Catalogue 2020-2021 [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Music Department
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Chair: Kathryn Libin;
Professor: Jonathan Chenette;
Associate Professors: Christine Howletta, Kathryn Libin, Brian R. Mann;
Assistant Professors: Táhirih Motazedian, Justin Patcha;
Senior Lecturers: Drew Minter, Eduardo Navega;
Adjunct Associate Professor: Susan Botti;
Adjunct Assistant Professor: Drake Andersen;
Adjunct Instructor: Michael Sheetz;
Adjunct Artists: Gail Archer, Trevor Babb, Paul Bellino, Cheryl P. Bishkoff, Alexander Bonus, Christopher Brellochs, Courtenay Budd, Frank Cassara, Miriam Charney, Jeanmarie Chenette, Mike DeMicco, Yves Dharamaj, Anna Elashvili, Danielle Farina, Phillip Helm, Marija Ilic, Amy Kawa, Yenne Lee, Mary Nessinger, James Osborn, Robert Osborne, Anna Polonsky, Peter Reit, Elisabeth Romano, Rachel Rosales, Susan Rotholz, James Ruff, Thomas Sauer, Amy Schroeder, Peter Tomlinson, Ian Tyson, Roland Vazquez.
a On leave 2020/21, first semester
Advisers: The department.
Major
Correlate Sequences in Music
The music department offers five correlate sequences, each requiring six units of credit, of which no fewer than five should be taken at Vassar. No more than one course counted toward the correlate sequence may be taken NRO. Specific courses to be taken within each sequence are outlined below.
Students interested in pursuing a correlate sequence in music should discuss it with the music department chair as well as their major advisors during their sophomore or junior year, and they will be assigned a correlate advisor from the music faculty. To apply for the correlate sequence in music, each student will submit a one-page personal statement. Correlate sequences in music must be declared by the end of the junior year.
Music: I. Introductory
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MUSI 101 - Fundamentals of Music Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
1 unit(s)
A beginning study of the elements of music including notation, rhythm and meter, scales and modes, intervals, melody, chord progression, musical terms, and instruments. To facilitate reading skills, class exercises in ear training and sight singing are included. May not be counted in the requirements for concentration. Alexander Bonus, Jonathan Chenette.
Open to all classes. Previous musical training unnecessary.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 105 - Music Theory I Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
The first class of a three-semester sequence devoted to detailed investigation of the fundamental elements of music, including harmony, melody, form, rhythm, meter, texture, and timbre. Skills include analysis, writing, analytical listening and singing, transcription, basic keyboard skills, and musical comprehension.
Alexander Bonus.
Prerequisite(s): Familiarity with music notation (bass and treble clefs), key signatures, and basic rhythmic notation.
Open to all classes.
Two 75-minute periods plus a weekly skills lab.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 106 - Music Theory II Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
The second class of a three-semester sequence devoted to detailed investigation of the fundamental elements of music, including harmony, melody, form, rhythm, meter, texture, and timbre. Skills include analysis, writing, analytical listening, and musical comprehension. Christine Howlette (lab), Kathryn Libin, Táhirih Motazedian.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 105 or successful completion of departmental advanced placement exam at beginning of fall semester.
Open to all classes.
Two 75-minute periods plus a weekly skills lab.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 126 - Our bodies/Our selves: A Systematic Approach for Musicians to Improved Use of the Self Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
No matter what our level of proficiency as musicians, we use our bodies as instruments to sense, feel, think and act, whether we are making music or listening to it. In this course, we develop our somatic and proprioceptive awareness through movement, and by doing so increase our pleasure and ability to make music. Drawing from the Feldenkrais Awareness through Movement, Viewpoints, and Deep Listening methods, this six week course welcomes all levels of musician and sizes, shapes and kinds of bodies. All materials are provided. Students need to wear clothing that moves easily. Drew Minter.
Prerequisite(s): Students must have taken or be in the process of taking one Music course (applied lessons, classroom, or faculty-led ensemble).
First six-week course.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 135 - The International Phonetic Alphabet
0.5 unit(s)
An introductory study of the International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA). Students learn the sounds and symbols of IPA and apply these principles through written assignments and oral drills, with projects focused on the student’s area of interest. The study of IPA is particularly useful for students studying vocal/choral music, drama, languages, and phonetics. Christine Howlett.
First six-week course.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 136 - Introduction to World Music Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as ASIA 136 ) This course examines the development and practices of musical styles in diverse locales around the world from an ethnomusicological perspective. We study the intersection of musical communities and social identity/values, political movements (especially nationalism), spirituality, economy, and globalization. We explore these general issues through case studies from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Justin Patch.
