Corcoran Music (CMUS)

CMUS 1063. Instrumental Ensemble. 1 Credit.

Students are placed in small ensemble groups of varying sizes and instrumentation. Participation at this level provides a challenging ensemble experience for advanced students, exploring a variety of repertoire and percussive skills.

CMUS 1071. Jazz Ensemble. 1 Credit.

Builds foundational skills in the performance and preparation of jazz literature from early-era to modern. Individual sections explore variations and origins of jazz, such as Afro-Caribbean, Latin Band, Blues, and Brazilian. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.

CMUS 1081. Orchestra. 1 Credit.

Preparation and performance of orchestral literature. Primary focus on team-building, student leadership, developing musical skills, and seeking to learn more about music in general. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.

CMUS 1083. Symphonic Band. 1 Credit.

Performance ensemble open to all brass, woodwind, and percussion. Supplemental instruments of string bass, piano, celeste, harp, and others may be included as dictated by literature; both traditional and modern wind band literature are covered. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.

CMUS 1085. Wind Ensemble. 1 Credit.

A select performance ensemble open by audition to all brass, woodwind, and percussion players at the University. Advanced musicianship, accuracy, and skill are expected. Prerequisites: CMUS 1083 or MUS 1083 or the permission of the instructor.

CMUS 1091. University Singers. 1 Credit.

Examination of traditional and modern choral literature. Students are taught and guided through practice, interpretation, and performance technique. A minimum of one public concert is performed each semester. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.

CMUS 1093. Women's Ensemble. 1 Credit.

Preparation and performance of choral literature specifically centered around women's voices. History and cultural inferences and how they relate to the performance of choral pieces by women. Permission of the instructor is required.

CMUS 1099. Variable Topics - Music. 1-36 Credits.

Topics vary by semester. May be repeated for credit provided topic differs. Consult the Schedule of Classes for more details.

CMUS 1101. Elements of Music Theory. 3 Credits.

Elements necessary for the study of music, including practical musicianship and musical notations; develops skills in music reading, writing, and aural acuity. Concurrent registration in a music reading lab is required.

CMUS 1102. Comprehensive Musicianship I. 3 Credits.

Aural and keyboard skills development through dictation, sight singing, and performance and improvisation at the keyboard. Prerequisites: CMUS 1101 or MUS 1101 or the permission of the instructor.

CMUS 1104. Topics in Music. 3 Credits.

Topics in music history and culture vary by semester. May be repeated for credit provided the topic differs. Consult the Schedule of Classes for more details.

CMUS 1106. Introduction to Performance. 3 Credits.

Develop musicality through private lessons while at the same time critically examining experiences of playing and performance within the context of challenging readings and written exercises in a seminar environment. Prerequisites: Permission of the instructor.

CMUS 1161. Music, Sound, and Technology. 3 Credits.

History and development of sound capture and creation technology from the Industrial Revolution to today with critical examination of both personal and societal engagement with these technologies.

CMUS 1501. Performance Study Foundations. 1 Credit.

Building on the foundation of the student’s prior work, emphasizes increased independence in technical and musical decisions, building mastery of technique, and broadening exposure to a variety of musical styles and traditions. Restricted to music majors and minor or with the permission of the instructor.

CMUS 1502. Performance Study Foundations. 2 Credits.

Build on the foundation of the student’s prior work, emphasizing increased independence in technical and musical decisions, building mastery of technique, and broadening exposure to a variety of musical styles and traditions. Restricted to music majors and minors, or with the permission of the instructor.

CMUS 1701. Performance Study I. 1 Credit.

Individual instruction in technique, performance preparation and basic musicianship skills that will foster independent and self-motivated learners. Continue the student’s critical understanding of the embodiment of sound production. Restricted to music major and minors. Prerequisites: CMUS 1106 or MUS 1106; or CMUS 1501 or MUS 1501; or CMUS 1502 or MUS 1502.

CMUS 1702. Performance Study I. 2 Credits.

Individual instruction in technique, performance preparation and basic musicianship skills that will foster independent and self-motivated learners. Continues the student’s critical understanding of the embodiment of sound production. Restricted to music majors and minors. Prerequisites: CMUS 1106 or MUS 1106; or CMUS 1501 or MUS 1501; CMUS 1502 or MUS 1502.

CMUS 2101. Harmony. 3 Credits.

The uses of harmony to create form/expression in three musical repertoires of the last 150 years. How the details of harmonic language define style, with model compositions used to demonstrate understanding and creativity using these traits. Prerequisites: CMUS 1102 or MUS 1102.

CMUS 2105W. Introduction to Ethnomusicology. 3 Credits.

Models of understanding music as a cultural endeavor. Application and critique of models in the design and execution of student independent field research. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement.

CMUS 2106. Music History Now. 3 Credits.

A thematic approach to music of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, examining a variety of musical forms and contexts. Broadens accounts of Western music history by exploring contributions of women, African Americans, and non-white musicians. Prerequisites: CMUS 1101 or MUS 1101.

CMUS 2110. History, Culture, and Aesthetics of Hip Hop Music. 3 Credits.

Origins and evolution of hip hop music from the 1970s to the present with an emphasis on intersectional politics of race.

CMUS 2122. Music in the United States. 3 Credits.

