A student choosing to major in music can develop a course of study intended to cultivate specific musical interests and abilities. Advisers in each music field may suggest the best academic plan for each student. Areas of focus include performance or composition in classical, jazz, or electronic music genres; western music research and history; music theory and analysis; and ethnomusicology. To fulfill requirements in a desired focus, students are suggested to take no fewer than six 200/300 level theory and history courses by the time of graduation. Additional requirements may include regular enrollment in one or more of the performance workshops, private lessons, composition workshops, or ensembles that are offered each semester. By the time of moderation, a student should ideally have completed half of their suggested course requirements. Students’ Moderation and Senior Projects should ideally reflect their expressed musical interests and goals, whether they are based in performance, composition, research, analysis, or any combination of these. The Moderation Project for a student focused on composition or performance usually consists of a 25-40 minute recital, highlighting original work and/or other repertoire. For students interested in music scholarship or analysis, a substantial music history or theory paper serves as an appropriate moderation project. A Senior Project in music can be accomplished in a variety of ways. Performers and composers usually present two concerts from 30 to 60 minutes each. For some composers, one concert can be replaced by an orchestra work written for performance by The Orchestra Now. In certain circumstances, a finished, sophisticatedly produced recording or multimedia project serves in place of a live performance. Music History and Theory students typically present an advanced, scholarly research or analysis paper as the main component of a Senior Project. Specific requirements for each area can be found on the Music Program website: https://music.bard.edu.

 

College & Community Ensembles

Unless otherwise noted, each ensemble is for one credit.  It is possible to participate in more than one ensemble and receive additional credit accordingly.  If private lessons are taken in conjunction with an ensemble, one or two credits may be added.  Private lessons must be separately registered.

 

Course:

MUS 104  Bard College Community Orchestra

Professor:

Erica Kiesewetter  + Kathryn Aldous + Zachary Schwartzman

CRN:

15418

Schedule/Location:

Mon       7:00 PM - 9:30 PM Olin AUDT

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

 

The Bard College Community Orchestra welcomes all players of orchestral instruments of NYSSMA level 5 and above by audition. There is a full orchestra performance at the Fisher Center on April 25 featuring winners of the annual concerto competition, among other works. Auditions for new members will be on Monday, January 31, 2022, 7:00- 9:30pm in Olin Hall. Please contact Josh Tyler at jtyler@bard.edu  regarding auditions. The first rehearsal is on Monday, February 7, 2022, 7:00-9:30 pm Olin Hall.

 

Course:

MUS 105  Bard College Symphonic Chorus

Professor:

James Bagwell  

CRN:

15399

Schedule/Location:

   Tues    7:30 PM - 10:00 PM Olin AUDT

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 35

First rehearsal will be Tuesday  February 8th at 7:30 pm, Olin Hall.  This course counts as an ensemble requirement.

 

Course:

MUS 108D  Ensemble: Chamber Singers

Professor:

James Bagwell  

CRN:

15400

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Olin AUDT

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 25

 

Course:

MUS 108F  Ensemble: Bard College Community Jazz Orchestra

Professor:

Thurman Barker  

CRN:

15404

Schedule/Location:

Mon       7:30 PM - 9:30 PM Blum Music Center N211

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 15

 

Course:

MUS 108H I Ensemble: Balinese Gamelan

Professor:

I Ketut Suadin  

CRN:

15446

Schedule/Location:

Mon       5:00 PM - 7:00 PM Bard Hall

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 20

 

Course:

MUS 108H II Ensemble: Balinese Gamelan

Professor:

I Ketut Suadin  

CRN:

15447

Schedule/Location:

Mon       7:00 PM - 9:00 PM Bard Hall

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 20

 

Course:

MUS 108J  Ensemble: Percussion

Professor:

Thurman Barker  

CRN:

15405

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      1:00 PM - 3:00 PM 

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 15

 

Course:

MUS 108M PS Ensemble for Any Instruments

Professor:

Patricia Spencer  

CRN:

15444

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      6:40 PM - 8:00 PM Bard Hall

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 4

The large variety of works written "for any instruments" invites exploration of atypical groupings - flute, marimba and tuba have been known to project wonderful blends. This repertoire often requires a high degree of responsibility on the part of the performer: not only choosing dynamics and tempos but also instrumentation of various phrases and sometimes overall structure. Members of this ensemble will engage in musical thinking outside the bounds of "normal" chamber music, and will discover how (or if) that may open a new dimension in their approach to more conventional performance. The ensemble will meet twice a week, once with the professor and once independently. Repertoire under consideration: Frederic Rzewski, Attica [or Les moutons de Panurge] Arnold Schoenberg, Canonf or Thomas Mann, and other canons  Judith Shatin, Grito de! Corazon John Cage, Living Room Music Kurt Schwitters, Ursonate (selection) Stefan Wolpe, Selections from "Music for Any Instruments"  Kenneth Amis, Interludes I - V

