Courses
Academic Courses
Jazz
- MUS O101 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory (1 cr.) P: Music Fundamentals Online or T109 Rudiments of Music I with grade of C or higher. Jazz nomenclature, chord/scale relationships, basic chord progressions, and voice leading. Examples from both jazz and classical repertoire will be given to show connections between the two idioms.
- MUS O213 Jazz Listening and Ear Training (3 cr.) P: Must be music undergraduate jazz major or minor. C: O101 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory. Introduction to basic skills required of the jazz musician, including listening, ear training, and transcription of jazz solos and their stylistic analysis.
- MUS O214 Jazz Harmony (3 cr.) P: O101 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory. Introduction to harmonic and analytical skills required of the jazz musician, including standard harmony, voicings, voice leading, harmonizing melodies, how keyboardists activate harmony, form, and line analysis (neighbor tones, enclosures, approach notes).
- MUS O215 Fundamentals of Jazz Composition (2 cr.) P: O214 Jazz Harmony. Introduces techniques of melody writing, line writing, motivic development, counterpoint, harmonic texture, lead sheet layout, instrument ranges and transpositions, and basic orchestration.
- MUS O316 Jazz Arranging 1 (2 cr.) P: O215 Fundamentals of Jazz Composition. Fundamentals of jazz arranging for small ensemble including orchestration, instrument ranges and transposition, form and structure, nomenclature, and part/score layout.
- MUS O317 Jazz Arranging 2 (2 cr.) P: O316 Jazz Arranging 1. Techniques for large ensemble arranging including traditional and contemporary orchestration, section writing, and woodwind double writing.
- MUS O318 Styles and Analysis of Jazz 1 (2 cr.) P: O321 Jazz Improvisation I. Survey and analysis of jazz styles from ragtime and early jazz to swing and bebop. Repertoire, improvisation, instrumentation, role of instruments, major innovators and important groups. Includes transcription of jazz solos and their stylistic analysis.
- MUS O319 Styles and Analysis of Jazz 2 (2 cr.) P: O318 Styles and Analysis of Jazz 1. Survey and analysis of jazz styles from the cool school and hard bop to modal and contemporary styles. Continuation of O318 areas of focus. Includes transcription of jazz solos and their analysis.
- MUS O321 Jazz Improvisation 1 (2 cr.) P: O101 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory. Introduction to jazz improvisation. Chord/scale relationships, generic melodic patterns, standard harmonic patterns, basic bebop vocabulary, and tune learning.
- MUS O322 Jazz Improvisation 2 (2 cr.) P: O321 Jazz Improvisation 1 or permission of instructor. Theory and techniques of jazz improvisation, including bebop and hard-bop harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic devices. Practice and study techniques and aural skills in the bebop and hard-bop styles.
- MUS O323 Jazz Improvisation 3 (3 cr.) P: O322 Jazz Improvisation 2 or permission of instructor. Advanced jazz rhythmic and harmonic techniques applied to improvisation and compositions for improvisation: contemporary jazz rhythmic practices such as note grouping, odd meters, and metric modulation applied to standard tunes. Harmonic substitution, superimposition, and slash chords. Various post-bebop approaches to improvisation.
- MUS O450 Jazz Chamber Ensemble (1 cr.)
- MUS O501 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory (1 cr.) Jazz nomenclature, chord/scale relationships, basic chord progressions, and voice leading. Examples from both jazz and classical repertoire will be given to show connections between the two idioms.
- MUS O512 Jazz Composition (3 cr.) Study of advanced techniques and analytical skills in relation to modern jazz composition with an emphasis on motivic development, expanded forms, and non-functional harmony.
- MUS O513 Jazz Listening and Ear Training (3 cr.) P: O501 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory or permission of instructor. Introduction to basic skills required of the jazz musician, including listening, ear training, transcription of jazz solos and their stylistic analysis.
- MUS O514 Jazz Harmony (3 cr.) P: O501 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory or permission of instructor. Introduction to harmonic and analytical skills required of the jazz musician, including standard harmony, voicings, voice leading, harmonizing melodies, how keyboardists activate harmony, form, and line analysis (neighbor tones, enclosures, approach notes).
- MUS O515 Fundamentals of Jazz Composition (3 cr.) P: O514 Jazz Harmony or permission of instructor. Introduces techniques of melody writing, line writing, motivic development, counterpoint, harmonic texture, lead sheet layout, instrument ranges and transpositions, and basic orchestration.
- MUS O516 Jazz Arranging 1 (3 cr.) Fundamentals of jazz arranging for small ensemble including orchestration, instrument ranges and transposition, form and structure, nomenclature, and part/score layout.
- MUS O517 Jazz Arranging 2 (3 cr.) Techniques for large ensemble arranging including traditional and contemporary orchestration, section writing, and woodwind double writing.
- MUS O521 Jazz Improvisation 1 (2 cr.) P: For jazz studies majors and minors: O501 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory. Introduction to jazz improvisation. Chord/scale relationships, generic melodic patterns, standard harmonic patterns, basic bebop vocabulary, and tune learning.
- MUS O522 Jazz Improvisation 2 (3 cr.) P: O501 Fundamentals of Jazz Theory and O521 Jazz Improvisation 1 or permission of instructor. Theory and techniques of jazz improvisation, including bebop and hard-bop harmonic, melodic and rhythmic devices. Practice and study techniques and aural skills in the bebop and hard-bop styles.
- MUS O523 Jazz Improvisation 3 (3 cr.) P: O522 Jazz Improvisation 2 or permission of instructor. Advanced jazz rhythmic and harmonic techniques applied to improvisation and compositions for improvisation; contemporary jazz rhythmic practices such as note grouping, odd meters, and metric modulation applied to standard tunes. Harmonic substitution, superimposition, and slash chords. Various post-bebop approaches to improvisation.
- MUS O550 Jazz Chamber Ensemble (0-1 cr.)
- MUS O590 Jazz Recital Prepartion (1 cr.) Recital preparation for jazz studies master’s students working with a faculty coach.
- MUS O630 Jazz Historiography (3 cr.) P: Passing score on Jazz History Proficiency Exam or completion of recommended remedial course. For DM Jazz Studies majors only. A study of the various traditions of writing jazz history and typical perspectives and biases held by authors writing about jazz. Students will develop the ability to understand an author’s perspective and biases and how that influences what and how they write.
- MUS O645 Special Projects in Jazz 1 (2 cr.) P: For DM Jazz Studies majors only. In this course students will define and develop a creative or research project. The project will be self-directed, with guidance from a faculty mentor, related to the student’s professional goals. The project will be disseminated publicly as part of O646 Special Projects in Jazz 2.
- MUS O646 Special Projects in Jazz 2 (2 cr.) P: Special Projects in Jazz 1. Create and complete an online portfolio that documents professional work. Develop and implement a strategic plan for promoting the project created in O645 Special Projects 1 and tracking the results. Disseminate the project and portfolio materials via a website and/or social media pages and record metrics to gauge their engagement.