Course Descriptions

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A music theory placement test is given by the department to determine a studentís skill level. A student who has the appropriate degree of proficiency may start the theory class sequence with either Music 104 or 205. Music majors and minors who encounter a closed music course in the registration process should contact the instructor to be admitted.

103. Elements of Music.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
This course is designed for the student who is curious about how music is organized, as well as for the beginner who needs some extra work in fundamental topics. Through written, aural, and keyboard skills, students gain knowledge of pitch notation, rhythm and meter, scales, intervals, chords, simple harmonic progressions, and cadences.

104. Theory I.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
This course develops written, aural, and keyboard skills as applied to common-practice musical traditions. Beginning with a review of music fundamentals, topics include diatonic harmony and functions, voice-leading guidelines, phrase structure, and introductions to musical style and species counterpoint.
Prerequisites: Music 103 or satisfactory score on music theory placement test.

205. Theory II.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course further develops written, aural, and keyboard skills as applied to common-practice musical traditions. As a continuation of Music 104, topics include diatonic harmony and functions, an introduction to chromatic harmony, and small formal designs.
Prerequisites: Music 104 or satisfactory score on music theory placement test.

206. Theory III.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This is an advanced course in written, aural, and keyboard skills as applied to common-practice musical traditions. As a continuation of Music 205, topics include chromatic harmony, extended tertian harmony, larger formal designs, and nineteenth-century genres.
Prerequisites: Music 205.

306. Theory IV.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course examines twentieth-century analysis and compositional techniques, including set-theory and serialism, and musical form through a survey of common-practice repertoire. Final projects include a written analysis and an oral presentation of an extended composition.
Prerequisites: Music 206.

210. Music Composition.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
This is a beginning course designed for students with little or no prior study in composition. The course presents fundamental resources and techniques essential to the entry-level student, as well as skills applicable to those with some amount of musical experience.
Prerequisites: Music 103 or approval of the instructor.

211. Advanced Composition.
Spring. Credits: 4.
This course is designed for the intermediate to advanced musician. Covering form, structure, and techniques of development this course will develop a solid foundation for those interested in composing music.
Prerequisites: Music 210 or approval of the instructor.

222. Music Technology.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course is designed to introduce both utilitarian and creative concepts, which will assist students in developing practical and artistic applications and skills in music technology. Covering historical, technical, scientific, interactive, and hands-on knowledge, the course will develop a solid foundation for those wishing to use computers, electronics, synthesizers, and the internet to supplement their musical needs, mastery, and understanding.

101. Music: A Sound Experience.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
This course is designed to increase knowledge of the history and traditions of Western art music. A primary goal of the course is to develop greater skill in active listening. While the focus of the course is the European classical tradition from 1600 to the present, discussions will also include early music, American traditions, and excursions into world musics, to provide a greater appreciation of the larger musical world. This course is for students who are not music majors or minors.

105. Topics in Music.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5 (some sections).
Topics courses are designed to focus on special interest topics such as Non-Western Music cultures, Piano Literature, Art Song Literature, Women in Music, or Sacred Music Traditions.

117. Music Cultures of the World.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5, F9.
This course serves as an introduction to the variety of musics found in cultures around the world outside the Western art music tradition. Students will be introduced not only to the sounds of different musics, but also to their aesthetic foundations, relation to social and cultural contexts, historical developments, and cross-cultural interactions and influences.

118. African-American Music.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5, F9.
This course is a survey of the African-American cultural music tradition, its special characteristics, and its significance in America and the world.

119. The Music of Latin America.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5, F9.
This course is a survey of the variety of indigenous, folk, and art musics of Latin America. Emphasis is on the sound of the music and on the cultural and social contexts of various cultures and the historical development of music in Latin America from the colonial period to the present.

200. Survey of Music Literature.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: F2.
 This course serves as an introduction to Western music literature, styles, and techniques for score study. Students will learn to identify the stylistic characteristics of the various periods of music history through score analysis and listening.
Prerequisites: Music 104 or permission of instructor.

227. European Musical Heritage I.
Fall. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F3.
This course traces the development of Western musical style from the time of its earliest written records to 1750. This development will be placed in dialogue with materials from social and intellectual history, literature, and other arts.
Prerequisites: Music 200 or permission of instructor.

228. European Musical Heritage.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course traces the development of Western musical style from 1750 to the present. This development will be placed in dialogue with materials from social or intellectual history, literature, and other arts.
Prerequisites: Music 227.

