Provisional University Bulletin (2026-2027)

• Minor
• Major (BA)
• Master of Arts in Musicology
• Master of Arts in Music Composition and Theory
• Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition and Theory
• Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology
• Doctor of Philosophy in Music Composition and Theory

Undergraduate Major

The Department of Music offers a broad-based undergraduate major that combines the study of theory, performance, history, and composition. The program consists of two semesters of music theory, three semesters of history and critical listening courses, four semesters of departmental ensembles, and four electives. Students may choose to pursue a general degree in Music or specialize in one of three tracks: (1) Composition and Theory, (2) History and Culture, and (3) Performance, and work with faculty advisers to take electives that align with their interests and goals.

Graduate Program in Music

The department offers graduate programs in two areas: composition and theory, and musicology.

Music Composition and Theory

The department offers three degree programs in composition and theory: MA (normally one year), MFA (normally two years), and PhD (normally two or more years following the three years of residency). The programs are designed to help students develop a command of the craft of composition. That objective is supported by studies in theory and analysis and in electro-acoustic music. The doctoral dissertation consists of two parts: an extended analysis thesis and a composition.

Musicology

The department offers two degree programs in musicology: MA (normally two years) and PhD (normally two or more years following the three years of residency). The musicology program offers an integrated approach to the study of music and its many contexts. We combine close critical attention to musical works with investigation into the historical, cultural, intellectual, and institutional factors that have shaped the creation and reception of those works. Our graduate curriculum is expansive, encompassing both intensive seminars on specific topics and proseminars that expose students to a variety of methodologies and new developments in the field.

The department also offers a Joint MA in passing with Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality studies for both the Music Composition and Theory and Musicology programs.

Undergraduate Major

The learning goals for the Music Department are based on an integrated approach to the study of music, incorporating the following perspectives:

1. Music as a technical discipline, with techniques of performance practice and compositional process, notation, materials and forms.
2. Music as an artifact of different historical periods, cultures and societies across the globe, in written as well as oral traditions.
3. The practice of music in the context of both performance and composition.
4. Music as expression and communication, fostering understanding of peoples, a sense of community, and a humane and tolerant outlook on the world.

Coursework is based on three essential ways of knowing about and experiencing music, which can be summarized as follows:

• Theory: Knowledge of the basic materials of music and the rules and practices employed in their arrangement and organization.
• Music History & Culture: The study of the practice, performance, and composition of music in different times and places.
• Performance: Direct collaborative experience of music through participation in departmental ensembles including chorus, chamber singers, orchestra, wind ensemble, early music ensemble, jazz ensemble, improvisation collective, Ghanaian drumming and dance, and chamber music.

Each area has its own set of Core Skills and Knowledge, summarized below. In addition, students develop skills and knowledge about music in relation to social justice.

Theory

Essential for work in theory is the development of self-criticism in the control of the basic materials of music and the rules governing their arrangement and organization in different musical styles. Courses in theory are aligned with work in ear training and musicianship, which develop aural skills necessary for identifying, writing and singing the basic elements of music.

Core Skills

1. Train and develop skills for accurately hearing and matching sounds.
2. Discriminate differences of pitch and duration in single voice and in combination, both in reading music (sight-singing) and notating it (musical dictation).
3. Master the control of consonance and dissonance in written exercises.
4. Shape and develop melodic lines both in terms of single voice continuity and in the simultaneous combination of voices.
5. Understand the grammar of chords, cadence structures, and the place and function of chords in harmonic progressions.
6. Synthesize concepts of form, melody, rhythm, and harmonic motion in the writing of music.
7. Refine the understanding of compositional structure in discussion and performance by professional musicians.

Knowledge

1. Strong foundation in functional harmony and counterpoint.
2. Ability to recognize and describe the structure of standard small musical forms.
3. Capability to utilize functional harmony and counterpoint principles in musical writing.

History

The study of the history of Western and non-Western music from antiquity to the present day gives us a cultural and sequential context for the understanding of changing musical aesthetics and modes of expression. Evidence for examination includes historical depictions of music in society (written and pictured), theoretical and philosophical writings, notational systems, musical instruments, written and printed music, recordings, and performances.

Core Skills

1. Ability to describe the use, value, and function of music in various cultures and societies.
2. Ability to identify significant features of musical activities (performance, composition, and listening activities) through listening to musical compositions and performances, and through the examination of music scores.
3. Ability to apply the appropriate technical terminology and analytical techniques within oral and written narrative descriptions and analyses of music.
4. Write scholarly research papers that integrate previous scholarship with your own analytical observations and understanding of music cultures and repertoires.
5. Learn to use the resources of a university research library.

Knowledge

1. In-depth knowledge of the content, techniques, and style of specific music cultures and repertoires.
2. Knowledge of the intersections between cultural, social, and political landscapes and artistic artifacts and activity, and the value of these artifacts and activities to particular societies.
3. Awareness of the nature, causes, directions, and influences of change processes in music cultures.

Performance

Performance of music synthesizes knowledge and skills, bringing together text, context and technique by interaction with well-known, lesser-known, and newly written repertoire. Technical and expressive skills are practiced, and competency in solo and ensemble performance is expected. There are opportunities for study and performance of early music, jazz, popular and non-Western traditions, and the classical western repertoire.

Core Skills

1. Demonstrate proficiency in chosen instrument/voice as well as a mastery of basic keyboard skills.
2. Incorporate improvisation and aural learning skills in appropriate musical traditions (jazz, early music).
3. Employ effective self-critique and problem-solving in private practice sessions and rehearsals.
4. Work effectively within an ensemble in both a leading and responding role.
5. Hear and act on subtle differences in pitch, timbre, balance, and articulation.
6. Express musically the affective aspect of the compositions.
7. Communicate verbally the musical ideas involved in creating a convincing performance, with the ability to compare alternatives and justify choices.
8. Write clear and effective program notes.

Knowledge

1. Ability to read musical notation fluently on chosen instrument or voice.
2. Understanding of the information in a musical text: pitch, rhythm, articulations, tempo, dynamics, etc.
3. Differentiation between various forms and genres of music, including different periods, traditions, and cultures.
4. Application of theoretical and stylistic knowledge to musical interpretation.
5. Employment of effective listening and communicating techniques to solve ensemble issues (rhythm, intonation, etc.)
6. Direct experience with performing in a variety of ensembles and venues.
7. Identification of the basic musical instrument families, their sounds and functions.

Music and Social Justice

The study of these three areas presents a unique opportunity to link musical expression with human events of the past and present, fostering an inclusive and critical world view.

Core Skills

1. Collaborate with colleagues in working toward a common goal.
2. Recognize, respond to, and communicate the shared human expression embodied in all music.

Knowledge

1. Value the benefit of self-reflection and inquiry in continually striving to become a better musician.

Track Options

Composition and Theory Track

In addition to the core requirements of the Music Major, students work closely with the Composition and Theory Track advisor to choose electives that focus on the skills necessary to create new works of music. Students in this track apply their knowledge of musical form and function, their awareness of genres and historical trends, and their familiarity with performance issues to develop their compositional voice. Upon graduation, students in this track will be prepared to pursue graduate degrees in composition.

History and Culture Track

As in the Composition Track, students in the History and Culture Track will enhance the core requirements with electives chosen in consultation with the History and Culture Track advisor. Through in-depth focus on music cultures and repertoires, and engagement in research and analysis, students will gain a deep understanding of the various ways in which music has served as a means of expression arising from the surrounding culture and ethos. This focus will enhance their own musical experience in addition to preparing them for graduate work in musicology.

Performance Track

Students in the Performance Track are accepted by audition. In addition to the core requirements, students in this track work with the Performance Track advisor and their private instructor to select performance-related electives and prepare two recitals: a half-length program in the Junior year and a full-length program in the Senior year. Graduates of this track will be prepared for more advanced study towards a professional career in performance or music education.

Graduate Programs in Music

Master of Arts in Music Composition and Theory

Knowledge

1. Studies in theory and in the comprehensive analysis of music.
2. Knowledge of the techniques in writing for instruments.
3. Knowledge of the techniques in writing for voice.
4. Knowledge of the techniques of writing for electroacoustic media — both fixed media and interactive media.
5. Knowledge in how to interact with performers and presenters in a professional manner.
6. Knowledge of specific musical notational conventions such that compositional intent is communicated as clearly and efficiently as possible.
7. Knowledge of specific musical notational conventions such that the student’s compositional intent is communicated as clearly and efficiently as possible.

Core Skills

1. Develop a command of the craft of composition through faculty mentorship.
2. Take steps toward establishing a personal creative voice.
3. Comprehensive analysis of pre-tonal, tonal, and post-tonal music.
4. Beginning and completing at least one substantial work while in residence, and seeing it through to performance.

Graduate Outcomes

1. The program is designed for students who have composed music while undergraduates who wish to pursue an intense program in music composition, but are not yet sure if they want to commit to a full 2-year program. They may apply to extend the program to the 2- year M.F.A.
2. Beginning the development of the craft of music composition at the highest professional level.
3. Facility in music analysis and music theory.
4. Knowledge of the use of electroacoustic media. 

Master of Fine Arts in Music Composition and Theory

Knowledge

1. Studies in theory and in the comprehensive analysis of music.
2. Knowledge of the techniques in writing for instruments.
3. Knowledge of the techniques in writing for voice.
4. Knowledge of the techniques of writing for electroacoustic media — both fixed media and interactive media.
5. Knowledge in how to interact with performers and presenters in a professional manner.
6. Knowledge of specific musical notational conventions such that compositional intent is communicated as clearly and efficiently as possible.
7. Knowledge of various ways to embark on a career in music composition.

Core Skills

1. Develop a command of the craft of composition.
2. Take steps toward establishing an individual creative voice.
3. Comprehensive analysis of pre-tonal, tonal, and post-tonal music.
4. Writing of substantial analytical and theoretical papers.
5. Beginning and completing at least one substantial work per year in residence, and seeing them through to performance.
6. Establish a portfolio of work with which to apply to doctoral programs.

Graduate Outcomes

The MFA program is designed for students who are relatively certain that they wish to:

1. Pursue a career in music composition.
2. Command of the craft of music composition at the highest professional level.
3. Development of a substantial portfolio of compelling creative work.
4. High level facility in music analysis and music theory.
5. Experience interacting with professional musicians.
6. Establishing and enlarging the composition portfolio for application to doctoral programs.

Master of Arts in Musicology

Knowledge

1. Studies in music history, ethnomusicology, and the comprehensive analysis of music.
2. Study of representative musical works and musicological literature.
3. Study of the methodologies involved in musical research, analysis and writing.
4. Practice in the writing, criticism and presentation of scholarly papers.
5. Preparation for further study in musicology (at the PhD level).
6. Learning about alternate careers in music.
7. Study of the history of music of various periods.
8. Development of a command of current and older musicological writings in a variety of subfields.