 

Course:

MUS 108N  Contemporary Jazz Composers Ensemble

Professor:

Erica Lindsay  

CRN:

15423

Schedule/Location:

Mon       5:30 PM - 7:00 PM Blum Music Center N211

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 10

This class will involve the interpretation of contemporary composers’ works, ranging from sextet to big band.  This will be an advanced class restricted to instrumentalists (and vocalists) who have the necessary reading, technical, and interpretive skills to perform demanding music.  There will be a featured composer who will visit as a guest artist and perform in concert with the ensemble each semester.  Pieces written by student composers involved in the jazz composition classes will also be performed.  Class size will vary according to the amount of qualified instrumentalists and the instrumentation requirements of the featured composer.  Interested students are encouraged to sign up at registration, although confirmation of participation will only be given after auditions are held. Auditions will be conducted during the first scheduled class meeting.

 

Course:

MUS 108P  Baroque Ensemble

Professor:

Renee Louprette  

CRN:

15430

Schedule/Location:

Mon Tue      4:00 PM - 5:20 PM Olin AUDT

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 25

 

Course:

MUS 108R  The Bard Georgian Choir

Professor:

Carl Linich  

CRN:

15426

Schedule/Location:

   Thurs    9:10 AM - 11:30 AM Bard Hall

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 30

The Bard Georgian Choir is an all-vocal group that studies and performs traditional polyphonic songs from the Republic of Georgia (former USSR). Most songs are taught orally, and no previous singing experience or music reading skills are required. Special vocal techniques are also explored, including ornamented singing and yodeling. The group performs concerts at the end of each semester. Carl Linich, the choir’s director, has been a scholar, teacher and acclaimed performer of Georgian polyphonic singing since 1990, and is a founding member of Trio Kavkasia. A basic ability to match pitch is required. Please contact the instructor directly: clinich@bard.edu to arrange auditions.

 

Course:

MUS 108S  Afro Latin Percussion Ensemble

Professor:

Roland Vazquez  

CRN:

15454

Schedule/Location:

    Fri   12:00 PM - 3:00 PM Blum Music Center N211

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 20 (10 per section)

Practice, performance & lecture; study & consideration of the rhythms (& culture) of the West African drum legacies thriving in modern music; essential music languages & roots of popular music in our hemisphere: Afro Brazilian (samba, batucada, bossa nova), Afro Cuban (guaguanco, bembe, rumba Columbia) Afro Puerto Rican (plena, guaracha, bomba), etc. etc. Requirements: attendance, focus & participation (at best level of ability) in weekly Ensemble. This course counts as an ensemble requirement.

 

Course:

MUS 108T PS Mixed Chamber Ensembles

Professor:

Patricia Spencer  

CRN:

15443

Schedule/Location:

       TBA

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 1

 

Class cap: 6

Mixing winds and strings and piano in an ensemble offers special challenges (such as matching tonguing, bowing, and piano attacks) as well as unique colors, and taps into an wealth of repertoire. Choices for flute and strings include classics by Mozart, Beethoven and Haydn, strong works by more recent composers (Amy Beach, Alberto Ginastera, and others) and contemporary giants such as John Harbison, Thea Musgrave and Nicholas Maw. Choices for clarinet or oboe or bassoon and strings likewise include a wide range: Mozart, Danzi, Brahms, Joan Tower, Shulamit Ran, and many, many more. Class meetings are arranged according to the schedules of those who sign up. All ensembles will meet twice a week, once with the professor and once independently.

 

Music Courses

 

Course:

MUS 122  Introduction to Music Theory

Professor:

Isabelle O'Connell  

CRN:

15435

Schedule/Location:

  Wed     1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Olin 104

Thurs    10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Olin 104

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 14

This course will serve as an introduction to reading, notating, studying, and analyzing music. Introduction to Music Theory is geared toward non-music majors as well as potential music majors who have had little or no exposure to reading music. We will begin with the basics of musical notation, progressing to the identification of major/minor keys, triads, and seventh chords. The class will have an ear-training component that allows for practical reinforcement of the aural concepts presented. Grading will be based on weekly written and listening assignments, along with a mid-term and final project/assignment. There are no prerequisites.

