74 courses with the subject MUSI, each shown exactly as we captured it from the college's catalog, with every element we hold. Where the wording looks broken, that is our reading of the catalog, not the college's text.
MUSI 101Basic Musicianship4
In this course students will learn the fundamentals of Western tonal music notation, engage foundational music theoretical concepts, and develop aural skills related to converting sound into notation (through ear training activities) and notation into sound (through sight singing). Topics covered include: pitch notation, clefs, octave designations, keyboard layout, simple and compound meters, major scales and key signatures, minor scales and key signatures, intervals, triads, seventh chords, diatonic church modes, several different chord labeling systems, and introductions to harmonic function and melodic structure. This course assumes no previous experience with notation and does not count toward the music major or minor. This course fulfills the College’s fine-arts distribution requirement. Fall semester only.
This course serves as a general introduction to music, emphasizing understanding music in its social, historical, and cultural contexts. In the course, students will develop basic skills in listening and writing about music, and they will cultivate an informed appreciation of styles and traditions. Course content and musical traditions the course engages vary from instructor to instructor, and specific course descriptions will be available in the department prior to registration. This course assumes no previous experience with music and does not count toward the music major or minor. This course fulfills the College’s fine-arts distribution requirement. Every year.
This gateway course for the music major/minor introduces students to traditional, folk, and pop music from major traditions in Africa, Asia, the Americas, Europe, and the Middle East. We explore music as both an artistic expression and a social practice, and examine how music making connects to broader cultural and human experiences. Through short assignments, quizzes, and a creative project, students develop foundational skills in critical listening, musical analysis, and writing about the world’s music. There is no prerequisite. Every year.
MUSI 112Sacred, Secular, Sublime: Western Art Music in Critical Contexts4
This gateway course for the music major/minor covers the history of Western art music, beginning with its earliest notation in the Middle Ages and proceeding through the major periods and genres of its development through the late twentieth century. Our foundation will be the close study of representative compositions, from motets of the Renaissance, to concertos and symphonies of the eighteenth century, to the tradition of bourgeois opera in the nineteenth, to various articulations of the modern in the twentieth. Along with introducing students to questions of musical style and form, the course will also contextualize these works with readings that address broader political, social, and cultural issues informing and inspiring them, introducing students to the discipline of musicology. Every Year
MUSI 101 - Basic Musicianship, or placement by exam. Every semester. (4 Credits)
MUSI 131African Music4
Study of music in various African traditions within a social and historical context. Interrelationships between music and society (function, context, structure, gender roles, political considerations). Instruments, life-cycle rites, genres, musical organizations, traditional musicians, contemporary popular music. Fall semester.
Electronic music composition explores the art of creating experimental sound compositions using analog and digital technology. Although we will survey the historical development of electronic music, the emphasis of the class is on composition, including multi-media and experimental work. The class format includes listening, discussion, lab sessions and a final concert showcasing works created throughout the semester.
In this course, students will (1) learn and improve songwriting skills, with equal emphasis on lyrics and musical content, (2) embrace vulnerability and risk taking in their creative practice, (3) develop a consistent, daily practice of creative engagement, (4) engage with the local music community in the Twin Cities, and (5) become more familiar with music business practices related to songwriting. This course is run as a practical, hands-on workshop where all participants take turns sharing and critiquing each other’s creative work, in a welcoming and encouraging environment. Experience needed to succeed in the class includes the ability to sing and play an accompanying instrument, such as guitar, ukulele, or piano.