Core Skills

1. The ability to access and deal with primary, secondary, and archival sources.
2. The ability to make use of digital tools and methods. 
3. The ability to formulate interesting and productive research questions.
4. The ability to evaluate tools, methods, arguments, and evidence, and to to critically discuss musicological scholarship in light of past and present theoretical approaches to the field.
5. The ability to write academically about music, including the writing of several research papers.
6. The ability to present research effectively to a wide range of audiences.
7. The ability to apply different research methodologies to varied repertoires and historical problems.
8. The ability to formulate interesting research questions and conduct independent research with the guidance of an advisor, culminating in the writing of an original thesis.

Graduate Outcomes

1. The MA program is designed for students who are considering a career in musicology.
2. Through four semesters of coursework students take a total of twelve seminars and pro-seminars in music history.
3. Through guest lectures and colloquia students encounter representative musicologists from other universities.
4. Through the writing of the MA thesis students learn the necessary techniques. and methodologies demanded for a PhD dissertation.

Doctor of Philosophy in Music Composition and Theory

Knowledge

1. Studies in theory and in the comprehensive analysis of music.
2. Knowledge of the techniques in writing for instruments.
3. Knowledge of the techniques in writing for voice.
4. Knowledge of the techniques of writing for electroacoustic media — both fixed media and interactive media.
5. Knowledge in how to interact with performers and presenters in a professional manner.
6. Knowledge of specific musical notational conventions such that compositional intent is communicated as clearly and efficiently as possible.
7. Knowledge of various ways to embark on a career in music composition.
8. Experience of running a concert series.
9. Techniques and strategies for teaching music at the college level, including ear training, music theory, fundamentals of music, music history, and music appreciation.
10. Knowledge of writing grant applications.
11. For additional Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies learning goals for the joint MA in passing, visit the WGS program Bulletin.

Core Skills

1. Develop a command of the craft of composition at the highest level.
2. Development of an individual creative voice.
3. Comprehensive analysis of pre-tonal, tonal, and post-tonal music.
4. Writing of substantial analytical and theoretical papers.
5. Ability to research and to present theoretical and compositional topics in a professional setting.
6. The establishment of a substantial and substantive portfolio of individual creative works.
7. Ability to teach music at the college level both to musicians and non-musicians.
8. Experience in presenting and producing concerts.
9. Development of strategies for creating and maintaining a career in music composition.

Graduate Outcomes

1. Command of the craft of music composition at the highest professional level.
2. Development of a substantial portfolio of compelling creative work.
3. High level facility in music analysis and music theory.
4. Substantial experience in teaching music at all levels.
5. Comprehensive knowledge of the use of electroacoustic media.
6. Experience fulfilling commissions and interacting with professional musicians.
7. Administrative experience in running a concert series.
8. Credentials for academic teaching jobs.

Doctor of Philosophy in Musicology

Knowledge

1. Mastery of an integrated approach to the study of music and its many contexts, and knowledge of the developments that have shaped musicology since its institutionalization as an academic discipline.
2. Advanced knowledge in specific topics of musicology, ethnomusicology, music history, theory, and analysis, and ethnography from topical, geographical, and chronological perspectives.
3. Mastery of subject matter and theoretical approaches relating to a primary research area and a secondary area of specialization.
4. Gains proficiency in all pertinent languages relating to the student’s research area.
5. Gains knowledge of the job market opportunities for musicology graduates, and the best preparation for the job market, and of the job application and grant proposal process.
6. For additional Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies learning goals for the joint MA in passing, visit the WGS program Bulletin.

Core Skills

1. The ability to access and deal with primary, secondary, and archival sources.
2. The ability to make use of digital tools and methods. 
3. The ability to formulate interesting and productive research questions.
4. The ability to evaluate tools, methods, arguments, and evidence, and to to critically discuss musicological scholarship in light of past and present theoretical approaches to the field.
5. The ability to write academically about music, including the writing of several research papers, and the completion of a dissertation demonstrating their competence as an independent investigator, their critical ability, and their effectiveness of expression.
6. The ability to present research effectively to a wide range of audiences.
7. The ability to teach in an academic context (course preparation, lecturing, administering and grading exams and meeting individually with undergraduates).

Graduate Outcomes

1. Develop their skills as researchers, writers, and teachers in higher education, and in other fields where high-level critical thinking, research, writing, and oral communication are required (university administration, libraries, cultural institutions, including museums, and music performance institutions and non-profit organizations, etc.).

Students wishing to major in music should arrange to meet with the Undergraduate Advising Head, who will discuss the various options for majoring in music. Students who want to focus their study on a specific track will be given information on how to apply. (For certain tracks, a portfolio or audition is required.) They will also be assigned to a faculty track advisor. Students may declare the major at any point after admission.

Once declared, majors wishing to take private instrumental or vocal lessons (MUS 111/112 a and b) are eligible to receive a private lesson subsidy in the amount of $550. The private lesson subsidies for the declared music majors will begin after the successful completion of the first semester of music theory and once they enroll in the second semester of theory. Students accepted into the Performance Track may take private lessons free of cost, and are required to enroll in private lessons during their junior and senior years (MUS 117 Jr. Recital/MUS 118 Sr. Recital), at no charge. NOTE: Registration in MUS 111/112 is always required by the registration deadline date, for both credit and non-credit (XC) sections.

Please see the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Admissions section of the Bulletin for information on Admission to the program. For information on our program’s specific application requirements, please see the Music programs’ page on the GSAS admissions site.

Mark Berger
Viola, Lydian String Quartet. Performance. Theory and analysis.

Yu-Hui Chang
Composition. Theory and analysis.

Eric Chasalow, Chair (on leave fall 2025)
Composition. Analysis. Electronic music.

Robert Duff, Undergraduate Advising Head, Undergraduate Advisor, Performance Track (for vocalists)
Director, University Chorus and Chamber Choir. Choral and vocal performance. Conducting.

Emily Frey, Undergraduate Advisor, History and Cultural Studies Track
Russian and Soviet music. History of opera, especially of the nineteenth century. Music and literature. Russian cultural history of the "long" nineteenth century. Music, politics, and law. Psychological realism.

Bradford Garvey, Director of Graduate Studies (on leave spring 2026)
Ethnomusicology, Middle Eastern/Arab music, music and language (linguistic anthropology), Iraqi Maqām, analysis of rhythm and timbre, economic ethnomusicology.

Erin Gee
Composition. Theory and analysis.

Julia Glenn
Violin, Lydian String Quartet, Performance and Analysis.

Joshua Gordon, Undergraduate Advisor, Performance Track (for instrumentalists)
Cello, Lydian String Quartet. Performance and analysis.

Neal Hampton
Director, Brandeis Orchestra. Musical theater composition.

Michael Heller, Department Chair
Jazz studies, sound studies, archival theory, affect theory, 20th-century music, the American avant garde, improvisation, music and race, music and diaspora, academic journal editing.

Clara Lyon
Violin, Lydian String Quartet, Performance and Analysis.

Bob Nieske
Director, Jazz Ensemble. Jazz bass. Jazz improvisation and composition.

David Rakowski, Undergraduate Advisor, Composition Track
Composition. Theory and analysis.

Vocal Instructors

Matthew Anderson, tenor
Krista River, mezzo-soprano
Kristen Watson, soprano
Pamela Wolfe, soprano

Instrumental Instructors

Violin
Julia Glenn
Clara Lyon

Viola
Mark Berger

Cello
Joshua Gordon

Double Bass
Elizabeth Foulser
Robert Nieske

Guitar
Phil Sargent

Flute
Jill Dreeben

Clarinet
Margo McGowan

Oboe
Elizabeth England

Bassoon
Devon Nelson

Saxophone
Tom Hall

French Horn
Frederick Aldrich

Trumpet
Bruce Hall

Trombone
Joel Yennoir

Tuba/euphonium
James Farley

Piano
Jonathan Fagan, jazz piano
Evan Hirsch

Harpsichord
Frances Fitch

Organ
Frances Fitch
Christa Rakich

Percussion
Robert Schulz
Ben Paulding

The minor in music consists of the equivalent of six semester courses. Required are:

1. One history and culture course (either MUS 3b Global Soundscapes or MUS 136a Critical Listening).
2. Two semesters of music theory sequence (usually MUS 101a and 101b) and the co-requisite lab (MUS 102a and 102b).
3. Two electives, one of which must be a MUS-subject course. The second may be a course cross-listed with music. Two semesters of departmental ensemble courses may count as one elective.
4. Students must receive a grade of C- or higher in any course taken to fulfill the requirements for completing the minor.
5. No course taken pass/fail may count toward the minor requirements.

The major in music consists of the equivalent of  twelve semester courses taken for major credit,  including four separate semesters of ensemble participation. Music majors may choose to pursue a general degree in Music or specialize in one of three tracks: music composition and theory, history and culture, or performance. Students in specialized tracks are encouraged to develop areas of interest within the track, in consultation with the respective adviser, and to choose appropriate electives for these areas. Required are:

1. The equivalent of six 4-credit courses, as follows:
   • Global Soundscapes (MUS 3b)
   • Critical Listening (MUS 136a)
   • MUS 101a and MUS 101b, with the co-requisite labs MUS 102a and MUS 102b totaling two consecutive semesters of 12 total credits. (Students who test out of any part of MUS 101/102 should continue with MUS 103/104 to complete the two consecutive semesters of music theory sequence requirement.)
   • Advanced Seminar (MUS 161b)
2. Four Electives: The equivalent of four 4-credit courses (16 credits) from the music department. Eligible music courses include MUS 106a and any other course with a MUS designation that can be taken for major credit, with the exception for MUS 1a, MUS 5a, and performance ensembles (MUS 80-89, MUS 116). A maximum of two cross-listed courses may be taken for major credit. A full year of private instruction, MUS 111a,b (Private Instruction: Instrumentalists) or MUS 112a,b (Private Instruction: Voice) may be counted only once for major credit. No elective course may be taken twice for major credit.
3. In addition to the above-listed requirements, all majors in music are required to participate in a music department ensemble MUS 80a,b – MUS 89a,b or MUS 116a,b for four separate semesters (8 credits). Students must enroll in either the credited or non-credit (XC) sections of their ensembles to fulfill this major requirement. For students in the Music Composition & Theory and History & Culture tracks, ensemble courses taken prior to declaring the major count towards this requirement; for students in the Performance track, three of the four required semesters of ensemble should take place in the last two years of study. Students may petition, with the approval of their track advisor, to fulfill one semester of their ensemble requirement with participation in a professional non-Brandeis ensemble (to be considered on a case by case basis, in consultation with the performance faculty, private instructor, and department chair). Students cannot receive course credit for outside ensemble performance. Only eight credits of ensembles can count toward the university's 128 credits (the equivalent of four two-credit courses).
4. A Capstone is mandatory for the specialized tracks only: Music Composition and Theory, History and Culture, or Performance. The following are examples of capstone projects: an original composition written as part of a 100-level or above composition course; a research paper written as part of a musicology seminar or proseminar course (MUS courses at the 180-level or above, including graduate-level seminars); extended projects undertaken within Senior Project (MUS 99d) or Senior Performance (MUS 118a or b). Students must obtain approval from their track advisor on their specific capstone project plan. General track music majors are not required to complete a capstone project.
5. Foundational Literacies: As part of completing the Music major, students must:
   • Fulfill the writing intensive requirement by successfully completing: MUS 161b or any WI-designated course approved for the major.
   • Fulfill the oral communication requirement by successfully completing one of the following: MUS 136a or any OC-designated course approved for the major.
   • Fulfill the digital literacy requirement by successfully completing one of the following: MUS 101a or b, MUS 103a or b, MUS 107a, MUS 160b, MUS 161a, MUS 180b, or any DL-designated course approved for the major.
6. Additional requirements for candidates for degrees with distinction: To be eligible for honors in music, candidates must demonstrate superior ability through their overall record and a capacity for independent thought beyond the limits of their course program, by completing additional work such as a written thesis, an approved project in original composition, or a senior recital.
7. Students must receive a grade of C- or higher in any course taken to fulfill the requirements for completing the major.
8. No course taken pass/fail or credit/no credit may count toward the major requirements, with the exception of MUS 106a.

