Music Theory and Composition Faculty
Larry Thomas Bell, Chair
Martin F. Gardiner
Elena Lucas
Margaret McAllister
Stephen Savage
Michael Weinstein
Jazz Theory and History Faculty
Eyran Katsenelenbogen
Rick McLaughlin
Joel Yennior
Private Lessons
Students wishing to broaden their musical training whether general or expert can do so through private instruction. Private classical and jazz instruction is offered by highly qualified and experienced faculty. Lessons range from 30, 45, or 60 minutes. Theoretical studies include sight-singing, ear training, form and analysis, 16th-and 18th-century counterpoint, tonal composition, 20th-century idioms, orchestration, and jazz theory and arranging. Placement is made by the department chair, Larry Thomas Bell.
Musicianship and Music Theory
The Musicianship and Music Theory Program is designed to provide the highly motivated adult student with instruction in the areas of rhythmic and melodic sight-singing, keyboard skills, and basic theoretical concepts. Ear-training is emphasized at all levels. Class presentations also provide historical context through musical examples and videos.
Advanced Music Theory I
Full year course (Fall and Spring)
Elena Lucas, Instructor
Tuesdays 6:30 to 8:30 pm
2 credits: $1,100 per semester
Begins 9/21
The practice of harmonic and melodic intervals; rhythmic performance and dictation in simple and compound meters; reading of treble and bass clefs using fixed-do solfège and oneline melodic dictation; the study of triads, principles of voice leading, introduction to harmonic analysis, and the harmonization of bass lines and soprano melodies, with an emphasis on the harmonic style of music from the 18th and early 19th centuries. Prerequisite is Musicianship (or its equivalent) or permission of the instructor, Elena Lucas.
Advanced Music Theory II
Full year course (Fall and Spring)
Elena Lucas, Instructor
Wednesdays 6:30 to 8:30 pm
2 credits: $1,100 per semester
Begins 9/22
A sequential continuation of Certificate Theory I, the emphasis here will be placed on a study of representative music from the 19th and early 20th centuries and the acquisition of the practical and theoretical skills needed to comprehend and perform that music. The study of modulation and chromatic harmony will be reinforced with dictation using seventh chords, rhythms with changing time signatures and complex subdivisions, and sightreading using soprano, alto, and tenor clefs. Prerequisite is Theory I or its equivalent or permission of the instructor, Elena Lucas.
Introduction to Composition
One Semester course, offered Fall and Spring
Stephen Savage, Instructor
Saturdays 1:00-2:00 pm
1 credit: $550 per semester
Non-credit: $390 per semester
Begins 9/18
Beginning composition students are encouraged to realize their musical conceptions. Basic concepts introduced include pitch and scale organization, rhythm, tone color, motive, phrase, melody, texture, and gesture. Rudiments of counterpoint, harmony, and standard forms are considered, with emphasis on the balance between repetition and contrast. Specific exercises are given, but students are also encouraged to write freely and to develop a style of their own. Compositions are performed in class when possible.
Modal Counterpoint
Offered as private instruction/independent study. Contact the SCE office at 616.585.1130 for details.
Private Studio Rates Apply
A study of 16th-century species counterpoint in two voices and an introduction to 18th-century counterpoint and canon and fugue in three voices. Representative musical examples by Palestrina and Bach will be studied; the last class is a one-hour exam. Text: Johann Fux, Gradus ad Parnassum. Prerequisite: Theory I or permission of the instructor. Note: either this course or Eighteenth-Century Tonal Counterpoint will be offered, depending on enrollment and interest.
Music Basics: How to Read Music
Margaret McAllister, Instructor
10 Sessions
Saturday 2-3p.m.
Non-Credit $260
Begins 9/18
The Music Basics: How to Read Music course is designed for the non-musician or for musicians with little understanding of basic musical notation. The course will focus on understanding rhythmic feel and basic rhythmic notation (whole, half, quarter notes, etc.) and time signatures. In addition the course will focus on reading musical notes in the treble and bass clef, navigating the keyboard, learning major scales, and understanding chromatic notation. The course will also focus on elementary singing including scales and small musical melodies.
Musicianship I
Fall Semester Only
Margaret McAllister, Instructor
Saturday 9:00-11:00 am
2 credits: $1,100 per semester
Non-credit: $840 per semester
Begins 9/18
Rhythmic and melodic reading in simple and compound meters at the levels of beat, division, and subdivision; mixed meters; dotted rhythms and syncopations; diatonic intervals and diatonic triads of major and minor keys; triads in four voices; chords in open and close position; cadences: authentic, plagal, and full; playing and writing chord progressions based upon primary triads; seventh chords; and an introduction to the analysis of melody, harmony, and smaller musical forms. Examples studied will include simple chorales, short piano pieces, and selected movements of symphonic works. Semester concludes with an individualized evaluation sequence.
Musicianship II
Spring Semester Only
Margaret McAllister, Instructor
Saturday 9:00-11:00 am
2 credits: $1,100 per semester
Non-credit: $840 per semester
A continuation of the concepts studied in Musicianship I including rhythmic and melodic reading in simple and compound meters at the levels of beat, division, and subdivision; mixed meters; dotted rhythms and syncopations; diatonic intervals and diatonic triads of major and minor keys; triads in four voices; chords in open and close position; cadences: authentic, plagal, and full; playing and writing chord progressions based upon primary triads; seventh chords; and an introduction to the analysis of melody, harmony, and smaller musical forms. Examples studied will include simple chorales, short piano pieces, and selected movements of symphonic works. Semester concludes with an individualized evaluation sequence.
Eighteenth-Century Tonal Counterpoint
Offered as private instruction/independent study. Contact the SCE office at 616.585.1130 for details.
Private Studio Rates Apply
A study of the basic elements of canon and fugue and the tonal harmony that gives direction and articulation to these types of polyphony. Representative examples will be drawn from J.S. Bach’s Musical Offering, Goldberg Variations, and The Well-Tempered Clavier, Book I. Prerequisite: permission of the instructor.
2010-08-30
CHARLES IVES