How to Read Music. Clefs, pitch and rhythmic notation, scales, keys, and chords. May be taken for one-half credit or without credit. This course traces the development of jazz from its roots in West Africa to the free styles of the 1960s. Included are the delineation of the various styles and detailed analysis of seminal figures.
Emphasis is on developing the student's ability to identify both style and significant musicians.
Open to all students without prerequisite. Primary distribution course. A survey of the history of opera, with special emphasis on and study of scenes from selected works. For those with vocal abilities, the course will include preparation of specific scenes, but it is open to students with no particular performance skills and no prior musical experience. Primary distribution course.