Music Theory and Composition
In this music composition course, you will gain a solid understanding of music fundamentals while building your own musical language. You will receive a detailed look at the major and minor keys, as well as tools to help you comprehend scales and chords so that you can use them in your own music. An understanding of basic music theory will support you in all of your musical endeavors, eventually making the application of advanced topics much easier.
This course will to take you from rhythm and phrasing, through to scales and tonality, and then conclude with intervals and chord building. This course will also examine notational systems and the specifics of notating music, teaching you to put your own music into a form that will be transferable to others in the field. Advanced topics in this music composition course include modes, chord scales and tensions, as well as modal interchange and melodic and compositional techniques. In addition, there will be a focus on writing for the rhythm section.
One unique feature of the curriculum is its blend of both traditional and contemporary harmony, allowing you to receive a historical understanding of current topics—as well as an increased mastery of these topics.
On a weekly basis, you will be asked to engage with your classmates and instructor as you work your way through each lesson. To help you thoroughly experience and understand the material, you will be given activities and exercises to complete for each topic. There will also be weekly compositional assignments, giving you the opportunity to practice writing, with approximately half of these assignments scored to a visual media clip.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Compose your own musical ideas
- Notate your own musical ideas
- Construct chords and melodies and apply them to your writing
- Apply advanced musical concepts to your own writing
- Apply theoretical analysis to contemporary music and traditional classical music
- Treble Clef and Accidentals
- Tonality and Major Key
- Leger Lines
- The Movable “Do” Solfege System
- Motif and Melody
- Music Transcription
- Notation Corner
- Melodic and Harmonic Intervals
- Interval Qualities
- The Bass Clef
- Grand Staff, Interval Gymnastics, and Compound Intervals
- Notation Corner
- Triads, Sus4 Chords, and Power Chords
- Chords Symbols
- Diatonic Triads in Major Key
- Contemporary and Classical Harmonic Analysis
- Notation Corner
- Harmonic Function and Progressions
- Triadic Voice-leading
- Figured Bass
- Harmonizing a Melody with Triads
- Notation Corner
- Relative Minor
- Harmonic Minor
- Harmonic Analysis in Minor Key
- Harmonizing a Minor Key Melody
- Notation Corner
- Building 7th and Other Four-Note Chords
- Diatonic 7th Chords in Major and Minor Key
- Harmonic Function and Voice-leading of 7th Chords in Contemporary Harmony
- Classical Voice-leading and Figured Bass for 7th Chords
- Notation Corner
- Relative Major Key Modes
- Major Key Chord Scales and Diatonic Tensions
- Major Key Modes and Chord Scales
- Melody, Use, and Analysis of Non-Chord Tones in Traditional Harmony
- Notation Corner
- Parallel Modes
- Modal Interchange
- Voice-leading with Inversions
- Voice-leading and Tension Substitution
- Notation Corner
- Hybrid Chords
- Introduction to Song and Instrumental Forms
- Score Layout
- Building Compositions
- Notation Corner
Electronic Music
In this music composition course, you will gain a solid understanding of music fundamentals while building your own musical language. You will receive a detailed look at the major and minor keys, as well as tools to help you comprehend scales and chords so that you can use them in your own music. An understanding of basic music theory will support you in all of your musical endeavors, eventually making the application of advanced topics much easier.
This course will to take you from rhythm and phrasing, through to scales and tonality, and then conclude with intervals and chord building. This course will also examine notational systems and the specifics of notating music, teaching you to put your own music into a form that will be transferable to others in the field. Advanced topics in this music composition course include modes, chord scales and tensions, as well as modal interchange and melodic and compositional techniques. In addition, there will be a focus on writing for the rhythm section.
One unique feature of the curriculum is its blend of both traditional and contemporary harmony, allowing you to receive a historical understanding of current topics—as well as an increased mastery of these topics.
On a weekly basis, you will be asked to engage with your classmates and instructor as you work your way through each lesson. To help you thoroughly experience and understand the material, you will be given activities and exercises to complete for each topic. There will also be weekly compositional assignments, giving you the opportunity to practice writing, with approximately half of these assignments scored to a visual media clip.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Compose your own musical ideas
- Notate your own musical ideas
- Construct chords and melodies and apply them to your writing
- Apply advanced musical concepts to your own writing
- Apply theoretical analysis to contemporary music and traditional classical music
Oriental Music
In this music composition course, you will gain a solid understanding of music fundamentals while building your own musical language. You will receive a detailed look at the major and minor keys, as well as tools to help you comprehend scales and chords so that you can use them in your own music. An understanding of basic music theory will support you in all of your musical endeavors, eventually making the application of advanced topics much easier.
This course will to take you from rhythm and phrasing, through to scales and tonality, and then conclude with intervals and chord building. This course will also examine notational systems and the specifics of notating music, teaching you to put your own music into a form that will be transferable to others in the field. Advanced topics in this music composition course include modes, chord scales and tensions, as well as modal interchange and melodic and compositional techniques. In addition, there will be a focus on writing for the rhythm section.
One unique feature of the curriculum is its blend of both traditional and contemporary harmony, allowing you to receive a historical understanding of current topics—as well as an increased mastery of these topics.
On a weekly basis, you will be asked to engage with your classmates and instructor as you work your way through each lesson. To help you thoroughly experience and understand the material, you will be given activities and exercises to complete for each topic. There will also be weekly compositional assignments, giving you the opportunity to practice writing, with approximately half of these assignments scored to a visual media clip.
By the end of this course, you will be able to:
- Compose your own musical ideas
- Notate your own musical ideas
- Construct chords and melodies and apply them to your writing
- Apply advanced musical concepts to your own writing
- Apply theoretical analysis to contemporary music and traditional classical music