Permission of instructor. Every other year. (4 Credits)
MUSI 155Music and Freedom4
The concept of freedom both lies at the heart of human rights discourse and provides the spark that ignites any number of musical movements. Intended for students with strong interests in the intersection between the performing arts and humanities, this course serves as an introduction both to the concept of freedom as it developed in Western societies since the late eighteenth century and to the history of music in the cultures that have fostered such ideals. It intends to introduce students to the study of music (and, by association, arts in general) from social, cultural, and critical perspectives, using the framework of freedom as a common theme. It also aims to contextualize the discourse of human rights within the history of arts and ideas, providing students with a a sense of the term’s changing meanings and emphases over time and across space. We will explore traditions in both Western art music (also known as “classical music”) and the American popular (recorded) music in a search for ways in which music has served social-political ideologies - overtly through the aims of its composers and performers, and unintentionally through the conditions of its reception. Historical readings on the concept of freedom from a variety of disciplinary perspectives (history, philosophy, political science, critical theory) will introduce students to several of the most influential thinkers on the subject and the central concerns and questions that animate the discourse on freedom. No prior background in music is required for the course, although it is assumed that students will have a true interest not only in popular music of the twentieth century but also other traditions and genres, such as opera and symphonic music. “Freedom” signifies a number of ideals, which operate in real-political and abstract-aesthetic realms. Music can represent, convey, and “mean” freedom in infinite ways, and it is the intention of this course to introduce students to this diversity.
This course examines issues of race and ethnicity in the history and performance of music across world cultures. Students develop an awareness of how racial and ethnic processes are ingrained in the production and consumption of musical sound. Assignments include critical listening, reading, class discussion, and writing projects. Previous knowledge of musical instrument or notation is not assumed. Alternate years.
Cross-Listed as ASIA 205 This course explores the multitude of music as practiced and listened to among Chinese-identifying communities by closely studying selected genres, musicians, and styles in various temporal and geographical localities. Course contents cover the musical procedures and performance practices of such genres as operas, chamber instrumental music, folk singing, pop and jazz, film and theatrical music, modern concert repertoire, as well as ancient court and ritual music.
Cross-Listed as LING 220 Language and music are two uniquely human enterprises with a number of parallels: both rely on sound and convention, display hierarchical organization and culturally-specific practices, and can convey both communicative and social meaning. This course examines the intersection of language and music from a linguistic perspective. We will engage with questions such as: How can syntax, phonology, and morphology change between spoken and sung language? How do speakers of tone languages understand lyrics in sung melodies? Is hip hop different in different languages? What does it mean to study melody and rhythm in speech? Can music help people learn languages? How do drum- and whistle-languages work? How does music contribute to language revitalization? No musical ability is required. Offered periodically. ( )
Cross-Listed as ENGL 225 From E. M. Forster’s Lucy Honeychurch, who “entered into a more solid world when she opened the piano,” to James Baldwin’s Sonny, who “moved in an atmosphere which wasn’t like theirs at all,” fictional musicians encounter trouble when negotiating the conflicting realms of art and society. Experts in one kind of expression, they fail in others. What draws these characters to music? What does it offer them? What is its value to us? In the musical novel and short story, we encounter music as an agent of violence, of consolation, of transcendence and redemption as well as damnation. We witness empathy through music, but we also learn that shared feeling can be both beautiful and dangerous, that music unites and divides. This course combines the close reading of literary texts (as well as works of literary theory and musicology) with the examination of the musical contexts that inform and inspire them. We will explore, for example, the relationship between Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel The Unconsoled and Richard Wagner’s music drama Parsifal. We will talk about syncopation in “jazz” by Charles Mingus and Toni Morrison. We will watch Marguerite Duras and Katherine Mansfield turn innocuous music lessons into spaces of wretchedness. We will try to understand what David Mitchell’s young composer Robert Frobisher means when he says, “One writes music because winter is eternal and because, if one didn’t, the wolves and blizzards would be at one’s throat all the sooner.” Alternate years.
MUSI 214 or permission on instructor. Every year. (4 Credits)
MUSI 253Sound Design4
Cross-Listed as THDA 253 This course will provide the student with an introduction to the creative and technical process of sound design in contemporary theater. Through lecture, demonstration, and projects, students will learn the aesthetic of sound design, the basic science of sound, audio software, and the process of collaboration. Students will acquire the skills to analyze and research a script; to edit, manipulate, and program sound files; and to present and defend design projects. Alternate fall semesters.
