Curriculum

Students majoring in music must attend 40 concerts/recitals (5 per semester) during their time at Concordia University Irvine (transfers must accrue 5 times the number of semesters the attend). An updated list will be published at the end of each semester detailing concert attendance. In the semester when students expect to pass 40, they should enroll in MUS 100 for pass/fail certification. Students who fail to complete this requirement will not be approved for graduation with a major in music. Attendance credit is not allowed for concerts/recitals in which the student is a performer for the majority of the repertoire.

Music Major Review (Students must register for the Music Major Review for the semester in which the review will take place. See Music Major Review policy.)

Students register for MUKP 211 (Piano Competency) in the spring of the sophomore year. A course fee is assessed. If students fail the competency exam in the sophomore year, they will register for Piano Competency each subsequent semester until they pass the exam. For transfer students, piano skills will be assessed in the first semester and a piano competency timeline will be created.

This interactive course will introduce students to fundamental aspects of the singing process including alignment, breath support and management, resonance, vowels and consonants, and interpretation and performance techniques.

Private Lessons: Voice I  1, 2 Unit

The Concordia Choir performs significant musical works of all eras for major concerts and tours as well as campus chapel and area church services and works on the development of advanced vocal techniques and musical skills. There may be an additional charge for required field trips or tours. Membership is by audition.

This select women's choir performs choral music of all eras in concerts and church services on and off campus and works on the development of advanced vocal techniques and musical skills. There may be an additional charge for required field trips or tours. Membership is by audition.

This select men's choir performs choral music of all eras in concerts and church services both on and off campus and works on the development of advanced vocal techniques and musical skills. There may be an additional charge for required field trips or tours. Membership is by audition.

As a beginning study of the craft of music for music majors and minors or general students with considerable musical experience, this course will include the study and application of scales, intervals, triads, rhythms, and elementary chord progression through analysis and writing. Co-requisites: Normally taken concurrently with MUS 211. Recommended MUS 102 or other training in the fundamentals of musical notation. A class fee is required to cover the cost of concert attendance.

Continuation of MUS 201, this course will study seventh chords, modulation and basic musical forms through analysis and composition of four-part textures. Prerequisite: Should be taken concurrently with MUS 212.

This course will provide students with the training and tools that will aid in the development of sight-singing, dictation, and basic keyboard skills that support basic concepts as they learn to hear and identify basic harmonic (intervals, triads, and chord progressions) and rhythmic and melodic materials using the moveable-do solfege system.

A continuation of MUS 211. Prerequisite: Should be taken concurrently with MUS 202.

As a continuation of MUS 303, this course will study extended forms and melodic-harmonic formula characteristic of the 19th century; introduce techniques of the 20th century; and cultivate related compositional skills. A class fee is required to cover the cost of concert attendance. Prerequisite: MUS 303.

A continuation of MUS 212. Prerequisites: MUS 212; should be taken concurrently with MUS 303.

A continuation of MUS 323. Prerequisites: MUS 323; should be taken concurrently with MUS 304.

As a continuation of MUS 202, this course will include analysis of counterpoint, classical forms, and chromatic alteration of melody and chord progression, as well as further development of composition skills. A class fee is required to cover the cost of concert attendance. Prerequisite: MUS 202.

An introduction to modern harmonic relationships found in jazz, contemporary pop and worship music, focusing on chord structure and function, plural interior chords, scalar relationships, and jazz and pop notation. Students will apply these concepts through improvisation, arranging and composition. Prerequisite: MUS 202; concurrent enrollment in MUS 323 is strongly recommended.

An examination of the history of popular music styles, from the late 1950’s to present day from a musical, technological and cultural perspective. Students study the structure and function of modern ensembles through listening and analysis and apply their knowledge through arranging, composition and performance.

Survey the development of art music in Western history from antiquity through the baroque period, including the social functions of music and the relationship between secular and ecclesiastical, and vocal and instrumental music. This course addresses the question, "Why Art?" in the general education curriculum.

This survey course will look at the development of art music in Western history from the early classical period to the present, including the social functions of music, the relationship between secular and ecclesiastical music, and vocal and instrumental music. Prerequisite: MUS 202 or instructor approval. Offered alternate years.

Through reading, and discussion, students will understand the historical development of music in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, and will apply theoretical and historical analysis to notated and improvised music in the popular, classical and sacred traditions. Prerequisites: MUS 304 and MUS 331 and MUS 332.

This course will introduce students to the study of music as a universal cultural phenomenon and the discipline of ethnomusicology with exposure to the musical and social aspects of folk, traditional, and art music of regions from Asia, Africa, Middle East, Europe, Latin America, and North America. Experience in music is encouraged but not required.

This course will survey of the role, development, and function of music in the Christian church from its roots in the Old Testament to the present day, with attention given to biblical, theological, social, and cultural considerations. Offered alternate years.

An introduction to music technology hardware and software, focusing on the tools and methods used to create, prepare and perform music. Topics include MIDI, digital audio workstations, score preparation, live performance systems, and methods of music production. Students will participate in hands-on projects in which they will apply their understanding of basic music technology principles. Students should be able to read musica notation.

As a beginning study in the craft of conducting, this course will include the basic beat patterns, preparatory and release gestures, and simple non-verbal stylistic cues. Students will conduct a musical ensemble composed of class members.

This course introduces students to the basic principles of arranging pre-existing musical material for the small ensembles commonly encountered in church, educational, and commercial settings. Aspects of reharmonization, voicing, scoring, part generation, and idiomatic instrumental and choral writing will be studied. Prerequisite: MUS 202.

Students must enroll in an ensemble each semester they are in residence. A minimum of 6 units in 1-unit ensembles; up to 2 units may be in .5-unit ensembles. Note: Church Music concentration students must select 6 units of choir and/or handbells.

The Concordia Choir performs significant musical works of all eras for major concerts and tours as well as campus chapel and area church services and works on the development of advanced vocal techniques and musical skills. There may be an additional charge for required field trips or tours. Membership is by audition.

This select women's choir performs choral music of all eras in concerts and church services on and off campus and works on the development of advanced vocal techniques and musical skills. There may be an additional charge for required field trips or tours. Membership is by audition.

This select men's choir performs choral music of all eras in concerts and church services both on and off campus and works on the development of advanced vocal techniques and musical skills. There may be an additional charge for required field trips or tours. Membership is by audition.

An orchestra of woodwinds, brass, and percussion that performs significant literature in concerts, tours, and worship services with an emphasis on the development of advanced ensemble playing techniques, musical perception, and music ministry. There may be an additional charge for required field trips or tour. Participation fee: $40. Audition required.

A full orchestra of woodwind, brass, string, and percussion instruments that performs the great works composed for symphony orchestra, new music, and church music. This advanced ensemble of students from many different majors performs major public concerts, striving for the highest level of artistry. Fees for field trips and tours may be required. Participation fee: $40. Audition required.

MU__ 101-301: Private Lessons

MU__ 401: Private Lessons

The senior thesis is an opportunity for music students to engage in close reading, research, and writing on a musical topic of their choosing. This is an independent study, offered by arrangement with any full-time music faculty member. The senior thesis consists of a structured process leading to a finished academic paper of at least 10 pages.

This course is the final requirement for students in the music major when church music, music theory, music history, ethnomusicology, or music education is their primary interest (see Mu_ 498). Prerequisite: MUS 290 and Approval of senior project application. See also Senior Project Guidelines available in the Music Office.

MU__498: Senior Recital