320. Music in the Middle Ages and Renaissance.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course surveys the major developments in Western music from approximately 900 to 1600. In addition to reading about the history of early music, students will be required to listen to and analyze scores of important representative works. Assignments will include writing music analyses, extensive listening and video viewing, and reading from the texts and other sources.
Prerequisites: Music 227 or permission of instructor.

321. Music in the Baroque Period.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course provides a historical overview of the music from the Baroque Period (c. 1600-1750). The different styles, schools, and genres of the period will be examined and placed in the context of the wider culture of the time. Students will be expected to engage in a detailed analysis of musical compositions from the period.
Prerequisites: Music 227 or permission of instructor.

322. Music in the Common-Practice Period.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course examines the music of the periods frequently called “Classical” and “Romantic” (c. 1750-1900), focusing on the changing cultural contexts for the music, aesthetic issues raised by musical writers in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, biographies of major composers, style developments according to chronology and genre, and detailed analysis of works.
Prerequisites: Music 228 or permission of instructor.

334. 20th Century Art Music.
Fall or Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course examines the diverse trends in music composition in the 20th century. Included will be twelve-tone music, electronic music, aleatory music, post-serialism, and minimalism.
Prerequisites: Music 228 or permission of instructor.

415. Conducting.
Spring. Credits: 4.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts.
This course presents the fundamentals of gestural conducting and their application to performance. Open to music majors and minors only.
Prerequisites: Music 206 or permission of instructor. (Course offered in alternate years; scheduled for 2008-2009.)

485. Senior Seminar.
Fall. Credits: 4.
This seminar forms the senior capstone experience for the Music Major. Each student will prepare an extensive research paper.

495-496. Honors Tutorial.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 4-4.

All applied music instruction is offered both Fall and Spring semesters and meets the Fine Arts and F5 requirements with the requisite number of credits. Declared music majors will have the applied music fees waived for eight (8) credits of their principal applied instrument. Students who have not declared a major in music wishing to add the study of applied music to their regular academic program will be charged an additional fee per credit per semester for private lessons. After the first applied music lesson, this additional fee is nonrefundable. Music majors taking more than eight (8) credits of applied music will be charged the music fee for credits above eight.
160. Piano/Classical. 
       Piano/Jazz.
161. Voice.
162. Organ.
163. Violin.
164. Guitar/Classical.
       Guitar/Commercial.
       Guitar/Jazz.
165. Harpsichord.
166. Cello.
167. Harp.
168. French horn.
169. Flute.
170. Oboe/English horn.
171. Clarinet.
172. Bassoon.
173. Trumpet.
174. Trombone/Tuba.
175. Percussion. 
       Percussion/Set
176. Viola.
177. Bass/Electric. 
       Bass/Upright
178. Saxophone.

Ensembles are offered both fall and spring semesters and meet the Fine Arts and F5 requirements with the requisite number of credits.

190. Rhodes Singers.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
Rhodes Singers are the concert choir for Rhodes College and appear regularly in both a cappella concerts as well as with orchestra. This noted performing ensemble has toured in the United States for over sixty years, and tours abroad regularly. Membership is by audition. Students who join this ensemble are expected to participate for a full academic year.

191. Rhodes Orchestra and Wind Ensemble.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
These ensembles are open to students with previous band or orchestra experience. Students of all skill levels are invited to rehearse, perfect, and perform literature written for strings, winds, and full orchestra. These ensembles also accompany the winner of the annual Gladys Cauthen Orchestra Soloist Competition. Membership is by audition.

192. Rhodes MasterSingers Chorale.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
This ensemble is made up of students and experienced choral singers from the community. There are normally four concerts each year and the repertoire includes a wide variety of musical styles, often including works with orchestra. Membership is by audition.

193. Rhodes Women’s Chorus.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
This ensemble is open to female students, and repertoire is taken from a variety of musical genres. The ensemble presents a major concert each semester and makes several program appearances in the local community. Membership is by audition.

194. Rhodes Jazz Ensemble.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
This ensemble explores jazz literature from all historic periods and offers an introduction to jazz style for students with beginning or more advanced degrees of experience. Issues of interpretation, improvisation, and ensemble techniques are discussed and implemented into performances. Membership is by audition.

195. Piano Accompanying.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
Competent players may earn credit for studio and/or recital accompanying of vocalists and instrumentalists.

196-198. Selected Chamber Ensembles.
Fall, Spring. Credits: 1.
Degree Requirements: Fine Arts, F5.
Chamber ensembles include Flute, Guitar, String Quartet, Woodwind Quintet, Brass Quartet, World Drum Ensemble, Contemporary Music Ensemble, and other mixed (instrumental and/or vocal) ensembles.