This course is open to students with or without musical training.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 180 - Orpheus and Eurydice in the Arts, from Ancient Greece to Hadestown Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This seminar considers a sampling of the many adaptations and appropriations of the ancient, musically-rich myth of Orpheus and Eurydice. We focus primarily on major literary and musical adaptations from the past few decades, including a novel by Salman Rushdie, a play by Sarah Ruhl, and the current Broadway hit, Hadestown, by Anaïs Mitchell. We also consider the role the myth played in the history of opera. Students engage in small-group projects exploring significant treatments in other media such as film, dance, and the visual arts. Our methods emphasize close reading, discussion, collaboration, writing, and revision. Jonathan Chenette.
Open only to first-year students; satisfies college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.
May not be counted in the requirements for the concentration.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 188 - Duke Ellington: Life and Music
1 unit(s)
The subject of the course is the great jazz composer and bandleader Duke Ellington (1899-1974). As a world-renowned black musician from Washington, D.C., Ellington elevated jazz composition and arranging to a fine art, and he brought class and style to the performances of his band. We read about Ellington, listen to his music, view films in which he and his band are featured, and discuss his life. The writing assignments are focused on both biographical and musical issues, in which we explore ways to talk about the life and work of this remarkable creative artist. Alexander Bonus.
Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS
Music: II. Intermediate
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MUSI 201 - Opera
1 unit(s)
A study of the history, style, drama, and music in selected operatic masterworks from 1600 to the present.
Prerequisite(s): One unit in One of the following: art; drama; Italian, French, German, or English literatures; music; or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 202 - Black Music Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as AFRS 202 ) An analytical exploration of the music of certain African and European cultures and their adaptive influences in North America. The course examines traditional African and European views of music performance practices while exploring their influences in shaping the music of African Americans from the spiritual to modern. Justin Patch.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 205 - Music Theory III Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
The third class of a three-semester sequence devoted to detailed investigation of the fundamental elements of music, including harmony, melody, form, rhythm, meter, texture, and timbre. Skills include analysis, writing, analytical listening, and musical comprehension.Táhirih Motazedian.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 105 /MUSI 106 or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 207 - Musicianship Skills I Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
An aural-skills class based on diatonic and chromatic melody and harmony. Class exercises include sight singing, ear training, clef reading, keyboard skills, score reading, improvised accompaniment, and basic conducting patterns. A continuation of skills acquired from 105/106 skills lab. Marija Ilic.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 106 or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 208 - Musicianship Skills II Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
A continuation of MUSI 207 , developing aural, keyboard, and clef-reading skills to a higher degree of proficiency. Eduardo Navega.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 207 or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 211 - Counterpoint Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
An in-depth study of modal and tonal counterpoint practices. Course work includes analysis and composition of motets, inventions, canons, and fugues. Tahirih Motazedian.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 105 /MUSI 106 or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 213 - American Music
1 unit(s)
The study of folk, popular, and art musics in American life from 1600 to the present and their relationship to other facets of America’s historical development and cultural growth. Brian Mann.
Prerequisite(s): One unit in one of the following: Music; studies in American History, Art, or Literature; or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 214 - History of American Jazz
1 unit(s)
(Same as AMST 214 ) An investigation of the whole range of jazz history, from its beginning around the turn of the century to the present day. Among the figures to be examined are: Scott Joplin, “Jelly Roll” Morton, Louis Armstrong, Bessie Smith, Duke Ellington, Fletcher Henderson, Count Basie, Thomas “Fats” Waller, Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, Charles Mingus, and Miles Davis. Alexander Bonus.
Prerequisite(s): One unit in one of the following: Music; studies in American History, Art, or Literature; or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 215 - Composition I Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
Creative work in various contemporary idioms. Analysis of selected works; study of instrumental resources. Susan Botti.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 105 /MUSI 106 or permission of the instructor.
If a senior project in composition is planned, the student should elect Music 215/MUSI 216 in the sophomore year and MUSI 315 in the junior year.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 216 - Composition II Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
Creative work in various contemporary idioms. Analysis of selected works; study of instrumental resources. Susan Botti.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 215 and permission of the instructor.
If a senior project in composition is planned, the student should elect MUSI 215 /216 in the sophomore year and MUSI 315 in the junior year.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 217 - Studies in Popular Music
1 unit(s)
(Same as AMST 217 and MEDS 217 ) Justin Patch.
Recommended: one unit in either Music, Sociology, or Anthropology.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 218 - Advanced Topics in World Music
1 unit(s)
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 136 , or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 219 - Electronic Music Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
A practical exploration of electronic music, composition, and production techniques. Compositional and creative aspects are emphasized with extensive lab time provided for student projects. No prior knowledge of computer music or programming is required. Drake Andersen.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 105 and MUSI 106 .
Yearlong course 219/MUSI 220 .
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 220 - Electronic Music Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
A practical exploration of electronic music, composition, and production techniques. Compositional and creative aspects are emphasized with extensive lab time provided for student projects. No prior knowledge of computer music or programming is required. Drake Andersen.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 219 .
