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Official Biographies for
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Frequently Asked Questions about
Music Courses
General Studies in Music Courses
Z100-The Live Musical Performance (2 cr.)
Z100 is an introduction to music listening through weekly in-class performances as well as attendance at rehearsals and concerts. Students have an opportunity to interact with instrumentalists, singers, dancers, choreographers, conductors, and composers. Musical styles include classical, jazz, folk, rock and world music. No musical background required.
Z101-Music for the Listener (3 cr.)
Find out what performance caused a riot in 1913, the identity of a 19th c. "rock star" and the composer of the most popular piece for 200 years! In this course, the listener is exposed to diverse types of music through the exploration of European and American classics. After initial units on world music and elements of music, the course flows from the Middle Ages to contemporary times. You do not need a musical background to be in this class, but it is important that you have a love for music.
Z103-Special Topics in Music for Nonmajors (3 cr.)
Z110-Non-Music Major Performance Elective (2 cr.)
For undergraduates.
Z111-Introduction to Music Theory (3 cr.)
This course is for those who want an introduction to the elements of music, including rhythm and its notation, melody and pitch, scales, major and minor keys, harmony, the keyboard, basic score reading and the rudiments of composition. By the end of this course, you should have familiarity and some degree of fluency with the musical language, the ability to write down musical ideas in standard notation, and the skills to talk about significant aspects of music that you hear. You do not need to have a musical background to be in this class!
Z120-Music in Multimedia (3cr.)
This course will focus on learning to use music creatively and effectively in multimedia. The class provides an overview and general understanding of how to develop and create a multimedia project using specific software. Students will acquire a basic proficiency of Director MX, a powerful software application, and DSP Quattro, a waveform editor (and more). Using Macintosh technology, students will apply various media elements (photos, text, audio and interactivity) into a final project.
Z171-Opera Theatre I (3 cr.)
Discover the passion and drama of the operatic stage through its elements (music, composers, singers, sets, costumes, stories and characters) and understand why opera has been one of the most popular of theatrical and musical genres for the past four hundred years. Learn of Orfeo’s sorrow, the Queen of the Night’s revenge, Lucia’s madness and Baby Doe’s devotion and understand how opera communicates emotion, desire and experience. Students participate in backstage tours, meet with operatic leads and observe rehearsals as part of the class. No musical background necessary.
Z201-History of Rock Music I: Roots of Rock to the British Invasion (3 cr.)
A history and appreciation of the musical melting pot that shaped rock & roll. The course begins with an overview of ancestors and influences (blues, boogie-woogie, jazz, swing, country & western, gospel and popular music) and the crossover success of rhythm & blues acts that marked the true birth of rock & roll. The focus then shifts to the cataclysmic arrival of Elvis Presley and the careers and musical styles of Chuck Berry, Little Richard, Fats Domino, Buddy Holly, the Everly Brothers and other Founding Fathers, and continues through the early sixties pop landscape of Phil Spector, the Brill Building writers, the Twist and "American Bandstand."
Z202-History of Rock Music II: The Sixties (3 cr.)
Learn the history and appreciation of the musical and social trends of the 1960s, from the Beatles and the 1964 British Invasion to Bob Dylan and Folk-Rock, Motown and Soul and the other major mid-sixties artists and styles. The latter part of the course looks at the rock explosion and social upheaval of the late 1960s.
Z211- Music Theory II (3cr.) (Z111 - Pre-requisite or permission of instructor)
Z211 is a theory course designed to build on the strong foundation acquired in Z111. While this class will cover the same basic topics (rhythm and its notation, pitch, intervals, melody, major and minor keys, scales, triads, harmony, the keyboard, song composition, score reading), they are covered in more depth, with an emphasis on analysis of entire works from various repertoires. The course will enhance your understanding and appreciation of whatever style or type of music you listen to, while also giving you the skills necessary to further your musical studies.
Z250-Choral Masterworks: (3 cr.)
Find out why nearly 30 million people in our country sing in choruses! This class will introduce you to the masterpieces of choral music through musical, historical, and cultural contexts. Experience live music through concerts and performances of various groups including traditional choruses, a cappella groups, and show choirs. Learn about these different types of choral groups and the music they sing, and explore the role of the chorus in our society and throughout the world.
Z260-Music in American Society (3 cr.)
Music holds a central place in American life. Whether for religion or politics, for recreation or education, for war or for peace, Americans have made music an indispensable part of their daily existence. Explore music in the United States, its history, and its place in society from the earliest records of musical activity in North America to its many present incarnations in this course. Students will undertake a Local Music Project of their own choosing on music in the Bloomington area. No specialized knowledge of music is required.