Music Composition and Theory Track

Admission to the Composition track is contingent upon submission of a minimum of three musical compositions to the Composition track adviser. Required courses for this track are MUS 103a,b, MUS 104a,b and MUS 106a. Students in this track are eligible to take a semester of MUS 197a, b. The capstone for this track consists of a composition project approved by the track advisor, completed in the context of a course such as MUS 106a, MUS 107a, or MUS 197a, b. Please consult with the composition track advisor early about your capstone (i.e., by at least the spring of your junior year). 

History and Culture Track

The capstone for the History and Culture Track consists of a research paper approved by the track advisor, completed in the context of a course such as a musicology proseminar or seminar course (MUS courses at the 180-level or above, including graduate seminars). Please consult with the history and culture track advisor early about your capstone (i.e., by at least the spring of your junior year).

Performance Track

Admission to the Performance track is contingent upon a successful audition, normally at the end of the sophomore year. All students in the performance track will take Senior Performance (MUS 118a,b) for their required capstone. This performance can take the form of a traditional recital, or be done as part of a larger ensemble: for instance, a jazz bassist might program and perform a concert with a band, doing the arrangements, and writing the program notes, or a conducting student could program and prepare an ensemble concert. Please consult with the track advisor upon acceptance into the program about your capstone in order to have adequate time to prepare for this final performance. Solo performers must take Junior Recital (MUS117a and b) as one of their electives in preparation for their Senior Performance. Other students in the Performance Track must take at least one performance-focused elective related to their Senior Performance in their junior year in consultation with the track advisor

Private Instruction and Ensembles in Fulfillment of the Creative Arts Distribution Requirement

Please note that ensembles and private instruction (MUS 80a,b – MUS 88a,b, MUS 111a,b, MUS 112 a,b, and MUS 116a,b) yield half-course credit each; therefore, two semesters of ensemble or one semester of private instruction plus the corequisite ensemble are required to fulfill the creative arts distribution requirement. Students must notify the Registrar’s Office directly to have fulfillment of this distribution requirement added to their transcript.

Music Composition and Theory

1. Seven and one-half courses at the graduate level: proseminars and seminars in composition, proseminars and seminars in tonal and nontonal analysis. Private instrumental or vocal instruction and ensemble performance may be counted for credit with permission of the Director of Graduate Studies in Music Composition and Theory.
2. A composition that is begun during the first semester, completed in time to be performed in the spring graduate composers' concert.
3. One year of in-person residency. The program may take an additional one or two semesters to complete as an Extended Master's student.
4. Attendance at departmental composition colloquia and concerts.

Musicology

1. The equivalent of twelve four-credit courses at the graduate level: proseminars and seminars in musicology (including an array of courses in different historical periods, in music analysis, and in history of theory).
   1. The seminar MUS 182a Introduction to Musicology is required.
   2. The 2-credit course “Musicology Lab” must be taken twice for credit.
2. Research Project: Either a thesis that is an analytical or historical study of a topic acceptable to the music faculty (40-50 pages minimum), or revised copies of two seminar papers that have been certified by the seminar instructor and at least one other faculty member as demonstrating a high degree of competence in research writing. Two copies of the thesis must be submitted to the program chair in final form no later than six weeks before the conferral of degrees. The master’s thesis must be deposited electronically to ProQuest ETD. For instructions on how to do this, visit the Thesis and Dissertation Guide. For doctoral candidates, successful completion of the general examinations may be substituted for this thesis requirement.
3. Two years of in-person residency. The program may take an additional one or two semesters to complete as an Extended Master's student.
4. Attendance at departmental musicology colloquia.

The Music department offers the opportunity for PhD students only to earn a joint MA with Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Topics include feminist theory, gender studies, cultural history and the investigation of work by and about women.

Program of Study

1. WGS 205a, the foundational course in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies.
2. One course in feminist research methodologies (WGS 208b, or the Feminist Inquiry course offered through the Graduate Consortium in Women's Studies).
3. Two courses at the graduate level from another department listed as electives in Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Normally, only one of these courses may be a Directed Reading course (WGS 310a,b).
4. Four courses at the graduate level in the Music Department. One graduate course from the consortium that is related to music & women’s, gender and sexuality studies may be substituted. One of the four courses must include a seminar paper that focuses on a topic related to women's and gender studies. In cases where this is not possible, an independent study leading to a paper addressing an issue specifically related to music & women’s, gender, and sexuality studies may be substituted. MUS 171a (Form and Analysis) and MUS 205A (Musicology lab) are also required. Note: the 2-credit course “Musicology Lab” must be taken twice for credit.
5. Attendance at all departmental musicology colloquia.
6. Completion of a Master's research paper of professional quality and length (normally twenty-five to forty pages) on a topic related to the joint degree. The paper will be read by two faculty members, one of whom is a member of the Music Department and one of whom is a member of the Women's, Gender, and Sexuality Studies core or affiliate faculty. In consultation with the primary advisor, a student may register for WGS 299a,b, "Master's Project." However, this course may not count toward the eight required courses.
7. Additional requirements as listed in the accompanying Ph.D. program.

Language Requirement

There is no additional foreign language requirement for the joint Master's degree.

Residence Requirement

All students are required to complete one year (two semesters) of residency in-person.

1. Twelve courses at the graduate level: proseminars and seminars in composition, seminars in tonal and nontonal analysis, a course in electro-acoustic music (or demonstrated proficiency).
   • MUS 172a is required.
2. Examinations: Demonstration of competence by means of a portfolio review and written general examination at the end of the second year of study.
3. Thesis: An original composition, the scope to be approved by the faculty in composition. The master’s thesis must be deposited electronically to ProQuest  ETD. For instructions on how to do this, visit the Thesis and Dissertation Guide.
4. Two years of in-person residency. The program may take an additional one or two semesters to complete as an Extended Master's student.
5. Attendance at departmental composition colloquia and concerts.
6. For doctoral students who are applying for the MFA degree as part of their progress toward the Ph.D. successful completion of the written general exams fulfills the thesis requirement.

Music Composition and Theory

1. Sixteen courses at the graduate level: proseminars and seminars in composition, seminars in tonal and nontonal analysis, a course in electro-acoustic music (or demonstrated proficiency).
   • MUS 172a is required.
2. Teaching: Preparation of graduate students for teaching careers is an integral part of the PhD programs in music. All PhD students are required to participate in undergraduate teaching during the course of their studies. Every graduate teaching assistant (TA) is supervised by a member of the faculty, who serves as a mentor to improve the quality of the TA's teaching. Please see the GSAS section on Teaching Requirements and the program handbook for more details.
3. Satisfactory completion of the language requirement in one language (French, German, Italian, or another language by petition). The language requirement should be met within the first two years. If the student is a native speaker of the pertinent non-English language(s), then the language requirement is waived.
4. Examinations: General examinations during the second year. Oral qualifying examination in the third year. Oral qualifying exam may only be taken after passing the General exam.
5. Dissertation proposal: Five to seven pages prospectus of the dissertation developed in consultation with the dissertation advisers. After passing the Oral Qualifying exam, the prospectus should be presented to the composition faculty for their approval.
6. Dissertation: An original musical composition and a thesis on a theoretical or analytical subject. The thesis, as well as an abstract not to exceed 350 words in length, should be approved by the advisor and the second reader, and submitted to the program Director of Graduate Studies in Composition one month prior to the defense date. The thesis and the composition are then sent to the outside reader. . Upon completion of the thesis and the composition, the candidate is expected to defend it in a final oral examination. The faculty in composition attempts to arrange for the performance of dissertation compositions whenever possible.
7. Three years of in-person residency.
8. Attendance at departmental composition colloquia and concerts.

Musicology

1. Twelve courses at the graduate level: proseminars and seminars in musicology (including an array of courses in different historical periods, in music analysis, and in history of theory). 
   • The seminar “Introduction to Musicology” is required.
   • The 2-credit course “Musicology Lab” must be taken twice for credit.
2. Satisfactory completion of the language exam requirement. Students are required to master one language relevant to their research area, and to fulfill this requirement by the end of their third year.
3. Assistantships: Preparation of graduate students for teaching careers is an integral part of the PhD programs in music. Beginning with the second year of residence, PhD candidates in musicology participate as teaching assistants in the relevant undergraduate courses, for six teaching assistant assignments. All teaching comes under the guidance of the primary course instructors and the department chair. The department also wants to support students considering careers outside academia, and encourages alternative professional development activity in lieu of two teaching assistantships: these might include internships at museums/arts organizations (e.g. BSO, Museum of Fine Arts, WCRB) or research assistantships, and they may be completed over the summer.

In addition, if a student secures an outside fellowship with funding for dissertation research or dissertation writing, up to two semesters of the teaching requirement may be waived. The student still must have completed all other requirements except the dissertation in order to attain 'ABD' ('All But Dissertation') status.

4. Examinations: At the beginning of the second year, candidates must demonstrate a broad, general knowledge of music history by means of a written general examination. During the third year, students must demonstrate in-depth knowledge of their area of specialization by means of a written and oral specialized qualifying examination.
5. Four additional courses at the graduate level, normally MUS 401d (Dissertation Research), or other courses as recommended by the faculty.
6. Dissertation proposal: fifteen- to twenty-page page prospectus of the dissertation developed in consultation with the dissertation adviser and presented to the musicology faculty for their approval, no later than the end of the third year of residency.
7. Dissertation on a historical, theoretical, or analytical subject. Dissertations should demonstrate the competence of the candidate as an independent investigator, their critical ability, and effectiveness of expression. The dissertation, as well as an abstract not to exceed 350 words in length, should be approved by the advisor and the second reader, and submitted to the program Director of Graduate Studies in Musicology one month prior to the defense date. The dissertation is then sent to the outside reader. Upon completion of the dissertation, the candidate is expected to defend it in a final oral examination.
8. Three years of in-person residency.
9. Attendance at departmental musicology colloquia.