In this course, we explore recorded music since the 1950s, through the lens of musical borrowing, specifically cover song recordings. To this end, students will (1) examine cover versions of previously recorded songs and how the intersection of gender, sexuality, race, class, and genre through changing socio-historical and cultural contexts can shape different meanings listeners ascribe to the songs, (2) explore how artists covering other people’s songs can emulate, pay homage to, comment upon, subvert meanings of, and create parodies of previously recorded works, (3) investigate and interrogate meanings around the concept of authenticity and its role in music criticism, and (4) apply basic musical analysis and transcription skills to aid the understanding of musical processes at play in various cover song recordings. Every other year.
Cross-Listed as ASIA 280 This course provides an interdisciplinary introduction to Uyghur history, culture, and the arts. It examines Uyghur literature, society, music, and language in their Central Asian, Turkic, Islamic and modern Chinese contexts. Course materials offer critical perspectives on minoritized identities, cultural representation, state suppression, and forms of resistance and resilience. Alternate years
MUSI 315A Song of Love and Death: Opera in History4
This course provides a critical and historical introduction to opera from the early eighteenth century to the present. No background in music is required: the course is meant to serve students wanting a first experience with the art form as well as those who come with some experience and wish to deepen their engagement. If you’ve ever been curious about what all the fuss is about opera, this course is for you! We will occasionally look at musical scores, but students without skills in reading Western musical notation may succeed in the course by focusing on other aspects of opera (e.g. the text of the opera and its source material, performance and staging, critical reception history) in their written work. Along with the close study of individual operas on a variety of subjects–myth and legend, politics and religion, the bourgeois center and its margins–we will read critical commentary that contextualizes these artworks within the history of ideas. We will be interested above all in the ways in which opera tells us what it sounds like, and feels like, to be human. Alternate years.
MUSI 113 or permission of instructor. Every year. (4 Credits)
MUSI 344Musical Modernism
This course delves into the evolution of musical modernism, focusing on how contemporary composers globally, after the 20th century, explore and manipulate musical parameters. We will examine how these sound-explorers push the boundaries of musical elements in composition, analyzing cases that employ innovative techniques to reshape our understanding of these elements. Students will engage in independent research, investigating various acoustic and electronic idioms, while embracing a wide array of musical practices, instruments, concepts, compositional philosophies, and cultural traditions. The course aims to foster a deep appreciation of modern musical innovations and includes practices and examination of score study. By studying case by case and musical elements by elements, students are encouraged to contribute their own interpretations and creative explorations, examining the musical frameworks of Western contemporary music composed by composers whose roots are in both Western and
Cross-Listed as WGSS 354 In this course, students will explore how gender is constructed in a variety of American and European musical styles and contexts, with an emphasis on popular genres. Learning objectives include for students to: (1) better understand the intersectional ways in which gender relates to and is informed by other aspects of identity formation, including class, race, and sexuality, (2) investigate issues that have affected women’s participation in musical life, such as musical canons, gendered musical discourse, and gender stereotypes, (3) explore contributions of trans and non-binary musicians, as well as issues that affect their musical lives, (4) interrogate constructions of gender, masculinity, and femininity as they relate to music, and (5) to develop reading comprehension, critical thinking skills, and argumentative writing skills. Offered occasionally.
This course is designed to provide students with the fundamental tools for composing expressive and cohesive concert music. Through a combination of lectures, individual lessons, seminars, instrumental workshops, group projects, reading sessions, guest lectures, and a final recital, students will engage with diverse teaching formats that foster both technical mastery and creative exploration. The curriculum emphasizes the analysis and application of compositional techniques, spanning from traditional to contemporary styles. Students will be encouraged to conduct independent research and explore their own compositions, working with both acoustic and electronic idioms. The course embraces a wide array of musical techniques, instruments, styles, and genres based on Eastern and Western practices and traditions, allowing students to develop a broad understanding of music’s diverse possibilities. Furthermore, students will have opportunities to engage with the global music community through guest lectures, reading sessions, and masterclasses. These experiences enrich the learning process and prepare students to contribute to the wider musical landscape. By the end of the course, students will have developed the skills necessary to transform their musical ideas into complete, professionally notated works and will have enriched their portfolios
Cross-Listed as ANTH 405 This course introduces students to the field of ethnomusicology through its philosophical foundation, theoretical models, and disciplinary practices. Topics include comparative approach, structuralist/functionalist models, cultural relativism, organology, bi-musicality, reflexivity, post/modernism, among other recent research directions. Assignments are designed to develop skills in musical fieldwork, transcription and analysis, as well as preparing and presenting scholarly findings in ethnographic disciplines. This course is aimed primarily for students of music and/or anthropology.