 

Course:

MUS 146  Jazz Histories of Sound and Communication

Professor:

Whitney Slaten  

CRN:

15442

Schedule/Location:

  Wed  Fri   5:10 PM - 6:30 PM Hegeman 102

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 20

Crosslists: Africana Studies; American Studies

Jazz history is plural. It begins as histories of expressions by African descendants in the New World, as well as how their sounds and social positions have both attracted and resisted the participation of allies and oppressors in the construction of jazz as American culture. Histories such as these foreground assertions of jazz as both an American sound and the sound of something broader. The various lifeworlds of jazz—local and global, past and present—lead to questions about the music’s folk, popular, and art music categorization. Through a framework of exploring the history of jazz through specific sounds and surrogate communications, this course surveys the development of musical aesthetics set within specific social contexts that reveal how improvisation wields the production and reception of sounds and communications within and beyond the bandstand. Students in the survey course will read, present, and discuss writing about jazz and its periods. Lectures will situate specific media examples of performances across folk, popular, and art contexts, in ways that also foreground the significance of individual and group agency. Examples of race, gender, class, nationality, generation, and their intersections in jazz music will be the focus of the final research paper assignment.

 

Course:

MUS 149  Against All Odds: Women Composers

Professor:

Renee Louprette  

CRN:

15429

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Olin 104

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  D+J Difference and Justice

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 25

This course will survey the preeminent women composers of Western music, from seminal figures such as Hildegard von Bingen and Barbara Strozzi to Romantic figures such as Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann, to twentieth century figures Nadia and Lili Boulanger and Florence Price (who, as an African-American artist, fought to defy entrenched segregation and racism in addition to sexism), and finally, to contemporary powerhouses such as Joan Tower, Kaija Saariaho, and Jennifer Higdon. We will discuss the fine lines between improvisation and formal composition, delving into the influence and achievements of jazz improvisers such as Ella Fitzgerald and contemporary women songwriters such as Lady Gaga and Beyoncé in the pop music field who have forged new paths. We will consider the social, economic, cultural, and professional hurdles faced by women in music and examine works by women composers that have been passed down to posterity. Weekly assignments will include readings, listening to musical works, and viewing video recorded performances and interviews. The final course project will include a written paper and short class presentation.

 

Course:

MUS 172  Jazz Harmony II

Professor:

John Esposito  

CRN:

15409

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Blum Music Center N211

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 20

Crosslists: Africana Studies

Part II - This course will include acquisition of the basic skills that make up the Foundation of all jazz styles.  We will also study the Jazz Language from  the BEBOP ERA up to the 60’s. This course fulfills a music theory requirement for music majors.

 

Course:

MUS 202  Music Theory II/Ear Training

Professor:

Kyle Gann  + David Sytkowski

CRN:

15412

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Blum Music Center N217

Tue  Thurs Fri   1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Blum Music Center N217

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 20

Continuation of Music Theory I, introduction to harmony, various seventh chords, secondary dominants, basics of modulation, four-part writing and voice-leading. End result: ability to write a hymn, song or brief movement of tonal music. Theoretical work will be complemented by an ear-training segment focused on developing the ability to sing and recognize secondary dominants, modulations, and so on. Prerequisite: Music Theory I or equivalent (knowledge of scales and keys). This course fulfills a music theory requirement for music majors.

 

Course:

MUS 210  The Roaring Twenties

Professor:

Peter Laki  

CRN:

15422

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Blum Music Center N217

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 20

This course will explore the music of the 1920s in New York, Paris, Berlin, Vienna and Petrograd/Leningrad.  The emphasis will be placed on the relationships between composers and other artists and musical institutions in their historical and social context.  Among the issues explored will be the meaning of the term “avant-garde,” as well as interactions between various Western and non-Western art-forms.  No technical knowledge of music is necessary.  Among the composers studied will be Gershwin, Copland, Stravinsky, Milhaud, Weill, Schoenberg, Berg, and Shostakovich.  There will be an eclectic reading list, as well as some film screenings in the evening that will require attendance two or three times during the semester.  Students will write one term paper whose contents they will also present in class; in addition, there will be a mid-term quiz and a final exam.  This course can be cross-listed in the History program and advertised in the Arts and Lang&Lit Divisions.  It will count towards the music history requirement for music majors and Conservatory students.

 

Course:

MUS 212  Jazz in Literature II

Professor:

Thurman Barker  

CRN:

15402

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Blum Music Center N210

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art D+J Difference and Justice

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 18

Crosslists: Africana Studies; American Studies

We will study Gary Giddens’ book Visions in Jazz and Robert Gottlieb’s Reading Jazz in order to bring attention to some important literature on Jazz. Some of the writers look beyond Jazz as an art form, but also bring attention to its historical influence on culture, race, tradition, and our social experience, as well as connecting with writers like Albert Murry, Ralph Ellison, Eudora Welty. There is an attempt in their works to illuminate the significance of the musical potential the musicians inherit and the creative options they exercise. This course includes the words of many who have been hailed as Jazz’s greatest musicians.  This fulfills a music history requirement for music majors.

