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Academics > Undergraduate
Music
Degree Requirements
Music Major  |  Music Minor |  Nonmajors
Music Major
(14.5 semester course credits)

Undergraduate core (9.5 credits):

MUS 001 Exploring Music: Performance, Creation, and Cultural Practice (1)

MUS 003 Musicianship (Levels II, III, and IV) (1.5)

MUS 005 Diatonic Harmony and Counterpoint I (1)

MUS 006 Diatonic Harmony and Counterpoint II (1)

MUS 056 Musical Form: Listening and Analysis (1)

MUS 101 20th-Century Styles and Techniques I: 1900–1945 (1) or
MUS 102 20th-Century Styles and Techniques II: 1945 to the Present (1)

MUS 118 Classic and Romantic Music (1)

And select one course from the following:

MUS 020 (120) American Music (1)

MUS 117 History of European Music to 1750 (1)

MUS 141 The Music of India (1)

MUS 163 The World of Opera (1)

Individual instruction in performance (1), including at least one semester in ensembles, at least one of which must be in improvisation unless student has taken MUS 111 Improvisation Workshop:

MUS 026 (126) Music Improvisation Ensemble I (.25)

MUS 027 (127) Contemporary Performance Ensemble (.25)

MUS 028 (128) Gamelan Ensemble (.25)

MUS 029 (129) African Drumming (.25)

MUS 030 (130) Vocal Jazz Improvisation Ensemble (.25)

MUS 031 (131) Performance Collective (Chamber Music) (.25)

MUS 032 (132) Early Music Vocal Ensemble—Beginning (.25)

MUS 033 (133) Early Music Vocal Ensemble—Intermediate (.25)

MUS 034 (134) Early Music Instrumental Ensemble—Renaissance (.25)

MUS 035 (135) Early Music Instrumental Ensemble—Baroque (.25)

MUS 043 (143) Mills Percussion Group (.25)

Areas of specialization:

Besides completing the core program, the student, in consultation with her advisor, selects one of the following four areas of specialization:

Specialization in Performance:

MUS 137 Seminar in Music Literature and Criticism (1)

MUS 155 Advanced Chromatic Harmony and Post-Tonal Theory (1)

MUS 156 Tonal Analysis (1)

MUS 159 Seminar in Musical Performance, Composition, and Improvisation (1)

Plus one elective and a senior recital (with no more than 1 additional credit in individual instruction in performance applied as an elective to the major requirements).

Specialization in Composition:

MUS 124 Contemporary Instrumentation and Orchestration (1)

MUS 155 Advanced Chromatic Harmony and Post-Tonal Theory (1)

MUS 159 Seminar in Musical Performance, Composition, and Improvisation (1)

Plus two electives and a senior project presented in the X Sound Composers Festival.

Specialization in Composition with an Emphasis in Media Technology or Electronic Music:

MUS 147 Introduction to Electronic Music (1)

MUS 154 Introduction to Computer Music (1)

MUS 159 Seminar in Musical Performance, Composition, and Improvisation (1)

MUS 161 Sound Techniques of Recording (1)

MUS 164 Advanced Audio Recording (1)

Plus a senior project presented in the X Sound Composers Festival.

Specialization in Theory/History:

MUS 117 History of European Music to 1750 (1) (Must be selected within the core curriculum)

MUS 137 Seminar in Music Literature and Criticism (1)

MUS 155 Advanced Chromatic Harmony and Post-Tonal Theory (1)

And select one course from the following:

MUS 148 Post-Tonal Theory and Analysis (1) or
MUS 156 Tonal Analysis (1)

Plus two electives and a senior project.

As an elective, students in all degree specializations can apply to study individually with any member of the core music faculty in MUS 160 Practicum (.5).

Music Minor
(6 semester course credits)

Prerequisite:

MUS 003 Musicianship I (May be waived by examination; does not count toward credit total)

Required:

MUS 003 Musicianship II and III (.5; .5) (either or both sections may be waived by examination)

MUS 005–006 Diatonic Harmony and Counterpoint I and II (1; 1)

MUS 056 Musical Form: Analysis and Performance (1)

MUS 118 Classic and Romantic Music (1)

And additional credits in music electives, including at least .5 credit in performance (individual instruction or ensemble).

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Courses for Non-majors

Music is an important component of a liberal arts education. The department offers courses specifically designed for non-majors each year. These courses are intended to help make the student a culturally informed and active participant in a wide variety of musical experiences. Students engaged in discourse about music also acquire verbal and analytical skills that will be useful throughout their scholarly and/or professional careers.

The core courses in the non-major curriculum—Exploring Music: Performance, Creation, and Cultural Practice (MUS 001), Musics of the World (MUS 014/015), Women and Creative Music (MUS 016/116); American Music (MUS 020), Film Music: Mood and Meaning (MUS 121); The Music of India (MUS 141), and The World of Opera (MUS 163)—introduce a broad range of music and demonstrate how it is part of a vast social, political, and intellectual perspective. These courses also concentrate on the development of the non-musician's musical perceptions; students learn that the ability to understand and appreciate music, and even to participate in creative musical activity, is not the sole property of those with formal musical training. Non-majors are also encouraged to enroll in several of our courses in electronic music and music technology: Introduction to Electronic Music (MUS 047/147); Introduction to Computer Music (MUS 054); and Sound Techniques of Recording (MUS 161).

The Music Department also offers individual instruction in voice and most instruments—even for beginners—and various musical ensembles that attract the College community, including the Performance Collective, Vocal Jazz Improvisation, Gamelan, African Drumming, Music Improvisation, Mills Percussion Group, Contemporary Performance, and Early Music Ensembles.

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Program Information
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Go To: Graduate Music

Contact Information

P: 510.430.2171
F: 510.430.3228
E: music@mills.edu

Last Updated: 3/12/13