This introductory course in music appreciation considers how people engage in music-making activities in various cultures. Students will learn to interpret and write about music using terms and concepts from assigned readings, and they will learn to articulate their understanding of particular musical phenomena (pieces, styles, composers or performers, instruments, performance venues, recording technologies, etc.) in social, cultural, and historical contexts. Students will learn to interpret one or more aspects of music-making as artistic or as creative process. Students will have ample opportunity to shape and direct the focus of their learning according to their own interests and purposes. This course was previously ART-221514 Exploring the World of Music.

Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

Introduction to Guitar and Guitar Music is designed to introduce students to the instrument of guitar and the music associated with it from a historical, as well as a practical, perspective. We will also explore the mechanical aspects of guitar construction as it evolved over the centuries by considering various materials such as wood, metal, bone, glue, synthetics, and strings, and we’ll look at the building techniques/tools of luthiers (guitar-builders).

Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

In this course, the student will develop an understanding of Western music in an historical context from antiquity through the late seventeenth century. The student will learn about the elements of music, become knowledgeable about musical works and composers in an historical context, and investigate various musical styles and forms. The study will include listening assignments in conjunction with the readings. The student will acquire a vocabulary for speaking about music, gain an historical understanding of the roles music plays in Western culture and society, and develop an appreciation for music as a discipline and as an art.

Attributes: Humanities Gen Ed, Arts Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

In this course, the student will develop an understanding of Western music in an historical context from the early eighteenth century to the end of the twentieth century. The student will learn about the elements of music, become knowledgeable about musical works and composers in an historical context, and investigate various musical styles and forms. The study will include listening assignments in conjunction with the readings. The student will acquire a vocabulary for speaking about music, gain an historical understanding of the roles music plays in Western culture and society, and develop an appreciation for music as a discipline and as an art.

Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Music (MUSC). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

This course is a practical investigation of the song writer's craft. Work by master song writers will be analyzed and used as models for student work. The student will develop lyrics and/or music for songs in one or more genres. Students will present their completed songs at the end of the term. Note: Students may take either the introductory or advanced version of this course, but not both.

Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Music (MUSC). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

This advanced level course is an investigation of the songwriter’s craft. Works by master songwriters will be analyzed and used as models for student work. The student will write lyrics and/or compose music for songs in one or more genres. Students will be engaged in the creative process directly while also acquiring a broader understanding of the theory, history, and aesthetic principles of songwriting. Note: Students can take either the introductory or advanced version of this course, but not both.

Attributes: *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

From disco to country, hip-hop to jazz, classical to gospel, Americans have adopted, adapted, appropriated, developed, and invented many musical traditions, genres, and institutions. In this course, students will sample some of the vast diversity of American music. Each student will also explore in some depth a particular area of American music of their own interest (such as an artist, genre, performance, practice, or issue). Students taking this course should have advanced level reading, writing and research skills. This course was previously ART-223414 American Popular Music in the Twentieth Century.

Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

What are the roots of the popular American music we hear today? Where did these influences, instruments, and vocal styles come from? Students in this course will study both written history and recorded music to examine, interpret, and categorize various genres of music from African American, Celtic, Latin, Creole, Native American, and European influences. Students will trace the emergence of rhythms and themes of lyrics to the merging of African and European music in colonial times. They will be encouraged to follow their own musical interests in researching the roots of their favorite genre for a final project.

Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

This course will explore children's music and its effect on child development, from nursery rhymes to lullabies and story songs. The main objective of this study is for students to discover the joy and benefits of children’s participation in music, whether it be singing, clapping, rhyming, or playing an instrument. Students will also engage in developing strategies for sharing music with children, using creativity and child participation.

Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

This course is an exploration of popular music in relation to social movements and cultural change, primarily in the United States, from the early decades of the twentieth century to the present. We will consider the importance of music and song in modern American culture, focusing on songs that have contributed to the development of labor, civil rights, peace, and feminist movements. Students will learn about musical artists who have emerged as voices of opposition, articulating issues of race, class, and gender. Throughout, we will examine the tensions between the music of activism and its production and consumption. (Students should take either the introductory or advanced version of this course but not both.)

Cross-listed with ARTP 3035.

Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Arts Gen Ed, *The Arts Gen Ed, *US History & Civ Engmt Gen Ed, Liberal

How has half the population of the United States gone from having no rights to education, work for wages, voting, entering into contracts, divorce, or child custody to the rights women have today? How have women's songs portrayed their lives and argued for their equality? Students will examine and interpret changes and trends in women's rights and roles from colonial times to the present. For each era, they will also evaluate women's songs, categorizing and analyzing their lyrics, melodies, instrumentation, and vocal styles. As a final project, students will choose a singer/songwriter they admire, research her music and career, and design a PowerPoint presentation that shows how this artist's music expresses her unique female voice.

Attributes: American History Gen Ed, Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

This course is an advanced level investigation of topics in world music and culture identified with one or more of the following geographical areas: South America and Mexico, the Caribbean, Asia, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, Europe, Canada, and the U.S. Prerequisites for advanced level credit include prior training and/or expertise in some aspect of music.

Attributes: Liberal

What is music and why does it matter? How and why do different musics matter differently to different people, and powerfully so? How might our own experiences with listening to music or making music inform our understanding of music's relevance to and importance in human life and culture? In this course, students will read, think, and write about music in philosophical ways, with ample opportunity to shape questions, ideas, and arguments in relation to their own musical experiences, interests, and preferences.

Cross-listed with PHIL 3015.

Attributes: Humanities Gen Ed, *Humanities Gen Ed, Liberal

Students will learn about the history and culture of the Adirondack region by reading stories and poems and listening to traditional and original songs. They will examine the forms of writing and the emotional connection in Adirondack folklore. From ballads of lumber camps to tall tales of explorers and sportsmen, the songs and stories of this wilderness region express a singular style of humor and impart values of work ethic and rugged individualism. Students will appreciate the inspiration behind the message and examine the artistic expression of singing and storytelling.

Attributes: Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

This research-based study in Western Music is for advanced students. Student projects will focus on analyzing and writing about musical works in an historical context. Students should have taken at least one music history study and/or experiential knowledge of Western Music.

Attributes: Liberal

This is a special topics course in music.

Attributes: Liberal

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Music (MUSC). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.

This course investigates cultural theory, philosophy, and aesthetic practices as they pertain to the history of music from the early twentieth century to the present. We will explore works by influential composers in a social and cultural context. The impact of technology on music composition, production, and consumption will be examined. Students should have a background in some aspect of music together with upper-level critical thinking and writing skills.

Attributes: *The Arts Gen Ed, Liberal

Students have the opportunity to develop individualized studies with their mentor in Music (MUSC). Please contact your mentor/advisor for more details.