Tutorials are available for advanced study. Typical areas include counterpoint, composition, advanced choral or instrumental conducting, orchestration, and research. See the Independent Study section of this catalog.
Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (1 Credits)
MUSI 602Tutorial2
Tutorials are available for advanced study. Typical areas include counterpoint, composition, advanced choral or instrumental conducting, orchestration, and research. See the Independent Study section of this catalog.
Permission of instructor and department chair. Every semester. (2 Credits)
MUSI 603Tutorial3
Tutorials are available for advanced study. Typical areas include counterpoint, composition, advanced choral or instrumental conducting, orchestration, and research. See the Independent Study section of this catalog.
Permission of instructor. Work with Academic Programs. Every semester. (4 Credits)
MUSI 70Wind Symphony1
The Macalester Wind Ensemble performs music in a wide variety of styles, from as early as the 17th century to the classics of band literature, to music composed within the last few years. It is open without audition to wind and percussion students with at least high-school level performance skills. Fall semester.
The Macalester Wind Ensemble performs music in a wide variety of styles, from as early as the 17th century to the classics of band literature, to music composed within the last few years. It is open without audition to wind and percussion students with at least high-school level performance skills. Spring semester.
Study of traditional African music through performance modes of drumming, singing, flutes, marimba, gyil, and dancing. Instrumental and vocal pieces will be selected from a variety of musical styles such as unaccompanied vocal chants, songs, music from life cycle events, royal music and music for social and other festive occasions. The repertoire includes music from Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Fall semester.
Study of traditional African music through performance modes of drumming, singing, flutes, marimba, gyil, and dancing. Instrumental and vocal pieces will be selected from a variety of musical styles such as unaccompanied vocal chants, songs, music from life cycle events, royal music and music for social and other festive occasions. The repertoire includes music from Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe. Spring semester.
The Concert Choir is the advanced, select vocal ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. Members are held to an exceptional standard of musicianship and commitment. The choir draws its repertoire from music of the last six centuries and tours annually through the United States or abroad. The ensemble commissions and premieres at least one new work every year. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Three 90-minute rehearsals per week. Fall semester.
The Concert Choir is the advanced, select vocal ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. Members are held to an exceptional standard of musicianship and commitment. The choir draws its repertoire from music of the last six centuries and tours annually through the United States or abroad. The ensemble commissions and premieres at least one new work every year. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Three 90-minute rehearsals per week. Spring semester.
The Chorale is the large choral ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. The choir’s repertoire includes a cappella and accompanied music from various Western and non-Western vocal traditions. The Chorale and Concert Choir combine annually to perform a major work with orchestra. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Two 90-minute rehearsals per week. Fall semester.
The Chorale is the large choral ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. The choir’s repertoire includes a cappella and accompanied music from various Western and non-Western vocal traditions. The Chorale and Concert Choir combine annually to perform a major work with orchestra. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Two 90-minute rehearsals per week. Spring semester.
The Macalester Asian Music Ensemble performs chamber genres and repertoires from across Asia. Students may choose to specialize in one or more of the music traditions represented by the department’s instrument collections and faculty expertise. These include, but are not limited to, Javanese gamelan, East and Southeast Asian chamber instrumental music, as well as Indian, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian traditions. We perform two major concerts (fall and spring) every academic year, and take part in a number of College and outside events and performances.
The Macalester Asian Music Ensemble performs chamber genres and repertoires from across Asia. Students may choose to specialize in one or more of the music traditions represented by the department’s instrument collections and faculty expertise. These include, but are not limited to, Javanese gamelan, East and Southeast Asian chamber instrumental music, as well as Indian, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian traditions. We perform two major concerts (fall and spring) every academic year, and take part in a number of College and outside events and performances.