 

Course:

MUS 214  Topics in Sound Art

Professor:

Sarah Hennies  

CRN:

15416

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Blum Music Center N119

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 20

Coined in the early 1980s, “Sound Art” is a term typically used to describe sound-based art that does not follow the rules of traditional music (melody, harmony, gesture, etc.) by focusing on the physical characteristics of sound, experimental methods, and human perception. Since the early 1980s, artists working with sound have expanded the practice in limitless conceptual and technological directions and the field’s growth continues in the present day. The course will examine the disparate and prominent approaches to contemporary sound art, with a particular focus on composers who are active today. Classes will consist primarily of hands-on performances of existing major works and original student compositions; grading will be based on class participation, weekly composition and listening assignments, and an end-of-semester final project. A public class concert may be included, as well with sufficient student interest. No previous musical skill or ability is required.

 

Course:

MUS 230  The interaction between Music and Film

Professor:

James Bagwell  

CRN:

15401

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Olin AUDT

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 25

Crosslists: Film and Electronic Arts

This course will trace the use of music in film beginning with silent films in the early twentieth century through the present.  We will examine how music was incorporated into such films as Citizen Kane (Welles), Rapsodia Satanica (Oxilia), King Kong (Cooper), Black Orpheus (Camus) Singing in the Rain (Donen), On the Waterfront (Kazan), Forbidden Planet (Wilcox), A Woman is a Woman (Godard), 2001: A Space Odyssey (Kubrick), Easy Rider (Hopper), and Pulp Fiction (Tarantino), among others.  While the main focus of the course will be historical, we will analyze specific techniques that composers and directors use to heighten storytelling through music.  Course projects will include three short scene analysis papers and one research paper due at the end of the term.  This course is open to both upper level music majors and non-majors and will satisfy a music history requirement for music majors.

 

Course:

MUS 247  Ethnography: Music & Sound

Professor:

Whitney Slaten  

CRN:

15441

Schedule/Location:

  Wed  Fri   3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Hegeman 102

Distributional Area:

SA Social Analysis  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 20

Crosslists: Anthropology

How have recent ethnomusicologists and anthropologists written about traditional and popular musics around the world? How does this writing respond to representing culture, locally and globally? How does this writing about musics’ social contexts respond to changing academic attitudes within the humanities and social sciences, as well as the interdisciplinary development of sound studies? Students will read, present, and discuss chapters from recent book length examples of musical ethnography. Lectures and discussions will focus on the writing strategies of ethnographers, continually assessing how writing represents and analyzes local and global practices of production, circulation, and consumption, as well as how such works participate in emergent scholarly traditions. The course will culminate in a written comparative ethnography analysis paper in which students will compare two ethnographic monographs.

 

Course:

MUS 257  Production and Reproduction

Professor:

Thomas Mark 

CRN:

15431

Schedule/Location:

 Thurs      10:10 AM - 12:30 PM Blum Music Center N117

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 12

This course will focus on the theory and practice of sound recording. Students will learn the use of recording equipment including digital tape recorders, mixing consoles, signal processing devices, and microphones. A/B listening tests will be used to compare types of microphones, microphone placement and many different recording techniques. ProTools software will be available for digital editing and mastering to CD. Assigned projects will include both multitrack and direct to stereo recordings of studio and concert performances.

 

Course:

MUS 262  Topics in Music Software: Introduction to Max/Msp

Professor:

Matthew Sargent  

CRN:

15439

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Blum Music Center N119

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

Crosslists: Computer Science; Experimental Humanities

This course will introduce students to Max/Msp, an object-oriented programming environment for real-time audio processing, digital synthesis, algorithmic composition, data sonification, and more. Students will learn fundamental concepts of digital audio and computer programming while engaging in creative projects and in-class performances. The class will include examples of Max patches found in major works of 20/21st century electroacoustic music and sound art repertoire. The course will also explore connectivity between Max and other software applications, including Max4Live. The course will conclude with a final project. Introduction to Electronic Music, or a 100-level course in Computer Science, is recommended as a prerequisite.

 

Course:

MUS 266B  American Popular Song II 1930-1950

Professor:

John Esposito  

CRN:

15410

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     11:50 AM - 1:10 PM Blum Music Center N211

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 20

Crosslists: Africana Studies; American Studies

This performance-based course is a survey of the major American popular song composers of the Tin Pan Alley era, whose work forms the core of the jazz repertoire. Composers studied will include Gershwin, Berlin, Porter, Ellington, Warren, Rodgers, and others. The course will include readings, recorded music, and films. The students and instructor will perform the music studied in a workshop setting. Prerequisite: Jazz Harmony II or permission of the instructor.