Z301-Rock Music in the 70's and 80's (3 cr.)
Z301 is a large lecture-oriented course that covers the history of Rock music in the 1970's and 1980's. The post-Pepper "splintering" of rock and the ensuing style changes are highlighted.
Z315 - Film and Music (3 cr.)
You have undoubtedly “seen” many movies but did you “hear” them? Sound helps most films create strong impressions, while remaining in the background. This class aims to introduce you to the musical element of film. One theme will be the problem of “listening” to films and defining how music functions in film. Primary types of scores and specific contexts for music in film are considered. By examining the ways in which music complements and influences our interpretation of film images and characterizations we can better understand our culture and our values.
Z320 - Advanced Special Topics in Music for Non-Majors (3 cr.)
Z361-Introduction to MIDI and Computer Music (3 cr)
Z361 is designed to teach both music majors and non-music majors the basics of the MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface) system, its software, and the instruments commonly used with desktop MIDI workstations, such as synthesizers and digital samplers. Coursework includes a series of creative projects and two quizzes.
This course is geared for those with little prior technical training. Prerequisites: a modest working knowledge of personal computers, a basic understanding of rhythmic notation, and some previous experience making music (playing an instrument, singing in a choir, writing songs, etc.).
Z362 – Computer Music: Design/Perform (3 cr)
Projects in fixed-media computer music composition (with and without video) and live electronic music performance. Field recording, audio editing, sampling, effects processing, mixing, mastering, video synchronization, methods of synthesis, virtual instrument design, real-time hardware control of audio, live video processing.
Prerequisite: Z361/K361/N561 or equivalent experience and permission of instructor.
Z373-The American Musical (3 cr.)
Discover the excitement and spirit of the American musical through this course. Follow its development from minstrelsy, vaudeville, burlesque and operetta, through the jazz era and “golden” age musicals, to the rock operas and “megamusicals” of today. Learn about creative teams, performers and impresarios and explore the contextual meaning of the musical and its relationship to American politics and culture.
Z385-History of the Blues
Learn about the music, lives and careers of the artists who created and perpetuated one of America's purest art forms - The Blues. Styles examined in depth include the Classic blues women, country blues, city blues, holy blues, urban blues, British blues revival and much, much more. Extensive use of performance videos will bring to life many of the late, great blues pioneers.
Z390-Jazz for Listeners (3 cr.)
The course focuses on how to listen to jazz and what to listen for in jazz. In addition students will survey and learn how to recognize various historical styles of jazz and major figures who have contributed to the jazz tradition.
Z393-History of Jazz (3 cr.)
Periods, major performers and composers, trends, influences, stylistic features, and related materials. For non-music majors only.
Z395-Contemporary Jazz and Soul Music (3 cr.)
A survey of contemporary jazz and soul (rhythm and blues) music and musicians in the United States. For non-music majors only.
Z401-The Music of the Beatles (3 cr.)
A song-by-song look at the music, lives and times of this extraordinary group and songwriting partnership. The course focuses on the Beatles' music and aims to heighten student listening skills as well as foster a deeper appreciation of the Beatles' music.
Z402-The Music of Frank Zappa (3 cr)
A detailed survey of the musical career of rock's most avant-garde composer. Traces Zappa's creative output from his early days through his solo projects, his "big band" period, his orchestral productions, and finally his groundbreaking work with the Synclavier. All of Zappa's commercially released albums are discussed, and students are responsible for a listening list of materials from these releases.
Z403-The Music of Jimi Hendrix
This course offers a detailed look at the life, music and career of rock music's best and most influential guitarist. Jimi's audio and video performances document his meteoric rise from obscurity to master musician in the few short years before his untimely death.
Z413-Latin American Popular Music (3 cr.)
Z413 covers historical and cultural aspects in the development of important popular music genres in Latin America and the Caribbean, and their impact in the United States. Issues of performance and instrumentation and the output of significant composers, arrangers, and performers. Open to majors and nonmajors. Activities outside of class may be scheduled.
Z415-Connections: Music-Art-Literature
This class explores interrelationships among the arts—music, literature, art, and multimedia. By the end of the semester you should know and understand how the various arts influence each other, and are in turn influenced by the culture and temper of the times they reflect. Matters of style, deep structure, form, and texture are considered in the context of a historical survey from the Renaissance to the present, with emphasis on arts of the 20th and 21st centuries. An after-hours private tour of the IU Art Museum collection will be a feature of the course. |