Master's Degree

Students may normally hold only one master's degree in the department.

Language Requirements

Language examinations to test reading proficiency are administered by the music department. Students will be asked to translate several passages with the aid of a dictionary. Foreign language course credits do not in themselves constitute fulfillment of the language requirements. Examinations will be offered once per semester. In case of failure, an examination may be retaken.

If a student's second language is English, given that they will be writing their dissertation in English, they need take only one reading language exam to satisfy the language requirement (English will qualify as their second reading language by default).

Electronic Music Studio

The Brandeis Electro-Acoustic Music Studio (BEAMS) with facilities for the composition of electronic music is available to qualified student composers. Director: Professor Eric Chasalow.

Every student, whether or not currently in residence, must register at the beginning of each term. All graduate students will be evaluated by the program each spring. At this evaluation the records of all graduate students will be carefully reviewed with reference to the timely completion of coursework and non-course degree requirements, the quality of the work and research in progress and the student’s overall academic performance in the program.

AMST/MUS 35a Rock, Country, and Hip-Hop: History of American Popular Music
[ ca oc ]

Formerly offered as MUS 35a.

Examines the historical context, stylistic development, and cultural significance of rock and roll and other closely related genres, spanning the 1950s through the present. Close attention is paid to how political and social changes have interacted with technological innovations through commercial music to challenge, affirm and shape ideas of race, gender, class and sexuality in the United States. Usually offered every third year.

AMST/MUS 39b Protest Through Song: Music that Shaped America
[ ca oc ss ]

Open to music majors and non-majors.

Examines 20th and 21st century protest music to better understand the complex relationships between music and social movements. Through class discussions, reading, writing, and listening assignments, and a final performance students will discover how social, cultural, and economic protest songs helped shape American culture. Usually offered every second year.

AMST/MUS 55a Music in Film: Hearing American Cinema
[ ca oc ]

Formerly offered as MUS 55a.

Examines the aesthetics and the history of music in film. Through lecture, class discussions, screenings, and readings, the course teaches students how to critically read image, script, and music as an integrated cultural text, ultimately helping one understand and appreciate the progression of film and sound technology from the 1890s to the present. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 1a Exploring Music
[ ca ]

Does not meet requirements for the major or minor in music.

A general introduction to the materials and forms of music and their role in human social life with examples drawn from around the world. Training in analytical listening, based on selected listening assignments. Open to non-majors who are assumed to have little or no previous knowledge of music. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 3b Global Soundscapes: Performing Musical Tradition Across Time and Place
[ ca nw ]

Open to all students. Required of all Cultural Studies track majors.

What are we listening to? Applies engaged listening skills and critical analysis for a deeper appreciation of (non-Western) music as a cultural expression. Focuses on particular traditions as well as social context, impact of globalization, cultural production, cultural rights, etc. Usually offered every year.

MUS 5a The Beginner's Toolbox: Fundamentals of Music Notation and Performance
[ ca ]

Does not meet requirements for the major or minor in music.

Explores the basic elements of music including pitch, rhythm, timbre and feel. Students will learn to understand music through listening and reading musical notation and chord-charts and will develop vocabulary for discussing music from a variety of traditions and styles. No previous experience with music or knowledge of how to read music is required. Usually offered every year. 

MUS 31a Broadway Bound: The Craft of Composing Music and Lyrics for the Theater
[ ca ]

Open to music majors and non-majors.

Do you like to write poetry or plays? Have you written music and/or lyrics and want to try your hand at writing musical theatre? In this class, you will learn how music functions in a dramatic context by writing songs (alone or in collaboration with others) and regularly presenting your material for peer and instructor feedback. Contemporary and traditional musical theater masterpieces will be analyzed. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 32b Elements of Jazz
[ ca ]

Open to music majors and non-majors.

Examines the development of Jazz styles from the origins of Jazz in the late 1800's through today's Jazz masters. Early Jazz, Swing, Bebop, Cool, the year 1959, and Avant Garde are some of the styles we will be examining through recordings, videos, and in-class performances by local jazz musicians. The emphasis will be on learning how to listen to the various layers of the music and recognize specific stylistic techniques. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 36b Divas
[ ca wi ]

Though her name means 'goddess,' the diva is frequently imagined as a creature with all-too-human failings; she is both talented and tempestuous, both revered and reviled. This course will explore the complex image of the diva in Western culture from the middle ages to the present day. We'll treat the category of 'diva' expansively ' encompassing opera singers and pop stars, composers and castrati ' and engage with thorny questions of gender, sexuality, race, class, and power, in hopes of understanding the enduring cultural potency of this compelling and problematic figure. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 37a Community Engagement Through Music
[ ca oc ]

If you make music in any way, whether you play guitar in your bedroom by yourself or perform piano recitals onstage, your music has the potential to help you develop impactful personal connections with the greater Waltham community. In this experiential learning course, we will explore community engagement through music, creating interactive musical storytime performances for children and adaptable performances for senior/rehabilitation centers, seeking input from our partner organizations and our peers at every step of the way. Bring your musical creativity and your community spirit- we have the opportunity to be ambassadors for Brandeis in the Waltham community while having a lot of fun along the way. Proficiency on a musical instrument is not required to participate in the course, but all students will be expected to bring their musical curiosity to the class, as well as willingness to push outside their comfort zone and get a little silly at times! Openness to a variety of perspectives, on an off campus, will also be a vital part of the learning process. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 51a Singing to Power
[ ca ]

Explores the transformative potential of song through historical study, musical analysis, and creative engagement. Each week students will study songs, paired with readings from relevant discourses in women’s, gender and sexuality studies, critical race theory, working-class studies and others. While some time will be spent on protest music and its connections to social movements, the course will primarily focus on the under-examined power of song in contexts of family/community history, alternative cultural discourse, and covert resistance. Our emphasis will be on American popular music from the 20th and 21st centuries, but examples and inspiration will be drawn from other cultures and traditions as well. Throughout the semester, students will work on creative projects, culminating in the composition of an original poem or song. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 57a Jazz, Politics, and Protest
[ ca deis-us ]

Since the emergence of jazz at the dawn of the 20th century, musicians have built a long and storied tradition of protest and political engagement. This course will explore forms of protest pursued by jazz artists over that time, tracing key historical moments, as well as ongoing themes and strategies. Topics will include musicians' extensive participation in the civil rights and racial justice movements; the formation of musician-organized collectives to protect artists' rights; the complex relationship between jazz musicians and the U.S. State Department; and contemporary examples of musical activism in response to the Movement for Black Lives, the #MeToo movement, civic responses to Hurricane Katrina, and other issues. The class will include a combination of reading assignments, as well as close listening to germinal works that broach political themes. In addition to written papers, students will have options to pursue applied projects, depending on their preferences and academic focus. Our overarching goal will be to consider the theme of jazz and protest not only as a topic of historical interest, but as one that continues to resonate in the jazz community today. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 58a Jazz History and American Culture
[ ca deis-us ]

An introductory survey to the history of jazz and the music's resonance in American cultural history. The course will outline key innovators and historical developments, as well as explore the music's social and political resonance. Certain units of the course will proceed via chronological history, while others will offer thematic examinations of how contemporary artists have used the music to respond to a variety of contemporary discourses. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 81a Brandeis University Chamber Singers

Corequisite: MUS 80a,b or MUS 82a,b. Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. Vocal placement auditions will be held at the start of the semester. Full academic year participation expected. Significant vocal experience, aural skills, and music literacy required. A maximum of four course credits will be allowed for all enrollments in Ensemble (80a,b, 88a,b) alone or Private Instruction and Ensemble together. May be undertaken as an extracurricular, noncredit activity by registering in the XC section.

The Chamber Singers is the premiere ensemble at Brandeis University. The ensemble explores repertoire for chamber choir including all major genres from the Renaissance through present day. Singers prepare independently outside of scheduled rehearsals. Opportunities for one-on-a-part ensemble singing and solos. Usually offered every year.

MUS 81b Brandeis University Chamber Singers

Continuation of MUS 81a. See MUS 81a for special notes and course description.

Usually offered every year.

MUS 82a University Chorus

Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. Vocal placement auditions will be held at the start of the semester. A maximum of four course credits will be allowed for all enrollments in Ensemble (80a,b, 88a,b) alone or Private Instruction and Ensemble together. May be undertaken as an extracurricular, noncredit activity by registering in the XC section.

Performs in concert great literature from the sixteenth to the twentieth centuries. Aspects of singing, musicianship skills, and ensemble building are emphasized. Usually offered every year.

MUS 82b University Chorus

Continuation of MUS 82a. See MUS 82a for special notes and course description.

Usually offered every year.

MUS 83a Jazz Ensemble

Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. Admission by the consent of the instructor based on an audition. A maximum of four course credits will be allowed for all enrollments in Ensemble (80a,b ' 88a,b) alone or Private Instruction and Ensemble together. May be undertaken as an extracurricular, noncredit activity by registering in the XC section.

The Brandeis Jazz Ensemble has about 15 musicians from the Brandeis community. Instrumentation will vary according to annual fall auditions. Repertoire consists of pieces by jazz greats including Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, Gil Evans, Sun Ra...as well as arrangements of tunes and original compositions by the director, Bob Nieske and students. Students are also encouraged to compose or arrange for the group with the assistance of the director. Each semester the ensemble performs 5 or 6 pieces as a full group and 4 or 5 as small groups for a different musical experience. Although saxophone, brass, piano, guitar, bass and drums are the traditional jazz instruments, the ensemble is also open to more 'classical' instruments (strings and woodwinds). Lower brass such as French horn, trombone, euphonium and tuba are especially encouraged to audition. Students do not have to have any experience improvising but must be able to read well and have a good command of their instrument. At least one concert per semester. Usually offered every year.

MUS 83b Jazz Ensemble

Continuation of MUS 83a. See MUS 83a for special notes and course description.

Usually offered every year.

MUS 84a Orchestra

Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. Acceptance into ensemble contingent on instructor's approval based on auditions held at the start of the semester. A maximum of four course credits will be allowed for all enrollments in Ensemble (80a,b ' 88a,b) alone or Private Instruction and Ensemble together. May be undertaken as an extracurricular, noncredit activity by registering in the XC section.

The orchestra gives several concerts each year performing major works from the symphonic repertory. Students prepare independently, outside of scheduled rehearsals. Usually offered every year.

MUS 84b Orchestra

Continuation of MUS 84a. See MUS 84a for special notes and course description.

Usually offered every year.

MUS 85a Wind Ensemble

Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields half-course credit. Placement auditions will be held at the start of the semester. A maximum of four course credits will be allowed for all enrollments in Ensemble (80a,b ' 88a,b) alone or Private Instruction and Ensemble together. May be undertaken as an extracurricular, noncredit activity by registering in the XC section.