 

Course:

MUS 294  East and West: Musical interactions through the ages

Professor:

Peter Laki  

CRN:

15421

Schedule/Location:

Mon  Wed     10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Blum Music Center N217

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 20

Non-Western influences on what we habitually call Western music go back many centuries, starting during the Middle Ages when the Arabs dominated the Iberian Peninsula. The interactions continued over the years and became particularly intense in the 2011 century, when the influence began to work both ways. In this course we will study a wide variety of repertoire, both Western and non-Western. Discussion topics will include, but not be limited to, "exoticism" in 19th-century European music, Asian composers writing in Western genres, and Yo-Yo Ma's "Silk Road Project." Readings and listenings will be assigned on a weekly basis. There will be three take-home assignments and one final paper. The course will count towards the music history requirement for music majors and Conservatory students, but will be open to non-majors as well. A musical background will be useful but not required.

 

Course:

MUS 302  Minimalist Music

Professor:

Kyle Gann  

CRN:

15413

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    3:30 PM - 4:50 PM Blum Music Center N217

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

Minimalism was a musical style that reintroduced simplicity, drones, and repetition into music in the 1960s, with far more success in attracting audiences than the classical movements that had immediately preceded it. Its methods are not always as simple as they sound, and some of the formal structures it introduced (phase-shifting, additive process) have become important paradigms for postmodern music. Tracing the historical developments of the movement, we'll analyze works by the six best known figures in the style - La Monte Young, Terry Riley, Steve Reich, Philip Glass, Meredith Monk, and John Coolidge Adams - and also music of the next three generations, including John Luther Adams, William Duckworth, Michael Gordon, Janice Giteck, Lois Vierk, Paul Epstein, Peter Garland, and others. Work will consist of weekly score analyses and two analysis papers. Prerequisite: any 200-level theory course or permission of the instructor. The course fulfills a theory requirement for music majors.

 

Course:

MUS 349  Jazz: Freedom Principle IV

Professor:

Thurman Barker 

CRN:

15403

Schedule/Location:

Mon       12:30 PM - 2:50 PM Blum Music Center N210

Distributional Area:

AA Analysis of Art D+J Difference and Justice

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

This Jazz History course which is part four of a four part course.  Part four is a study of Jazz after 1952 to the early 70’s.  The course will examine the extreme shifts in jazz styles from Cool, to Hard bop to the Arvant Garde.  Emphasis will be on musicians associated with these styles such as Stan Getz, Lee Konitz, Horace Silver, Hank Mobley, Anthony Braxton and Muhal Richard Abrams.  The course will discuss the solo and combo styles of these musicians.  The course employs a cultural approach designed to look at the social climate surrounding the music from 1952- 1972 and examine its effect on the music.  This will be illustrated with recordings and films.  The class requires oral presentation and critical listening.  This course is for juniors and seniors who have moderated into music.  This fulfills a music history requirement for music majors.

 

Course:

MUS 352  Electroacoustic Composition Seminar

Professor:

Sarah Hennies  

CRN:

15417

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      12:30 PM - 2:50 PM Blum Music Center N119

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 10

This course, intended primarily for music majors, will be focused on the individual creative work of the students enrolled. The course will serve as a workshop environment for student work: participants will be expected to regularly present and discuss their ongoing compositional projects. These will be examined by the instructor and other class members. Students may also take on collaborative works, installations, and intermedia projects. Analyses and class presentations of contemporary electroacoustic repertoire will also be expected of the students during the semester. This fulfills a music theory requirement.

 

Course:

MUS 366A  Advanced Contemporary Improvisational Techniques I

Professor:

John Esposito  

CRN:

15411

Schedule/Location:

 Tue  Thurs    10:10 AM - 11:30 AM Blum Music Center N211

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 15

Crosslists: Africana Studies

This course introduces methods for the jazz improviser to deconstruct and reorganize the basic harmonic and rhythmic elements for a composition.  Issues addressed will include reharmonization, remetering, metric modulation, variations in phrasing, tempo, and dynamics; that is, the arrangement and reorganization of compositional elements.  This is performance-oriented class and repertoire will include jazz standards and compositions of the instructor.  This class is open to moderated upper-college students who have successfully completed Jazz Harmony I and II, and previous jazz repertory classes.  This course fulfills an upper level music theory requirement for music majors.

