COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

MUS – Music

MUS 010 – Recital Hour: 0 credits

A course designed to accommodate studio classes, master-classes, general department recitals, Junior Recitals, and Senior Recitals. Students will perform in one or more of these sessions each semester.

Course Fee: $25

MUS 141 – Aural Skills I: 1 credit

A course designed to develop sight-singing as well as melodic, rhythmic and harmonic dictation. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 143.

Prerequisite: Passing score on music placement exam.

MUS 142 – Fundamentals of Music: 3 credits

A remedial course designed to introduce music majors and music minors to the fundamental elements of music. Enrollment, determined by examination, will emphasize basic musical concepts. Since the class is considered remedial in nature, it does not fulfill graduation requirements for music majors and music minors. Music majors and music minors must earn a grade of C or higher to continue into Music Theory I. This course can count towards a general elective for non-music majors.

MUS 143 – Music Theory I: 3 credits

A course designed to give the student a theoretical and practical knowledge of the fundamentals of music. Scales, key signatures, intervals, rhythm, triads, and diatonic harmony are studied. Emphasis is placed on four-part choral style writing. A study of the harmonic, melodic, and formal elements of music.

Prerequisite: MUS 142 and/or pass music placement exam.

MUS 151 – Aural Skills II: 1 credit

A continuation of Aural Skills I. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 153

Prerequisite: MUS 141 or pass a placement exam

MUS 153 – Music Theory II: 3 credits

A continuation of Music Theory I with emphasis on harmonic progression, triads in inversion, musical form, non-chord tones, and seventh chords.

Prerequisite: MUS 143

MUS 201 – Guitar Class I: 1 credit

An introduction to the fundamentals of playing acoustic guitar for worship. Basic techniques of playing chords, chord voicing, strumming, and fingerpicking will be explored.

MUS 212 – Guitar Class II: 1 credit

This class is designed to refine the techniques introduced in Guitar Class I, with an emphasis on applying those techniques in the context of worship choruses. Students will continue to develop their skills by playing the most common chords and chord progressions with rhythmic stability.

MUS 221 – Aural Skills III: 1 credit

A continuation of Aural Skills II. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 223.

Prerequisite: Aural Skills II or pass a placement exam.

MUS 223 – Music Theory III: 3 credits

A continuation of Music Theory II with emphasis on secondary dominant chords, modulation, binary and ternary forms, borrowed chords, and augmented sixth chords. 

Prerequisite: MUS 153

MUS 231 – Aural Skills IV: 1 credit

A continuation of Aural Skills III. Concurrent enrollment in MUS 233.

Prerequisite: Aural Skills III or pass a placement exam.

MUS 233 – Music Theory IV: 3 credits

A continuation of Music Theory III with emphasis on advanced chromatic harmony, late nineteenth-and twentieth-century practices, musical form, and counterpoint. 

Prerequisite: MUS 223

MUS 302 – Rhythm Section Methods: 2 credits

A course designed for worship leaders to explore the unique roles and features of the various instruments in the rhythm section of a worship band. An emphasis will be placed on how to communicate with the instrumentalists by using appropriate musical terminology.

MUS 310 – Piano Proficiency: 0 credits

Required of all Music majors as well as music minors. All sections of the piano proficiency exam must be passed by the end of the junior year. See Music Department Handbook for details.

MUS 313 – Music History I: 3 credits

Studies of the periods and styles of music in theory, form, performance and practice. Important people, places and events that affect the development of church music will be discussed. Historical influences and important events of church music history will be surveyed. Covers the period from antiquity through the Baroque. Attention will be given to church masters.

MUS 320 – Junior Recital: 0 credits

A junior-level project required of students enrolled in the contemporary track of the Music Performance degree. The recital will consist of at least 45 minutes of contemporary Christian music and will feature the student as soloist.