The Wind Ensemble gives one to two concerts a semester. Members of the Wind Ensemble may be asked to play with the orchestra as needed for large-scale works. Usually offered every year.

MUS 85b Wind Ensemble

Continuation of MUS 85a. See MUS 85a for special notes and course description.

Usually offered every year.

MUS 86a Improv Collective

Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit basis. Yields half-course credit. No audition required.

Join the Brandeis Improv Collective and learn how to become more fluidly and joyfully creative, both individually and in a group, through an exploration of musical improvisation. This ensemble is suitable for any student with an interest in having fun playing with other people, regardless of previous experience in improvising or instrumental skill level. Instruments from all cultural backgrounds may be included. A maximum of four course credits will be allowed for all enrollments in Ensemble (MUS 80a,b; MUS 88a,b) alone or Private Instruction and Ensemble together. May be undertaken as an extracurricular, noncredit activity by registering in the XC section.

The semester culminates with a performance in Slosberg Recital hall. Usually offered every semester.

MUS 86b Improv Collective

Continuation of MUS 86a. See MUS 86a for special notes and course description.

Usually offered every semester.

MUS 87a Music and Dance from Ghana

Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit basis. Yields half-course credit. A maximum of four course credits will be allowed for all enrollments in Ensemble (80a,b ' 88a,b) alone or Private Instruction and Ensemble together. Instruments will be supplied by instructor.

Students in this course will study and perform a repertory of traditional music and dance of a variety of ethnic traditions from Ghana, West Africa. The drum ensemble includes bells, rattles and drums. The vocal music features call-and-response singing in local languages. The dances have choreographic formations as well as opportunity for individual expression. Drumming and dancing are closely intertwined; work will culminate in a final performance. Usually offered every year.

MUS 87b Music and Dance from Ghana

Continuation of MUS 87a. See MUS 87a for special notes and course description.

Usually offered every year.

MUS 89b Roots Music Ensemble

Study and perform repertoire from Roots music traditions including blues, country, swing, bluegrass and Appalachian folk. Students will learn to play these styles by ear while developing skills in arranging, harmonizing and improvising. Participation is open to instrumentalists and vocalists from any musical background (including those who play instruments not usually associated with these styles).

MUS 92a Internship and Analysis

MUS 92b Internship and Analysis

MUS 98a Directed Independent Study

Open to qualified undergraduates with instructor permission.

Requires written work such as a historical or analytical essay, preparation of a critical edition, or the creation of an original musical composition. Usually offered every year.

MUS 98b Directed Independent Study

Yields half-course credit. Open to qualified undergraduates.

Requires written work such as a historical or analytical essay, preparation of a critical edition, or the creation of an original musical composition. Usually offered every year.

MUS 99d Senior Project

Open to seniors with a GPA in music of 3.00 or above. Admission by petition. May involve a thesis, musical performance, or composition. In all cases, it must produce written work. Usually offered every year.

MATH/MUS 121b Math and Music
[ ca ]

Does not satisfy the SN requirement. MATH/MUS121b can count toward the minor in mathematics (replacing one of the 3 electives in the MATH 27+ range). MATH/MUS 121b can count as a cross-listed course for the applied math major. It does not count toward the pure math major.

Mathematical patterns, symmetries, sequences, modular relationships, and order are ubiquitous in music. In fact, mathematics and music have inspired each other for centuries, with music providing inspiration for some mathematical discoveries and mathematical concepts providing a conceptual framework for thinking about musical expression, tuning, composition, and musical analysis. With the advent of computers and mathematical methods in recent years, new concepts have been implemented into algorithmic music composition. The purpose of this class is to provide students with an introduction to the deep relationship between mathematics and music, to present in depth a collection of selected topics that highlight the influence of symmetries, patterns, stochastic structures and geometrical analysis, and to encourage the students to explore those links in a creative final project. Usually offered every four years.

MUS 101a Western Classical and Popular Music I: How It's Made, Part 1
[ ca dl ]

Admission by placement exam to be given in class on the first day of instruction. Corequisite: MUS 102a must be taken at the same time as MUS 101a.

A first course for students who already read music, but wish to develop a deeper involvement. Students investigate how music "works" by composing exercises based on examples of tonal music and literature that students are practicing for performance. Focuses on elementary harmony and voice-leading, counterpoint, analysis, and model composition. In the required one-hour lab (MUS 102a), students practice sight-singing and dictation, skills essential to music literacy. Usually offered every year.

MUS 101b Western Classical and Popular Music I: How It's Made, Part 2
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: MUS 101a. Corequisite: MUS 102b must be taken at the same time as MUS 101b.

The second semester introduces broad concepts of theory and begins the process of learning to write and analyze music. By the end of the year, students will gain experience in counterpoint, harmony, and formal analysis, and will compose in a simple form. Throughout the year, the relationship of repertoire and theory is stressed. The required ear-training and keyboard lab meets separately. Usually offered every year.

MUS 102a Western Classical and Popular Music I: How It's Made, Part 1 (Lab)

Corequisite: MUS 101a. Yields half-course credit.

Designed to help students develop essential music literary skills. Beginning sight-singing, simple melodic and harmonic dictation, and rhythmic studies. Materials drawn from the corequisite lecture course. Keyboard harmony. Usually offered every year.

MUS 102b Western Classical and Popular Music I: How It's Made, Part 2 (Lab)

Corequisite: MUS 101b. Yields half-course credit.

See MUS 102a for course description. Usually offered every year.

MUS 103a Western Classical and Popular Music II: How It's Made, Part 1
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisites: MUS 101a,b and 102a,b. Corequisite: MUS 104a must be taken at the same time as MUS 103a.

This course builds on MUS 101. Chromatic tonal harmony is covered, and short pieces of nineteenth century music are analyzed in depth. Students will analyze pieces on their own and write analytical papers. Students will also harmonize various chorale melodies. The required ear training and keyboard lab meets separately. Usually offered every year.

MUS 103b Western Classical and Popular Music II: How It's Made, Part 2
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: MUS 103a. Corequisite: MUS 104B must be taken at the same time as MUS 103b.

A continuation of MUS 103a. Twentieth century styles and techniques are covered, including extended tonality and atonality. Several compositional projects are assigned and performed in class. Usually offered every year.

MUS 104a Western Classical and Popular Music II: How It's Made, Part 1 (Lab)

Corequisite: MUS 103a. Yields half-course credit.

A continuation of MUS 102. More advanced exercises in sight-singing and dictation. Keyboard harmony. Usually offered every year.

MUS 104b Western Classical and Popular Music II: How It's Made, Part 2 (Lab)

Corequisite: MUS 103b. Yields half-course credit.

A continuation of MUS 104a. Usually offered every year.

MUS 106a Undergraduate Composition
[ ca ]

Prerequisite: MUS 5a, or demonstration of the ability to read and notate music. Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. May be repeated once for credit. Open to both music majors and non majors. Required for majors in the Composition and Theory track.

An introductory course on techniques and concepts of music composition, mainly acoustic. Through weekly score-study, listening exercises, and discussion, students will analyze various musical elements before completing small composition assignments. Students will also compose a larger, end-of-semester project to be performed at a final concert. No prior music composition experience is required to take this course; students are encouraged to explore various styles and to develop their own voice. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 107a Introduction to Electro-Acoustic Music
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: Any music course or permission of the instructor.

A course designed to give students basic studio skills and a context for listening to and working in electronic music. Topics include basic acoustics, sound design, digital and analog recording techniques, and assignments on the pioneers and current practitioners of electro-acoustic music. Involves hands-on experience in the use of MIDI-controlled synthesizers, samplers, production equipment, and includes individual studio projects based on individual studio time. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 111a Private Instruction: Instrumentalists

Offered on a credit/no-credit grading basis. Yields half-course credit. Students registering for MUS 111a must also register for a departmental Ensemble (MUS 80a,b ' 87a,b or 116a,b); 111a may NOT be taken alone. Students may petition to substitute one semester of a professionally directed non-university ensemble for their university Ensemble co-requisite. A maximum of four course credits will be allowed for all enrollments in Ensemble (MUS 80a,b ' 87a,b) alone or Private Instructions and Ensemble together. Successful completion of two semesters of MUS 111a,b may be applied only once toward the requirements for the major or minor in music. Course may be taken as a noncredit activity by registering in the XC section. Course fee: $700 for non-Music program students; $250 for Music graduate and non-performance track Music undergraduates; no fee for Bernstein Fellows and Music undergraduate performance track students.

Instrumentalists will take ten 50-minute, private lessons per semester in the field of early music, jazz, or classical music while participating in a departmental ensemble. A ten-minute jury is required in the second semester. Usually offered every year.

MUS 111b Private Instruction: Instrumentalists

Continuation of MUS 111a. See MUS 111a for special notes and course description. Offered on a credit/no-credit grading basis. Course fee: $700 for non-Music program students; $250 for Music graduate and non-performance track Music undergraduates; no fee for Bernstein Fellows and Music undergraduate performance track students.

A ten-minute jury is required for all students in the second semester. Usually offered every year.

MUS 112a Private Instruction: Voice

Offered on a credit/no-credit grading basis. Yields half-course credit. Placement auditions will be held at the start of the semester. Students registering for MUS 112a must also register for a departmental Ensemble (MUS 80a,b ' 87a,b or 116a,b); 112a may NOT be taken alone. Students may petition to substitute one semester of a professionally directed non-university ensemble for their university Ensemble co-requisite. A maximum of four course credits will be allowed for all enrollments in Ensemble (MUS 80a,b ' 87a,b) alone or Private Instructions and Ensemble together. Successful completion of two semesters of MUS 112a,b may be applied only once toward the requirements for the major or minor in music. Course may be taken as a noncredit activity by registering in the XC section. Course fee: $700 for non-Music program students; $250 for Music graduate and non-performance track Music undergraduates; no fee for Bernstein Fellows and Music undergraduate performance track students.

Voice students will take ten 50-minute, private lessons per semester. Fundamental skills of breathing, resonating, and relaxing will be taught along with repertory appropriate to the individual student. A ten-minute jury is required in second semester. Usually offered every year.

MUS 112b Private Instruction: Voice

Continuation of MUS 112a. See MUS 112a for special notes and course description. Course fee: $700 for non-Music program students; $250 for Music graduate and non-performance track Music undergraduates; no fee for Bernstein Fellows and Music undergraduate performance track students.

A ten-minute jury is required for all students in the second semester. Usually offered every year.

MUS 113a Introduction to Conducting
[ ca ]

Prerequisite: MUS 103a,b or permission of instructor.

Covers the fundamentals of choral and instrumental conducting techniques and is designed for all students interested in conducting musical ensembles. Fundamentals include basic metrical patterns, dynamic shading, cues, entrances, cutoffs, and uses of the left hand. All students have the opportunity to conduct several times throughout the semester. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 115a Writing and Arranging for the Voice: Song Texture and Form
[ ca ]

Designed for all songwriting enthusiasts, whether you are a beginner with no musical background or an advanced musician. You will learn all the concepts you will need to flourish and advance your songwriting skills. Every week we will look at the construction of individual songs from a wide variety of genres, and we will explore the elements that make these works stand out. Usually offered every year.