The history of music and musical life in the United States. Emphasis on relationships among diverse traditions and communities.

CMUS 2122W. Music in the United States. 3 Credits.

Histories of music and life in the United States, emphasizing relationships among diverse traditions and communities. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement.

CMUS 2123. Musical Cultures of African Americans. 3 Credits.

Musical genres and styles developed by African Americans since Reconstruction in their historical and cultural contexts. Emphasis on black musical contributions to the cultural life of Washington, DC.

CMUS 2134. Composition. 3 Credits.

Introduction to contemporary compositional practices; analysis of select repertoire; emphasis on original student works. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisites: CMUS 2101 or MUS 2101.

CMUS 2161. Sound Technology I Introduction to Digital Musicianship. 3 Credits.

Introduction to working with sound and creating music using computers. Foundational acoustics and psychoacoustics, principles of digital audio, fundamental sound synthesis techniques, basics of MIDI and sampling, and techniques of sound organization.

CMUS 2162. Sound Technology II: Capturing Sound. 3 Credits.

Hands-on experience with sound capture/synthesis tech. Recording techniques, microphones, best practices for enhancing recorded audio, and advanced audio processing techniques applied technically/creatively. Prerequisites: CMUS 2161 or MUS 2661.

CMUS 2163. Sound Technology III: Creating Sound. 3 Credits.

Hands-on experience with sound capture and synthesis technology. Covers more advanced synthesis techniques, including FM, wavetable, and granular, and patching semi-modular hardware synthesizers. Prerequisites: CMUS 2161 or MUS 2661.

CMUS 2501. Performance Study II (1). 1 Credit.

Intermediate level course in musicianship and performance. Develops students’ ability to demonstrate intelligibility, craft, informed expression, and a commitment to independent inquiry in creating or performing music. Restricted to music majors and minors. Prerequisites: CMUS 1101 or MUS 1101; and CMUS 1701 or MUS 1701, or CMUS 1702 or MUS 1702.

CMUS 2502. Performance Study II (2). 2 Credits.

Intermediate level course in musicianship and performance. Develops the students’ ability to demonstrate intelligibility, craft, informed expression, and a commitment to independent inquiry in creating or performing music. Restricted to music majors and minors. Prerequisites: CMUS 1101 or MUS 1101; and CMUS 1701 or MUS 1701, or CMUS 1702 or MUS 1702.

CMUS 3125. Washington, DC in the History of Punk Rock Music. 3 Credits.

The history of Washington, DC, as a center for hardcore punk music, politics, and activism. Focus on the period 1979 to 1995 and the place of DC punk tradition within the contexts of punk as a musical genre and a political and economic culture.

CMUS 3126. Music History I: Antiquity through Early Baroque. 3 Credits.

The development of Western European music from its earliest traceable roots to the end of the early, experimental Baroque period.

CMUS 3127. Music History II: The Tonal Era. 3 Credits.

Styles, structures, social foundations, and aesthetic change in European music of the late seventeenth through the late nineteenth centuries.

CMUS 3161. Composing with Computers. 3 Credits.

Enhancing access to musical creativity by way of small compositional tasks centered around computer-based technology. Prerequisites: CMUS 2161 or MUS 2161.

CMUS 3174. Topics in Music Theory and Composition. 3 Credits.

Variable topics in music theory, analysis, and composition, such as analysis of post-tonal music, advanced jazz arranging, analysis of fourteenth-century vocal music, and developments in extended instrumental techniques since 1950. Prerequisites: Consult the Schedule of Classes.

CMUS 3175. Topics in Music History and Literature. 3 Credits.

Variable topics in music history and literature in all traditions and styles. Topics may include German musical Romanticism, introduction to critical musicology, the music of Josquin des Prez, and vernacular music in Washington, DC.

CMUS 3502. Performance Study III. 2 Credits.

Advanced level study in an instrument/vocal technique. Deepens criti cal understanding of performance informed by technical understanding of the embodiment of sound production, and internalization of repertoires. Restricted to music majors and minors. Prerequisites: CMUS 1102 or MUS 1102; and CMUS 2501 or MUS 2501, or CMUS 2502 or MUS 2502. Recommended background: At least 3 credits of academic coursework in music at the 2100 level or above.

CMUS 4085. Senior Capstone Project. 2-4 Credits.

Research, composition, or performance project. Students must consult with a faculty advisor and present a written proposal prior to enrollment and meet regularly with their advisor throughout the semester. Restricted to senior music majors. Prerequisites: CMUS 4198 or MUS 4198.

CMUS 4198W. Senior Seminar. 3 Credits.

Methodologies of musical research, including studies in performance, composition, history, bibliography, and cultural theory. Recommended for students completing senior capstone projects. Restricted to music majors. Includes a significant engagement in writing as a form of critical inquiry and scholarly expression to satisfy the WID requirement.

CMUS 4199. Independent Research. 1-6 Credits.

Independent research and special projects. Student must submit a written plan of study proposal and obtain the approval of the faculty member directing the study and the department chair. Restricted to music majors and minors.

CMUS 4502. Performance Study IV. 2 Credits.

Strengthens the student's ability to demonstrate intelligibility, craft, informed expression, and a commitment to independent inquiry in creating or performing music. Restricted to music majors and minors. Prerequisites: CMUS 3502 or MUS 3502.