 

Course:

MUS 367B  Jazz Composition II

Professor:

Erica Lindsay  

CRN:

15424

Schedule/Location:

  Wed     5:40 PM - 8:00 PM Blum Music Center N211

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 10

This class will focus on the various techniques used in jazz ensemble writing, from sextet to big band ensembles. Classic tertiary voicings, cluster, quartal and line part writing will be covered. Final projects ranging from Sextet to Big Band will be recorded or performed live at the end of the semester. This is an advanced seminar class for moderated music majors. Prerequisite are Jazz Composition I and II or the permission of the instructor.

 

Course:

MUS 382  The Recording Studio as a Compositional Tool

Professor:

Matthew Sargent  

CRN:

15440

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      12:30 PM - 2:50 PM Blum Music Center N117

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 4

 

Class cap: 12

This course will focus on working creatively as a composer within the recording studio environment. Topics will include multi-tracking, acoustics, microphone placement, audio mixing, musical notation (from traditional scoring methods to uses of text scores, open scores, and improvisation), digital and analog signal processing, synchronization of audio with video/media, and blending of musical material from MIDI and audio sources. All genres of music are welcome. Students will write new compositions, centered around specific studio practices, and take part in regular critique sessions of their work at draft stages. Grading will be assessed based on a submitted portfolio of recorded material completed during the semester. Pre-requisites: Introduction to Electronic Music and/or Production and Reproduction.

Music Workshops

Music Workshops carry two credits, unless otherwise noted.

 

Course:

MUS WKSH GM Chamber Music Workshop

Professor:

Marka Gustavsson  + Blair McMillen + Raman Ramakrishnan

CRN:

15414

Schedule/Location:

       Thurs 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 12

Pre-formed groups preferred.

 

Course:

MUS WKSHA JT Composition Workshop

Professor:

Joan Tower  

CRN:

15452

Schedule/Location:

Mon       1:30 PM - 2:50 PM Blum Music Center HALL

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 10

 

 

Course:

MUS WKSHB RM Workshop: Performance Class – Then, Here and Now: Art Song by Black Composers

Professor:

Rufus Müller  

CRN:

15433

Schedule/Location:

Mon       3:10 PM - 5:30 PM Bito Conservatory Bldg. CPS

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 15

(For collaborative pianists as well as singers).  The canon of classical art song by Black composers has been largely neglected or deliberately ignored by successive generations of white performers and promoters. We will research and perform songs by composers from the 18th century to the present, from Justin Holland and Ignatius Sancho to Samuel Coleridge-Taylor and Harry Burleigh (who influenced Dvořák), and composers such as Florence Price, Dolores White, Margaret Bonds, Leslie Adams, and Rosephanye Powell, whose COVID-era opus of songs gives us the title of our workshop.  The course will culminate in a public recital. Students should contact Prof. Müller ( muller@bard.edu ) prior to registration to determine eligibility. This course counts as an ensemble requirement.

 

Course:

MUS WKSHD  Sight Reading Workshop

Professor:

Michael DeMicco  

CRN:

15408

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      12:00 PM - 1:00 PM Blum Music Center HALL

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 14

 

Course:

MUS WKSHL  Opera Workshop

Professor:

Teresa Buchholz  + Ilka LoMonaco + Rufus Müller

CRN:

15407

Schedule/Location:

       TBA

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 20

 

Course:

MUS WKSHM  Moderation Workshop

Professor:

Erika Switzer 

CRN:

15448

Schedule/Location:

    Fri   10:00 AM - 11:30 AM Blum Hall

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 12

This workshop will support the preparation of moderation concerts in tandem with your advisor’s guidance. Skills will be developed in project management, practice techniques, rehearsal leadership, repertoire research, program and program notes writing, and stagecraft. Each student will have the opportunity to present ideas about their programs in a roundtable format, opening up conversations about the process and the purpose of their projects. Segments of recital programs may also be presented in preparation for final performance. Open to all students preparing for moderation in music performance.

 

Course:

MUS WKSHP EK Advanced orchestral audition preparation workshop

Professor:

Erica Kiesewetter  

CRN:

15419

Schedule/Location:

  Fri    3:00 PM - 5:00 PM Bito Conservatory Bldg. 210

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 8

This class is for advanced orchestral instrumentalists who would like to learn orchestral excerpts for festival and orchestra auditions. The student is expected to prepare 5 excerpts in the semester, play in class most weeks, participate in feedback for fellow students, and present on one chosen excerpt. The class will involve detailed coaching on the excerpts including a focus on understanding the work in context and the composer's style, advice on preparation and performance anxiety and mock audition practice. Final is a screened mock audition in Olin Hall.