MUS 116a Chamber Music: from Page to Stage

Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. Yields two semester-hours credit (one half-course credit). May be repeated for credit. May be undertaken as an extracurricular, noncredit activity by registering in the XC section. Vocalists will be admitted on an individual basis and must take MUS 82 a,b: University Chorus or MUS 80 a,b: Early Music Ensemble as a corequisite. Informal auditions at the beginning of the semester.

Musicians bring their own experience, instinct, and theoretical knowledge to music-making through study and performance of chamber music in a supportive master class setting. Through coaching by a professional performer, readings, and listening to recordings, this course examines how performance practice, basic structural analysis, and historical context affect interpretation. Individual and ensemble preparation required. Class meetings include coaching, discussion/listening salon, masterclass and rehearsals, to be scheduled. Final public performance. Usually offered every year.

MUS 116b Chamber Music from Page to Stage

Continuation of MUS 116a. See MUS 116a for special notes and course description.

Usually offered every year.

MUS 117a Junior Recital I

Yields two half-course credit. For music majors accepted into the performance or musical theater performance tracks only. Admission by the consent of the instructor based on an audition. Students may not enroll in MUS 111a,b or MUS 112a,b for credit while enrolled in MUS 117a,b.

Students will take ten one-hour private lessons in preparation for performance of a recital, to be given in the spring semester, of significant representative repertory appropriate to the instrument or voice of the student, including the selecting of repertory for a coherent program. Students are expected to demonstrate command of stylistic, technical, and expressive aspects of the chosen music. Requires passing a jury at the end of the fall semester. No studio fee. Usually offered every year.

MUS 117b Junior Recital II

Continuation of MUS 117a. See MUS 117a for special notes and course description. Includes final preparation for spring full recital. No studio fee.

Usually offered every year.

MUS 118a Senior Recital I

Yields half-course credit. For music majors accepted into the performance or musical theater performance tracks only. Admission by the consent of the instructor based on an audition. Students may not enroll in MUS 111a,b or MUS 112a,b for credit while enrolled in MUS 118a,b.

Students will take ten one-hour private lessons in preparation for performance of a full recital, to be given in the spring semester, of significant representative repertory appropriate to the instrument or voice of the student, including the selecting of repertory for a coherent program. Students are expected to demonstrate command of stylistic, technical, and expressive aspects of the chosen music. Requires passing a jury at the end of the fall semester. No studio fee. Usually offered every year.

MUS 118b Senior Recital II

Continuation of MUS 118a. See MUS 118a for special notes and course description. Includes final preparation for spring full recital. No studio fee.

Usually offered every year.

MUS 121a Introduction to Jazz Improvisation
[ ca ]

Prerequisites: Ability to read music and play major and minor scales on an instrument.

Explores some of the tools improvisers use to develop their craft: melody, harmony, rhythm, articulation, listening, and phrasing. We approach these through a series of exercises along with the playing and analysis of standard jazz tunes and the composing of solos over standard chord changes. Usually offered every year.

MUS 136a Critical Listening
[ ca oc ]

Required for music majors.

Designed to build a variety of listening skills (apart from ear training) and to study the historical and cultural role of listening in various times and places. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 160b Electronic Music Composition and Production
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: MUS 106a or MUS 107a, or permission of the instructor. Intended for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. May be repeated once for credit.

Builds upon topics from MUS 107a and develops these into the professional skills of recording, production, and electronic composition. Students will refine these skills in both individual and collaborative projects. Work is carried out in BEAMS (Brandeis Electro-Acoustic Music Studio), but every effort will be made to equip students to compose on their own computers and to work collaboratively using contemporary tools, especially the Internet. Foundational concepts and approaches for this course will be drawn from both 20th century Avant Garde electronic composition and the commercial/popular music industry. Usually offered every other year.

MUS 161b Advanced Seminar
[ ca wi ]

Prerequisites: MUS 3b and either MUS 101a/b or MUS 103a/b.

Upper-level academic seminar taken by all juniors that focuses on a single topic of the instructor’s choice (such as notation, musical form, aesthetics, improvisation, etc.). Ideally students will take this in their junior year, although if students are away on Study Abroad, they may take this course at another point in their degree program. Usually offered every fall.

MUS 162b Seminar in MAX/MSP
[ ca ]

Advanced undergraduate students may enroll with permission of the instructor.

Topics related to the use of the MAX/MSP graphical programming language for composition, sound design, installation, and live performance. Participants engage in individual projects and study MAX patches by established practitioners. Individual and group research and presentations are required. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 172b Proseminar in Theory and Composition
[ ca ]

Open to undergraduates who have finished MUS 103b and 104b. Required of all composition MFA and PhD students. May be repeated for credit.

Advanced study of chromatic and non-tonal harmony, as well as various analytical approaches to the 20th and 21st century music. Work includes writing exercises, keyboard harmony, and score study. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 175a Instrumentation, Orchestration, and Arranging
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisites: MUS 101a and MUS 102a.

Technical projects in the art of writing for instruments and arranging for groups of instruments, from chamber groups of various sizes to full orchestra. Score study of examples from 1770 to the present. Additional focus on notation and on rules for instrumental parts. Class projects usually involve arranging piano music for groups of various sizes, and after the class is halfway done, students may choose to arrange their own music. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 182a Introduction to Musicology
[ ca ]

Required for all graduate students in musicology.
 

Provides a comprehensive introduction to music scholarship. We will survey the developments that have shaped musicology since its institutionalization as an academic discipline, paying special attention to the major issues and movements that have occupied our field over the past ten years. We'll also explore the various "hows" of musicology, discussing how and where research is disseminated, how to access and deal with primary, secondary, and archival sources, how to make use of digital tools and methods, how to formulate interesting and productive research questions, and how to write academically about music. Usually offered every year.

MUS 183b Introduction to Ethnomusicology
[ ca ]

Ethnomusicology is the study of music in action—in the moment, amongst musicians, and focalizing the context of performance and the shared ground of meaning in which that music is enacted. This course introduces disciplinary ethnomusicology by way of a broad overview of the history and development of the field, its interactions (both successful and unsuccessful) with its sister disciplines, and the role of ethnomusicology within and beyond the academy. We will read, listen to, and discuss some of the major scholars and thinkers of the field, examining the social context of their interventions in the discipline and their fieldwork. We will pursue several special projects through the semester, ranging from transcription workshops to computer-assisted musical analysis. Finally, the course will prepare students for a brief participant-observation fieldwork project that will function as a capstone assignment for the course. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 188b Proseminar in Music of the Eighteenth Century
[ ca ]

A proseminar on selected historical or analytical topics covering the music of the Eighteenth Century. Usually offered every fourth year.

MUS 190a Proseminar in Music since 1900
[ ca ]

Examines music developing in Europe and the United States after 1900. The course divides into four periods - 1900-WWI, the Interwar years, WWII and the early cold war, and 1960s to the present - and explores select developments in compositional style, as well as interactions of music with cultural and political history within each of these periods. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 191b Analysis of Extended Tonal Music
[ ca ]

Open to graduate students in Music and undergraduates who have completed MUS 103b and MUS 104b.

Works in this course are selected from the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. Composers such as Wagner, Wolf, Debussy, early Schoenberg, Bartok, and Stravinsky. Music from the Renaissance and early baroque may also be examined. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 192a Topics in Analysis of Early Twentieth-Century Music
[ ca ]

Open to graduate students in Music and undergraduates who have completed MUS 103b and MUS 104b.

Detailed examination of selected works composed between 1908 and 1951. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 193b Topics in Analysis of Contemporary Music
[ ca ]

Open to graduate students in Music and undergraduates who have completed MUS 103b and MUS 104b.

Detailed examination of selected works since 1951. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 195a Writing About Music: Seminar and Practicum
[ ca ]

Enrollment limited to graduate students and advanced undergraduates, or with instructor permission.

Music scholars often spend a great deal of time thinking about music, but comparatively little thinking about the craft of writing about music. What makes a good writer of music scholarship? Who is your audience? What/who are good models? What makes a good “story” in musicological writing? How do non-academic forms of writing help the writing process? What does it mean to have a “voice” in your writing?

In this course, we will explore processes and practices of writing through a combination of discussion and workshop-based approaches. The class will closely engage with three types of texts: (1) Pedagogical works discussing strategies and techniques for scholarly writing; (2) Examples of good (and bad) writing from various subdisciplines of music, provided by both students and the instructor; and (3) Student writing contributions, which will undergo extensive peer workshopping throughout the semester.

For the final assignment, each participant will develop an individual writing project based on their current professional goals. These projects will be geared toward practical application within the field (completing a dissertation chapter, developing a conference presentation, expanding and preparing a previous work for publication in a journal, etc.). Critiques and guidance will be tailored toward the particular goals of each participant. In this way, the course is designed to provide substantive professional development for graduate or advanced undergraduate students in any subdiscipline. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 196b Sound and Space: Sound Installation and Movement Staging in the Field of Music Composition
[ ca ]

May be repeated for credit.

Students will design their own sound installation and learn how to build meaning through space and sound In relation to a cross-disciplinary research topic. This research will be modeled on methods cross-disciplinary project-building In various disciplines. Students will be informed by historical precedent In this field, design (and fulfill) a research goal around the production of the installation, and understand how to create (and to actually create by the end of the class) an intellectually rigorous and engaging interaction between the aural and visual. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 197a Seminar in Composition

Prerequisites: MUS 101a,b and MUS 102a,b and MUS 106a, or graduate level standing.

Group meetings and individual conferences. Opportunities for the performance of student works is provided. Usually offered every year. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.

MUS 197b Seminar in Composition

Prerequisites: MUS 101a,b and MUS 102a,b and MUS 106a, or graduate level standing.

Group meetings and individual conferences. Opportunities for the performance of student works are provided. Usually offered every year. Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested.

GSAS 360c Article Publication Workshop

Full year course. Yields two credits per semester. Offered exclusively on a credit/no credit basis. May be repeated for credit. Students should check with their departments about whether or not the course will fulfill any degree requirements.

Open to PhD, including ABD, and MA students in all Humanities, Arts, and Humanistic Social Sciences graduate programs.

This proseminar/workshop will meet every other week and introduce graduate students to the larger philosophy, as well as the nuts and bolts, of academic publication. Each student should come to the class with an academic journal article project in mind and aim to send out the article to a journal by the end of the year (or earlier!). We will workshop the papers in class, and peer review will be an essential component of coursework. Discussions will be general as well as field-specific.

