5990 / Variable credits / Every semester
Graduate projects allow innovative presentation of materials not particularly suitable for live performance or score/tape review (e.g., transcription, recitation, or other nontraditional recital postures).
Prerequisite: Faculty recommendation and approval of the dean