 

Course:

MUS WKSH ES  Diction Workshop Italian, French and Spanish

Professor:

Erika Switzer 

CRN:

15989

Schedule/Location:

       Fri   12:30 PM – 2:00 PM Blum Hall

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 12

This performance workshop offers a practical exploration of Italian, French, and Spanish repertoire with a focus on language and style. It corresponds with MUS254A, which is a prerequisite. Students can expect to perform bi-weekly, in class, and to present a final public performance at the semester's end.

 

Course:

MUS WKSHR IL Feldenkrais and the Voice

Professor:

Ilka LoMonaco  

CRN:

15427

Schedule/Location:

  Wed     3:10 PM - 5:30 PM Blum Music Center HALL

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 6

This course will focus on improving the vocal ability of singers through the Feldenkrais Method, developed by the Israeli-born nuclear physicist, engineer and Judo master Moshe Feldenkrais. The Feldenkrais Method is an approach to learning and change through movement. It uses a process of organic learning, movement and sensory perception to free the student from habitual patterns and unnecessary tensions, as well as facilitating new modes of thinking, moving and feeling to emerge. During the first hour of the class all students will receive an original ATM  (Awareness through Movement) lesson, especially chosen for its pertinence to singing,  as designed by Moshe Feldenkrais.  An ATM consists of guiding students verbally through a carefully designed sequence of gentle movements in such a way that the student remains mindful and keeps an inward awareness. By sequencing movements in small, easily accessible increments and working with deliberate constraints, unnecessary tensions can be released to form a new pattern of movement with increased refinement and complexity. During the second half of the class we will be working individually on repertoire, applying the principles of the Method.  Requirement: ability to perform a song or aria  - auditions required.  This course counts as an ensemble requirement.

 

Course:

MUS WKSP3  Jazz Improvisation Workshop

Professor:

Erica Lindsay  

CRN:

15425

Schedule/Location:

   Thurs    5:40 PM - 8:00 PM Blum Music Center N211

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 12

This class is an ensemble performance workshop focused on developing improvisational skills within the harmonic context of both jazz harmony and free improvisation. The goal is to develop facility in being able to improvise over harmonic structures from the blues to more free form styles of improvisation. Students are assigned to an ensemble that is appropriate to the level of their experience.

 

Course:

MUS WKSP7  Jazz Vocal Workshop I

Professor:

Pamela Pentony  

CRN:

15437

Schedule/Location:

 Tue      3:00 PM - 6:00 PM Blum Music Center N211

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 25

Beginning level course:  The Jazz Vocal Workshop is a performance workshop designed to familiarize the beginning singer with the components of a successful jazz performance.  How to begin a song (intros) and how to end a song (outros and turnarounds), how to pick a key, a song and a tempo.  How to utilize simple (and not so simple) arrangements.  Particular attention is paid to phrasing.  The language of scat singing, with emphasis on practice in every class.  The forms of the blues, rhythm changes and 32 bar song form, and practical applications taken from The Great American Songbook.  There is one (or more) concert(s) scheduled during the semester and students are encouraged to seek out and perform in many local venues.  There is a final exam in this class.

 

Course:

MUS WKSPM  Musical Theater Performance Workshop

Professor:

David Sytkowski  

CRN:

15451

Schedule/Location:

   Thurs    5:40 PM - 8:40 PM Bard Hall

Evenings and Weekends of March 28 – April 10

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap: 12

This workshop will explore solo and ensemble excerpts of works commonly categorized as musical theatre (musicals of all eras, operetta, cabaret, etc.), as well as approaches to performing and storytelling through combinations of text, music, and movement. We will focus on methods of musical and textual preparation to facilitate one's adaptability and presence in live performance. Spring 2022 will culminate in a two-week rehearsal and performance period (March 28-April 10) with a guest director in LUMA at The Fisher Center. Open to all students seeking collaborative performance opportunities working in multiple modes- acting, singing, dancing, directing, accompanying, choreographing, writing, composing, and beyond. Please email dsytkowski@bard.edu for more audition and application information.

 

Special Projects

 

Designed for music majors to pursue individual or group projects with a particular professor. Students should contact the instructor regarding special projects.

 Private Lessons (Lessons can only be registered with an add/drop form.)

 

All students are eligible for private music instruction.  Lessons can be taken for either one or two credits or audited (no credit).

 

In order to receive credit for music lessons, the student must register the lessons with the Registrar’s office AND the student must be enrolled in a music ensemble, performance workshop or the equivalent, to be determined by the instructor. The ensemble can be taken for 1 or 2 credits or can be audited. 

 

Students taking lessons for credit are assessed a nominal lab fee of $250. Per semester by the college (approximately $20.83 per lesson x 12 lessons) whether it is 1 or 2 credits. Students receive a maximum of 12 lessons per semester.