MUS 200b Teaching Music

Approaches to teaching music subjects at the college level. Subjects include strategies for teaching music appreciation, history and theory; evaluating and choosing textbooks; crafting a syllabus; grading; and teaching philosophies. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 203a Music and Patronage

While music is often imagined to be innately egalitarian, uniting people across lines of class and rank, it has also served as a site for this same intense social differentiation. Music, like other arts, has long been sustained by patrons within class-stratified societies to build and maintain social relationships, accrue prestige, and produce hierarchies of economic and cultural value. In this course, we examine the relationship between patrons and clients as it manifests in musical life, drawing on examples from around the globe and across time. Special one-time offering, fall 2021.

MUS 205a Musicology Lab

Required for all graduate students in musicology.

This two-credit lab meeting seminar is centered on professional development. We meet once a week to run through any upcoming conference papers, edit and proofread job, internship, and grant application materials, work on abstracts for conferences, discuss best strategies for success in the job market, research and writing strategies, and any other topics that the students would like to work on with the group. Second-year musicology students (PhD and Master’s) must take this course for credit in both the Fall and Spring semesters. PhD musicology students are expected to attend lab for at least six semesters in total. Usually offered every semester.

MUS 218b Seminar in the Music of the Nineteenth Century

A detailed exploration of one historical, analytical, or stylistic issue of current significance to nineteenth-century musicology. Topics include the two versions of Verdi's Simon Boccanegra and cyclic organization in the song cycles of Robert Schumann. Usually offered every fourth year.

MUS 221a Topics in Music after 1900

Investigates selected topics in music since 1900 in depth. Topics will be determined by the instructor. Sample topics from previous years include "American Roots Music: Technologies of the Folk," "Music in Film," "Music of Alban Berg." Usually offered every second year.

MUS 232a Political Economies of Music

Examines the musical constitution of political economies as well as the role of music within political economies with examples drawn from around the world and throughout history. Focuses on musical networks and markets, the music/culture industry, pageantry, music and exchange, and labor. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 298a Independent Study

MUS 299a Individual Research and Advanced Work

Usually offered every year.

MUS 299b Individual Research and Advanced Work

Usually offered every year.

MUS 401d Dissertation Research

Specific sections for individual faculty members as requested. Required of all doctoral candidates.

MUS 101a Western Classical and Popular Music I: How It's Made, Part 1
[ ca dl ]

Admission by placement exam to be given in class on the first day of instruction. Corequisite: MUS 102a must be taken at the same time as MUS 101a.

A first course for students who already read music, but wish to develop a deeper involvement. Students investigate how music "works" by composing exercises based on examples of tonal music and literature that students are practicing for performance. Focuses on elementary harmony and voice-leading, counterpoint, analysis, and model composition. In the required one-hour lab (MUS 102a), students practice sight-singing and dictation, skills essential to music literacy. Usually offered every year.

MUS 101b Western Classical and Popular Music I: How It's Made, Part 2
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: MUS 101a. Corequisite: MUS 102b must be taken at the same time as MUS 101b.

The second semester introduces broad concepts of theory and begins the process of learning to write and analyze music. By the end of the year, students will gain experience in counterpoint, harmony, and formal analysis, and will compose in a simple form. Throughout the year, the relationship of repertoire and theory is stressed. The required ear-training and keyboard lab meets separately. Usually offered every year.

MUS 103a Western Classical and Popular Music II: How It's Made, Part 1
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisites: MUS 101a,b and 102a,b. Corequisite: MUS 104a must be taken at the same time as MUS 103a.

This course builds on MUS 101. Chromatic tonal harmony is covered, and short pieces of nineteenth century music are analyzed in depth. Students will analyze pieces on their own and write analytical papers. Students will also harmonize various chorale melodies. The required ear training and keyboard lab meets separately. Usually offered every year.

MUS 103b Western Classical and Popular Music II: How It's Made, Part 2
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: MUS 103a. Corequisite: MUS 104B must be taken at the same time as MUS 103b.

A continuation of MUS 103a. Twentieth century styles and techniques are covered, including extended tonality and atonality. Several compositional projects are assigned and performed in class. Usually offered every year.

MUS 107a Introduction to Electro-Acoustic Music
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: Any music course or permission of the instructor.

A course designed to give students basic studio skills and a context for listening to and working in electronic music. Topics include basic acoustics, sound design, digital and analog recording techniques, and assignments on the pioneers and current practitioners of electro-acoustic music. Involves hands-on experience in the use of MIDI-controlled synthesizers, samplers, production equipment, and includes individual studio projects based on individual studio time. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 160b Electronic Music Composition and Production
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisite: MUS 106a or MUS 107a, or permission of the instructor. Intended for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. May be repeated once for credit.

Builds upon topics from MUS 107a and develops these into the professional skills of recording, production, and electronic composition. Students will refine these skills in both individual and collaborative projects. Work is carried out in BEAMS (Brandeis Electro-Acoustic Music Studio), but every effort will be made to equip students to compose on their own computers and to work collaboratively using contemporary tools, especially the Internet. Foundational concepts and approaches for this course will be drawn from both 20th century Avant Garde electronic composition and the commercial/popular music industry. Usually offered every other year.

MUS 175a Instrumentation, Orchestration, and Arranging
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisites: MUS 101a and MUS 102a.

Technical projects in the art of writing for instruments and arranging for groups of instruments, from chamber groups of various sizes to full orchestra. Score study of examples from 1770 to the present. Additional focus on notation and on rules for instrumental parts. Class projects usually involve arranging piano music for groups of various sizes, and after the class is halfway done, students may choose to arrange their own music. Usually offered every second year.

AMST/MUS 35a Rock, Country, and Hip-Hop: History of American Popular Music
[ ca oc ]

Formerly offered as MUS 35a.

Examines the historical context, stylistic development, and cultural significance of rock and roll and other closely related genres, spanning the 1950s through the present. Close attention is paid to how political and social changes have interacted with technological innovations through commercial music to challenge, affirm and shape ideas of race, gender, class and sexuality in the United States. Usually offered every third year.

AMST/MUS 39b Protest Through Song: Music that Shaped America
[ ca oc ss ]

Open to music majors and non-majors.

Examines 20th and 21st century protest music to better understand the complex relationships between music and social movements. Through class discussions, reading, writing, and listening assignments, and a final performance students will discover how social, cultural, and economic protest songs helped shape American culture. Usually offered every second year.

AMST/MUS 55a Music in Film: Hearing American Cinema
[ ca oc ]

Formerly offered as MUS 55a.

Examines the aesthetics and the history of music in film. Through lecture, class discussions, screenings, and readings, the course teaches students how to critically read image, script, and music as an integrated cultural text, ultimately helping one understand and appreciate the progression of film and sound technology from the 1890s to the present. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 37a Community Engagement Through Music
[ ca oc ]

If you make music in any way, whether you play guitar in your bedroom by yourself or perform piano recitals onstage, your music has the potential to help you develop impactful personal connections with the greater Waltham community. In this experiential learning course, we will explore community engagement through music, creating interactive musical storytime performances for children and adaptable performances for senior/rehabilitation centers, seeking input from our partner organizations and our peers at every step of the way. Bring your musical creativity and your community spirit- we have the opportunity to be ambassadors for Brandeis in the Waltham community while having a lot of fun along the way. Proficiency on a musical instrument is not required to participate in the course, but all students will be expected to bring their musical curiosity to the class, as well as willingness to push outside their comfort zone and get a little silly at times! Openness to a variety of perspectives, on an off campus, will also be a vital part of the learning process. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 136a Critical Listening
[ ca oc ]

Required for music majors.

Designed to build a variety of listening skills (apart from ear training) and to study the historical and cultural role of listening in various times and places. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 36b Divas
[ ca wi ]

Though her name means 'goddess,' the diva is frequently imagined as a creature with all-too-human failings; she is both talented and tempestuous, both revered and reviled. This course will explore the complex image of the diva in Western culture from the middle ages to the present day. We'll treat the category of 'diva' expansively ' encompassing opera singers and pop stars, composers and castrati ' and engage with thorny questions of gender, sexuality, race, class, and power, in hopes of understanding the enduring cultural potency of this compelling and problematic figure. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 161b Advanced Seminar
[ ca wi ]

Prerequisites: MUS 3b and either MUS 101a/b or MUS 103a/b.

Upper-level academic seminar taken by all juniors that focuses on a single topic of the instructor’s choice (such as notation, musical form, aesthetics, improvisation, etc.). Ideally students will take this in their junior year, although if students are away on Study Abroad, they may take this course at another point in their degree program. Usually offered every fall.

AMST/MUS 35a Rock, Country, and Hip-Hop: History of American Popular Music
[ ca oc ]

Formerly offered as MUS 35a.

Examines the historical context, stylistic development, and cultural significance of rock and roll and other closely related genres, spanning the 1950s through the present. Close attention is paid to how political and social changes have interacted with technological innovations through commercial music to challenge, affirm and shape ideas of race, gender, class and sexuality in the United States. Usually offered every third year.

AMST/MUS 39b Protest Through Song: Music that Shaped America
[ ca oc ss ]

Open to music majors and non-majors.

Examines 20th and 21st century protest music to better understand the complex relationships between music and social movements. Through class discussions, reading, writing, and listening assignments, and a final performance students will discover how social, cultural, and economic protest songs helped shape American culture. Usually offered every second year.

AMST/MUS 55a Music in Film: Hearing American Cinema
[ ca oc ]

Formerly offered as MUS 55a.

Examines the aesthetics and the history of music in film. Through lecture, class discussions, screenings, and readings, the course teaches students how to critically read image, script, and music as an integrated cultural text, ultimately helping one understand and appreciate the progression of film and sound technology from the 1890s to the present. Usually offered every third year.

MATH/MUS 121b Math and Music
[ ca ]

Does not satisfy the SN requirement. MATH/MUS121b can count toward the minor in mathematics (replacing one of the 3 electives in the MATH 27+ range). MATH/MUS 121b can count as a cross-listed course for the applied math major. It does not count toward the pure math major.

Mathematical patterns, symmetries, sequences, modular relationships, and order are ubiquitous in music. In fact, mathematics and music have inspired each other for centuries, with music providing inspiration for some mathematical discoveries and mathematical concepts providing a conceptual framework for thinking about musical expression, tuning, composition, and musical analysis. With the advent of computers and mathematical methods in recent years, new concepts have been implemented into algorithmic music composition. The purpose of this class is to provide students with an introduction to the deep relationship between mathematics and music, to present in depth a collection of selected topics that highlight the influence of symmetries, patterns, stochastic structures and geometrical analysis, and to encourage the students to explore those links in a creative final project. Usually offered every four years.

MUS 3b Global Soundscapes: Performing Musical Tradition Across Time and Place
[ ca nw ]

Open to all students. Required of all Cultural Studies track majors.

What are we listening to? Applies engaged listening skills and critical analysis for a deeper appreciation of (non-Western) music as a cultural expression. Focuses on particular traditions as well as social context, impact of globalization, cultural production, cultural rights, etc. Usually offered every year.

MUS 31a Broadway Bound: The Craft of Composing Music and Lyrics for the Theater
[ ca ]

Open to music majors and non-majors.