MUS 323 – Music History II: 3 credits

A continuation of Music History I The Classic, Romantic and Modern periods will be studied. The major composers, forms, and styles of music from 1750 to the present will be emphasized. Specific attention will be given to church music masters.

MUS 333 – Music History III: 3 credits

A study of composers, musical styles and developments from 1901 to the present. This course will examine music in form, performance and practice including world music, folk, and jazz.

MUS 342 – Basic Conducting: 2 credits

A course designed to introduce the student to the fundamental concepts of conducting. Beat patterns, entrances and releases, cueing, score preparation and rehearsing will be covered. 

Prerequisite: MUS 153

MUS 362 – Choral Conducting: 2 credits

Explores techniques of choral conducting, including group vocal technique and repertoire. Attention is given to various style periods and their characteristic sound quality. 

Prerequisite: MUS 342

MUS 382 – Instrumental Conducting: 2 credits

Explores techniques of instrumental conducting, including problems of the instrumental medium. The course also includes an analysis and interpretation of literature appropriate for use in schools and the community. Students conduct the Wind Ensemble.

Prerequisite: MUS 342

MUS 403 – Songwriting: 3 credits

A course designed to introduce the techniques of writing worship choruses. The class will emphasize the development of melodic ideas, crafting song sections that combine into a unified whole, formal structure, harmonic progressions, and writing lyrics based on sound biblical theology.

Prerequisites: MUS 151 and 153 

MUS 410 – Senior Recital: 0 credits

A senior project consisting of a performance of at least 50 minutes of music. Students in Church Music will perform a 30-minute recital on their primary instrument and a 20-minute conducting recital. Students in Music Performance will present a 50-minute recital entirely on their primary applied instrument, emphasizing classical music literature from all periods of music history.

Course fee of $165.

MUS 411 – Seminar in Contemporary Music: 2 credit

A seminar course that explores topics including: concert promotion, booking, developing the concert program, and stage presence, as well as Web commerce and ministry organization finances. 

Prerequisite: MUS 231 and 233

MUS 412 – Choral & Instrumental Arranging: 3 credits

A course designed to introduce students to musical techniques of arranging for both choral and instrumental ensembles. Students will apply their musical knowledge in a variety of creative writing assignments. Required for Church Music, Worship Leading, and Music Performance majors.

Prerequisite: MUS 233

MUS 422 – Piano Literature: 2 credits

A survey of the keyboard literature from all periods of music history.

MUS 432 – Vocal Literature: 2 credits

A survey of the vocal literature from all periods of music history.

MUS 442 – Instrumental Literature: 2 credits

A survey of instrumental and orchestral literature from all periods of music history.

MUS 450 – Applied Composition: 2 credits

Applied composition lessons are structured to encourage creativity and to lead to the development of a unique individual style of composition. Initial lessons provide experiences in the style of major composers from the Baroque, Classic, Romantic, Impressionist, and Contemporary periods. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

An additional fee of $395 is required.

MUS 452 – Piano Pedagogy: 2 credit

A course designed to provide the student with the concepts and techniques of teaching piano. The class will study historical aspects of piano pedagogy in the United States, survey current methods and materials related to teaching piano, and examine methods and procedures of professional studio organization and management.

MUS 462 – Vocal Pedagogy: 2 credits

A course designed to provide the student with concepts and techniques of teaching voice.

MUS 472 – Instrumental Pedagogy: 2 credits

A course designed to provide the student with concepts and techniques of teaching brass, woodwind, percussion or guitar.

MUS 481 – Internship: 1-3 credits

This phase of the student’s education is to provide a supervised experience in direct ministry. All internships must be approved and processed through the Internship office. Internships can range from 4 to 15 weeks. An internship must be for at least 1 credit hour but can be expanded for up to 3 credit hours. A comprehensive journal is required that addresses the student’s activities during the internship and issues of development in their area of ministry. Written evaluations are required by the intern and the on-site supervisor. Internships are tailored in conjunction with the student’s focus of development and future ministry plans.

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