Yearlong course MUSI 219 /220.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 231 - Women Making Music
1 unit(s)
(Same as WMST 231 ) A study of women’s involvement in Western and non-Western musical cultures. Drawing on recent work in feminist musicology and ethnomusicology, the course studies a wide range of music created by women, both past and present. It explores such topics as musical instruments and gender, voice and embodiment, access to training and performance opportunities, and representations of women musicians in art and literature. Kathryn Libin.
Prerequisite(s): One unit in Music, or Women’s Studies, or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
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MUSI 232 - Faust, Music, and Romanticism
0.5 unit(s)
No literary text of the early Romantic era was read more avidly than Goethe’s Faust. After its publication in 1808, composers rapidly began setting it to music. In this six-week course, we begin with a close reading of Faust Part I (in English translation), then study musical interpretations of it by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Berlioz, Liszt, and others. Kathryn Libin.
Recommended: One course in Music or German.
First six-week course.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 233 - Sounds of Faith: Sacred Choral Music
0.5 unit(s)
The sound of massed voices creates a spiritual reverberation that composers have explored for worship, for celebration, and to reveal or reach the divine. In this six-week course, we examine sacred choral works by composers of the late 18th century, including Mozart, Haydn, and others. Kathryn Libin.
Recommended: one course in Music (especially MUSI 105 ).
Second six-week course.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 238 - Music in Film
1 unit(s)
(Same as FILM 238 ) A study of music in sound cinema from the 1920s to the present. The course focuses on the expressive, formal, and semiotic function that film music serves, either as sound experienced by the protagonists, or as another layer of commentary to be heard only by the viewer, or some mixture of the two. Composers studied include Max Steiner, Bernard Herrmann, Jerry Goldsmith, Danny Elfman, and others, as well as film scores that rely upon a range of musical styles, including classical, popular, and non-Western. Specific topics to be considered this semester include music in film noir and the movie musical.
Prerequisite(s): One course in Music (not performance) or Film.
Two 75-minute periods plus outside screenings.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 246 - Music and Ideas I — Medieval and Early Modern Europe: The Power of Church and Court Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
(Same as MRST 246 ) This course introduces major historical and intellectual ideas of music from the Ancient world through 1660. The focus is on essential repertoire as well as the cultures that fostered principal genres of sacred and secular music during the Middle Ages, Renaissance, and early Baroque. Kathryn Libin.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 105 /MUSI 106 or permission of the instructor.
Includes an additional listening/discussion section.
Two 75-minute periods plus an additional listening/discussion section.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 247 - Music and Ideas II — Enlightenment and the Influence of Rationalism Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
A study of musical genres and trends over the course of the “long eighteenth century” from 1660 to 1830. The course explores significant shifts in musical language from the high Baroque through the age of revolution and early Romanticism, as revealed in great works from Purcell through Beethoven. Kathryn Libin.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 105 /MUSI 106 or permission of the instructor.
Includes an additional listening/discussion section.
Two 75-minute periods plus an additional listening/discussion section.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 248 - Music and Ideas III — Modernism and its Challenges Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
This course begins with progressive composers Berlioz, Liszt, and Wagner and traces the development of their schools of thought through the late nineteenth century, the rising importance of popular song and jazz in the twentieth century along with major composers who have found new expression within classical traditions, and “postmoderns” who have worked to bridge genres. Alexander Bonus.
Prerequisite(s): MUSI 105 /MUSI 106 and MUSI 247 , or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods plus an additional listening/discussion period.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 251 - Deconstructing Pop: Theory about Popular Music
0.5 unit(s)
“Pop” offers upper-level students who are interested in including popular music in their senior theses and correlate projects an opportunity to dig into some of the fundamental texts that have set the debate. These texts derive from a number of different fields: music, sociology, cultural studies, and area studies. This 6-week course provides students with an opportunity to read through these difficult texts slowly and have the opportunity to discuss and get a deeper understanding of the scholarly debate, better preparing them to pursue their senior research projects.
The course starts with the conflicting theories of the Frankfurt and Birmingham schools and then moves into feminist critique, analysis of racialization in popular music, and criticism of global pop and world music. These areas deploy a wide variety of theories from around the social sciences and humanities. This intensive expands the conceptual tool kit available to students for analysis through primary source engagement, analysis, and application. Justin Patch.
Prerequisite(s): Declared major in a thesis required or thesis optional major; intention to write a thesis that includes analysis of popular music.
First six-week course.