Do you like to write poetry or plays? Have you written music and/or lyrics and want to try your hand at writing musical theatre? In this class, you will learn how music functions in a dramatic context by writing songs (alone or in collaboration with others) and regularly presenting your material for peer and instructor feedback. Contemporary and traditional musical theater masterpieces will be analyzed. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 32b Elements of Jazz
[ ca ]

Open to music majors and non-majors.

Examines the development of Jazz styles from the origins of Jazz in the late 1800's through today's Jazz masters. Early Jazz, Swing, Bebop, Cool, the year 1959, and Avant Garde are some of the styles we will be examining through recordings, videos, and in-class performances by local jazz musicians. The emphasis will be on learning how to listen to the various layers of the music and recognize specific stylistic techniques. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 36b Divas
[ ca wi ]

Though her name means 'goddess,' the diva is frequently imagined as a creature with all-too-human failings; she is both talented and tempestuous, both revered and reviled. This course will explore the complex image of the diva in Western culture from the middle ages to the present day. We'll treat the category of 'diva' expansively ' encompassing opera singers and pop stars, composers and castrati ' and engage with thorny questions of gender, sexuality, race, class, and power, in hopes of understanding the enduring cultural potency of this compelling and problematic figure. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 106a Undergraduate Composition
[ ca ]

Prerequisite: MUS 5a, or demonstration of the ability to read and notate music. Offered exclusively on a credit/no-credit basis. May be repeated once for credit. Open to both music majors and non majors. Required for majors in the Composition and Theory track.

An introductory course on techniques and concepts of music composition, mainly acoustic. Through weekly score-study, listening exercises, and discussion, students will analyze various musical elements before completing small composition assignments. Students will also compose a larger, end-of-semester project to be performed at a final concert. No prior music composition experience is required to take this course; students are encouraged to explore various styles and to develop their own voice. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 175a Instrumentation, Orchestration, and Arranging
[ ca dl ]

Prerequisites: MUS 101a and MUS 102a.

Technical projects in the art of writing for instruments and arranging for groups of instruments, from chamber groups of various sizes to full orchestra. Score study of examples from 1770 to the present. Additional focus on notation and on rules for instrumental parts. Class projects usually involve arranging piano music for groups of various sizes, and after the class is halfway done, students may choose to arrange their own music. Usually offered every second year.

MUS 183b Introduction to Ethnomusicology
[ ca ]

Ethnomusicology is the study of music in action—in the moment, amongst musicians, and focalizing the context of performance and the shared ground of meaning in which that music is enacted. This course introduces disciplinary ethnomusicology by way of a broad overview of the history and development of the field, its interactions (both successful and unsuccessful) with its sister disciplines, and the role of ethnomusicology within and beyond the academy. We will read, listen to, and discuss some of the major scholars and thinkers of the field, examining the social context of their interventions in the discipline and their fieldwork. We will pursue several special projects through the semester, ranging from transcription workshops to computer-assisted musical analysis. Finally, the course will prepare students for a brief participant-observation fieldwork project that will function as a capstone assignment for the course. Usually offered every third year.

MUS 196b Sound and Space: Sound Installation and Movement Staging in the Field of Music Composition
[ ca ]

May be repeated for credit.

Students will design their own sound installation and learn how to build meaning through space and sound In relation to a cross-disciplinary research topic. This research will be modeled on methods cross-disciplinary project-building In various disciplines. Students will be informed by historical precedent In this field, design (and fulfill) a research goal around the production of the installation, and understand how to create (and to actually create by the end of the class) an intellectually rigorous and engaging interaction between the aural and visual. Usually offered every second year.

AAAS 155b Hip Hop History and Culture
[ ss ]

Examines the history of hip hop culture, in the broader context of U.S., African American and African diaspora history, from the 1960s to the present. Explores key developments, debates and themes shaping hip hop's evolution and contemporary global significance. Usually offered every second year.

AAAS/WGS 152b Beyoncé and Beyond: The Politics of Black Popular Music
[ deis-us ss ]

Prerequisite: AAAS 5a, AAAS/WGS 125a or AAAS/WGS 136a.

Introduces the history of contemporary black popular music and uses Beyoncé's wide-ranging and African diasporic musical repertoire as an entry-point into Black sound cultures from the US, Africa, the Caribbean, and Western Europe. Each week will spotlight part of Beyoncé's repertoire, i.e., Lemonade, Black is King, B-day, and Dangerously in Love, taking these as a jumping off point from which to survey and delve into such genres as R&B, Hip-hop, Disco, Dancehall, UK Garage, Trap Soul, New Orleans Bounce, as well as Jungle & Afrobeats. In addition to understanding these histories and genres, students will also explore public-facing popular music writing and criticism, and produce a piece of music criticism such as a blog post or Op-ed. Overall, this course investigates the aesthetic, political, cultural, and economic dimensions of Black popular music, paying particular attention to questions of gender, sexuality, class, nation, language, and technology. Usually offered every second year.

AMST 129a From American Movie Musicals to Music Videos
[ ss ]

Examines the spectacle of song and dance in movie musicals and music videos, beginning with the earliest talking pictures in the late 1920's and continuing to the present. Particular emphasis will be on technological change, race, gender and the commodification of culture, among other topics. Usually offered every second year.

CAST 150b Introduction to Creativity, the Arts, and Social Transformation
[ ca ss ]

How can music, theater, dance and visual and other arts, and forms of cultural expression contribute to community building, coexistence, and nonviolent social change? Students explore these questions through interviews, case studies, and projects. Usually offered every year.

CAST 160a Provocative Art: Outside the Comfort Zone
[ ca ]

Presents, analyzes, and discusses art that provokes controversies, discomfort, and other strong responses. This class will focus on a broad range of artistic expressions, including visual art, theater, film, music, and literature with Brandeis faculty as well as visiting artists. Final project consists of students finding, articulating, and advocating for provocative art from multiple perspectives. Note: Students are responsible for attendance and assignments during the shopping period and must be present in those classes to be enrolled off the waitlist. Usually offered every semester.

FILM 100a Introduction to the Moving Image
[ hum ]

An interdisciplinary course surveying the history of moving image media from 1895 to the present, from the earliest silent cinema to the age of streaming media. Open to all undergraduates as an elective, it is the introductory course for the major and minor in film, television and interactive media. Usually offered every year.

JOUR 13a Multimedia Storytelling Lab

Yields half-course credit. Formerly offered as EL 13a.

Students at both beginning and intermediate levels of experience pursue projects in photography, podcasting, and video to develop their skills as multimedia journalists. This lab course provides instruction on best practices with equipment and software as well as a forum for workshop and critique. Usually offered every year.

JOUR 111b Advanced Multimedia Storytelling Workshop
[ dl oc ]

Prior experience with multimedia editing software is recommended but not required.

Invites students to produce multiple episodes of narrative non-fiction as multimedia pieces. Students interested in podcasting may choose to make a long-form podcast; students interested in video may choose to make a video docuseries; students may also choose to create a series that moves between these two formats. A key theme of the course is how documentary films have influenced podcasts and vice versa; part of the coursework involves close looking and listening as we analyze podcasts and documentary films that show a high level of craft in their sound and visual design and dramatic construction. We will place special emphasis on sound design, exploring advanced sound recording and mixing techniques to design dramatic scenes from a combination of voices, ambiences, and music. Usually offered every spring.

PHIL 113b Aesthetics
[ ca hum wi ]

Examines the nature of art and aesthetic experience. Questions considered include: Is there an objective standard of taste? What is beauty? What counts as art? Are multiple performances of a play the same work of art, or different works of art? What is the role of emotion in art? How can something we know to be fictional make us have real feelings? What is the relationship between aesthetics and ethics? Does a work of art suffer aesthetically if it is about something morally vicious? How do public monuments reflect and shape our way of thinking about history and political society? Readings include historical and contemporary philosophers. Usually offered every second year.

THA 10a Theater as Collaboration
[ ca oc ]

Develops the student's ability to read a theatrical text through the lens of the collaborative theater artist. Reading, discussions, papers, and exercises about acting, directing, movement, design, dramaturgy, technical theater, and management will constitute the bulk of this course. Intended as the entry level course for majors, minors, and interested students with a background in theater. Usually offered every year.

THA 22b Undergraduate Singing
[ ca ]

Prerequisite: Instructor permission. May be repeated for credit.

Discover the joy in finding your singing voice! Explores the fundamentals of singing in detail, concentrating on breath and relaxation, placement and resonance, and tonal quality. Specific exercises for each facet of vocal production are covered.  Work includes solo and ensemble repertoire. No experience required, all levels are welcomed. Usually offered every year.

THA 23a Movement for the Stage I
[ ca hwl2 pe-1 ]

The actor's job is to create action out of meaning and meaning out of action. Stories can be told with a simple physical gesture, a position or shape of the body in space. The dynamic physical action or quality in which a body moves can convey a rich and fascinating narrative. Developing a keen awareness of one's movement and physical expressiveness is essential for presenting and performing on the stage or in a public forum. The course will involve exercises designed to unleash the individual's imagination in order to bring courage and responsiveness into the body. The course will offer an in-depth approach designed to develop physical skills and tools for theater performance. Usually offered every year.

THA 25a Voice and Text for the Stage
[ ca ]

The focus of the class is to develop the human voice in preparation for performance. Foundational exercises are designed to deepen the student's connection to breath, expand vocal color, range and resonance, and to develop clarity, stamina, and power, while connecting body, voice, and imagination to the expressive use of language. Students will also learn techniques to analyze text for meaning, rhythm, and sound, as well as gain beginning agility in dialects. Usually offered every year.

THA 35a The Audition
[ ca ]

Actors obtain work through an audition process; therefore, actors need to audition well. This course aims to prepare mid- and upper-level acting students for that process. Topics include resumes, material selection, preparation, and practice in various kinds of auditions using both classical and contemporary literature. Usually offered every second year.

THA 130a Suzuki
[ ca hwl2 pe-1 ]

Counts as one activity course toward the physical education requirement.

Developed by the Japanese theater artist Tadashi Suzuki, the Suzuki method of acting training develops physical strength, stamina, and agility while engaging the imagination and will of the actor. Through a series of walks, statues, and marches, students are taught to breathe and move from the core of their bodies. This training allows students to act from physical impulse, resulting in a deep and personal experience of language and the world of play. Usually offered every second year.

THA 132a Collaborative Creation
[ ca ]

May be repeated once for credit.
 

The COVID pandemic exposed the ongoing questions of how we make theater. This course asks if we could reinvent the theater, how would we transform what is possible in performance, design, text, and collaboration? We will explore the process of collaborative creation from the idea to performance. All students work as performers, directors, writers, and designers in a creative laboratory supporting the creation of original and adapted theater pieces, based on material that resonates with the group. You will be challenged to grow artistically in your area of interest. Students will learn particular devising techniques, such a Viewpoints and Moment work. Usually offered every second year.