 

If private lessons are audited (no credit), a fee is mutually agreed upon by the student and the instructor and the student pays the instructor directly. Audited lessons will not appear in the student’s registration or on the transcript nor do they need to be registered.

 

If students are taking more than one lesson, the student must also be enrolled in another ensemble to receive the lesson rate of $250. Per semester.  Registration for private lessons must be completed by the end of the add/drop period.

 

Bass – Classical                                  Ryan Kamm - rkamm@bard.edu

Bass – Jazz                                          Rich Syracuse - syrar@aol.com

Bassoon - Classical                            Cornelia McGiver - cmcgiver@bard.edu

Cello – Classical                                 Sean Katsuyama - skatsuyama@bard.edu

Cello – Classical                                 Raman Ramakrishnan - rramakri@bard.edu

Cello – Jazz                                          Akua Dixon - adixon@bard.edu

Clarinet                                                  Zack Hann - zhann@bard.edu

Composition – Film                            James Sizemore - james@jamessizemore.com

Composition – Film                            Mark Baechle - mbaechle@bard.edu

Drums – Jazz                                       Peter O’Brien - pobrien@bard.edu

Drums – Jazz                                       Roland Vazquez - rvazquez@bard.edu

Flute – Classical                                  Patricia Spencer - pspencer@bard.edu

Guitar – Classical                                Greg Dinger - gdinger@bard.edu

Guitar – Jazz                                        Mike DeMicco - mdemicco@bard.edu

Guitar – Jazz                                        Steve Raleigh - sraleigh@bard.edu

Harp                                                       Bridget Kibbey - bridget@theorchestranow.org

Harpsichord                                          Renée Anne Louprette - rlouprette@bard.edu

Horn (French)                                       Stephanie Hollander - shollander@bard.edu

Oboe - Classical                                  Allison Rubin - allisonrubinoboe@gmail.com

Organ                                                     Renée Anne Louprette - rlouprette@bard.edu

Percussion – Classical                       Eric Cha-Beach - echabeach@bard.edu

Percussion – Classical                       Jason Treuting - jason@sopercussion.com

Percussion – Afro-Latin, Jazz           Roland Vazquez - rvazquez@bard.edu

Piano – Classical                                Blair McMillen - mcmillen@bard.edu

Piano – Classical                                Isabelle O’Connell - ioconnel@bard.edu

Piano – Classical                                Erika Switzer - eswitzer@bard.edu

Piano – Classical                                David Sytowski - dstowski@bard.edu

Piano – Jazz                                         John Esposito - sunjump@gmail.com

Piano – Jazz                                         Larry Ham - lham@bard.edu

Piano – Jazz                                         Francesca Tanksley - ftanksle@bard.edu

Saxophone – Jazz                              Jessica Jones - jejones@bard.edu

Saxophone – Jazz                              Erica Lindsay - lindsay@bard.edu

Saxophone – Jazz                              Eric Person - eperson@bard.edu

Shakuhachi                                          Elizabeth Brown - ebrown@bard.edu

Synthesizer                                           Dani Dobkin - ddobkin@bard.edu

Theremin                                              Elizabeth Brown - ebrown@bard.edu

Trumpet – Classical                            Peter Bellino - psbellino@aol.com

Trumpet – Jazz                                    Greg Glassman - gglassman@bard.edu

Tuba – Classical                                  Marcus Rojas - mrojas4@berklee.edu

Viola – Classical                                  Helena Baillie - hbaillie@bard.edu

Viola – Classical                                  Marka Gustavsson - gustavss@bard.edu

Violin – Classical                                 Kathryn Aldous - kaldous@bard.edu

Violin – Classical                                 Helena Baillie - hbaillie@bard.edu

Violin – Classical                                 Marka Gustavsson - gustavss@bard.edu

Violin – Classical                                 Erica Kiesewetter - kiesewet@bard.edu

Violin – Jazz                                         Gwen Laster - glaster@bard.edu

Voice – Classical                                 Teresa Buchholz - tbuchhol@bard.edu

Voice – Classical                                 Ilka LoMonaco - lomonaco@bard.edu

Voice – Classical                                 Rufus Müller - rumu2000@earthlink.net

Voice – Jazz                                         Pamela Pentony - pentony@bard.edu

Cross-listed courses:

Course:

CNSV 201  Composing for Film: Aesthetics & Techniques

Professor:

Mark Baechle  

CRN:

15488

Schedule/Location:

  Wed     3:30 PM - 5:30 PM 

Distributional Area:

PA Practicing Arts  

Credits: 2

 

Class cap 0

Crosslists: Music