Jazz and Popular Music Combos are open to all who wish to concentrate on repertoire, improvisation and original music. Students will focus on developing their composition and performance skills while exploring many different styles of contemporary music. The combos present two concerts each year. Fall semester.
Jazz and Popular Music Combos are open to all who wish to concentrate on repertoire, improvisation and original music. Students will focus on developing their composition and performance skills while exploring many different styles of contemporary music. The combos present two concerts each year. Spring semester.
Bagpipe and highland drum lessons are available free of charge to all students. Beginners and musicians of any experience level are encouraged to participate in lessons and/or ensemble. We perform traditional and modern music at concert and competitions. Fall semester.
Bagpipe and highland drum lessons are available free of charge to all students. Beginners and musicians of any experience level are encouraged to participate in lessons and/or ensemble. We perform traditional and modern music at concert and competitions. Spring semester.
The Chamber Music program offers an opportunity for students to explore and perform repertoire for small ensembles. All instrumentalists and vocalists are eligible to participate and entrance is by audition or by arrangement with Mr. Mandarano. Students who are accepted into Chamber Music are placed in various ensembles and over the course of the semester immerse themselves in learning a challenging and varied repertoire. Rehearsal times are arranged based on schedule availability and individual practice is required. Ensembles receive periodic coaching from department faculty or professional studio instructors and there is least one performance required per semester. Examples of chamber ensemble include: string quartet, piano trio, woodwind quintet, brass sextet, piano trio, flute and clarinet choirs. Fall semester.
The Chamber Music program offers an opportunity for students to explore and perform repertoire for small ensembles. All instrumentalists and vocalists are eligible to participate and entrance is by audition or by arrangement with Mr. Mandarano. Students who are accepted into Chamber Music are placed in various ensembles and over the course of the semester immerse themselves in learning a challenging and varied repertoire. Rehearsal times are arranged based on schedule availability and individual practice is required. Ensembles receive periodic coaching from department faculty or professional studio instructors and there is least one performance required per semester. Examples of chamber ensemble include: string quartet, piano trio, woodwind quintet, brass sextet, piano trio, flute and clarinet choirs. Spring semester.
The Macalester Symphony Orchestra prepares and performs a wide range of repertoire for symphony orchestra from the time of Bach to the present day, including the music of living composers. Playing in the orchestra blends individual and group achievement to build toward several challenging, rewarding performances each semester. Social interaction among the members of the orchestra is facilitated by various events, including orchestra dinners and a brief tour. In the spring semester, there is a concerto competition concert, featuring student soloists. Auditions for orchestra are held at the start of the fall semester. Space permitting, a limited number of students may be able to join at the start of the spring semester. Fall semester.
The Macalester Symphony Orchestra prepares and performs a wide range of repertoire for symphony orchestra from the time of Bach to the present day, including the music of living composers. Playing in the orchestra blends individual and group achievement to build toward several challenging, rewarding performances each semester. Social interaction among the members of the orchestra is facilitated by various events, including orchestra dinners and a brief tour. In the spring semester, there is a concerto competition concert, featuring student soloists. Auditions for orchestra are held at the start of the fall semester. Space permitting, a limited number of students may be able to join at the start of the spring semester. Spring semester.
Historical performance has changed the aesthetic and musical experiences of audiences all over the world. The new ways to interpret music before 1750 has changed the way the audiences listen to this kind of music. Macalester Early Music Ensemble approaches instrumental and vocal music from Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque period. No audition needed. Fall semester.
Historical performance has changed the aesthetic and musical experiences of audiences all over the world. The new ways to interpret music before 1750 has changed the way the audiences listen to this kind of music. Macalester Early Music Ensemble approaches instrumental and vocal music from Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque period. No audition needed. Spring semester.
Development of keyboard (piano) technique and performance/analytical skills complementary both to the music theory curriculum and the general study of music. Technical foundations and repertoire study. 1 credit awarded upon successful completion of the semester. May be repeated for credit. Every semester