One 2-hour period.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 252 - Book Club Semester Offered: Fall
1 unit(s)
In-depth exploration of a multi-disciplinary musical topic through student-selected readings and student-led group discussions. The course begins with a pre-selected book, with subsequent readings researched and selected by students. Each week students take turns leading the class through directed discussions of the readings, with summary presentations and prepared discussion points. After the initial pre-selected readings, the reading itinerary expands based on student interest. Each student (in consultation with the professor) selects readings for the entire class to read (books chapters or journal articles either referenced in our primary readings or researched independently), so that by the second half of the semester, the curriculum is entirely student-driven. The course culminates with presentations on subtopics of each student’s choosing. This course is open to students with backgrounds in music or other fields related to the topic, with the hopes of generating richly cross-pollinated discussions from multiple points of view.
Topic for 2020/21a: Music as Pathology, Music as Therapy. Music has always played a central role in human civilization, and because of its incredible power to influence human thought, emotion, and action, people (as far back as Plato and Pythagoras) have worried over the harmful effects of music. From 18th-century physicians who diagnosed (and institutionalized) patients with musical hysteria to the ”Satanic panic” of 1980s heavy metal, music has long been viewed as a potential medical and psychological danger. Thus, unsurprisingly, throughout the ages music has been weaponized in service of brainwashing, political manipulation, torture, and warfare. On the other side of the spectrum, people have harnessed the immense power of music as a tool for healing, as therapy for a number of physical, developmental, and psychological conditions. In this class we explore the long and complex histories of music as pathology and music as therapy, tracing the evolution of both of these threads from their historical origins through the present day.
Each week students take turns leading the class through directed discussions of the readings, with summary presentations and prepared discussion points. We begin with a few pre-selected readings (listed below), and then expand our reading itinerary based on student interest. Each student (in consultation with the professor) selects readings for the entire class to read–books chapters or journal articles either referenced in our primary readings or researched independently–so that by the second half of the semester, the curriculum is entirely student-driven. The course culminates with presentations on sub-topics of each student’s choosing.
This course is open to students with backgrounds in music, science, or history, with the hopes of generating richly cross-pollinated discussions from multiple points of view. Táhirih Motazedian.
Prerequisite(s): One course in music, science, history, or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 255 - Follow the Lieder
0.5 unit(s)
In the early 19th century Beethoven and Schubert established Vienna as the seat of German song. Brahms, Wolf, and Strauss carried the form forward into the modern era. This six-week course examines the intimate marriage of German poetry and music during the romantic period when the Austrian empire went from being the largest power in Europe to a sentimental land on Europe’s eastern front. This course offers performance opportunities for singers and pianists as well as non-performance related projects. The course is open to all students, regardless of performance background. Miriam Charney.
Recommended: one course in Music or German.
First six-week course.
Two 75-minute periods plus extra periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 256 - Vassar Music Treasures
1 unit(s)
Vassar’s Skinner Hall of Music houses a valuable collection of historical instruments that represent the tastes and affinities of many generations of collectors, and offer important insights into social history, performance practices, and material culture. In this Intensive course, students work individually and in collaborative teams to combine research with hands-on examination and analysis of the instruments. The data generated will be used to build a new digital collection, Vassar Music Treasures, which will permanently reside in Vassar’s Digital Library as a resource for study and research. Kathryn Libin.
Prerequisite(s): One 100- or 200-level Music course.
Not offered 2020/21.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 259 - Soundscapes: Anthropology of Music
1 unit(s)
(Same as ANTH 259 ) This course examines the epistemology of the ear through experimental and ethnographic learning. It interrogates the wide range of sounds that we are exposed to: ambient sound, conversation, storytelling, music, and advertising, as well as historical hearing. It also is how we learn and perceive differnently through hearing and how sound affects our sense of place and being, and the types of knowledge we prioritize in our everyday lives. This course requires the use of basic audio and video technology. Justin Patch.
Recommended: but not required that students have one unit of the following: Music, Anthropology, Sociology, or Media Studies.
Two 75-minute periods.
Not offered in 2020/21.
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MUSI 282 - Extreme Listening: The Collaboration of Voice & Piano Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
This course explores the field of collaborative piano through the study of vocal repertoire, the art of coaching, and approaches to language and diction. Students study how to accompany art song, operatic arias, choral music, and musical theater through standard repertoire as well as underrepresented composers. Miriam Charney.
Prerequisite(s): Open to singers and pianists or with permission of the instructor.
Second six-week course.
One 2-hour period and individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 283 - Opera as a Whole Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Why did Richard Wagner call opera the “complete work of art” (Gesamtkunstwerk)? In this 6-week intensive course, we will learn about opera from a detailed examination of six masterpieces of the genre, Monteverdi’s L’Incoronazione di Poppea, Handel’s Giulio Cesare, Mozart’s Don Giovanni, Verdi’s Rigoletto, Wagner’s Das Rheingold and Puccini’s La Boheme. Is opera a musical form? A theatrical one? A literary one? Opera began in the 16th century as an exploration by a group of elite Italian poets of ancient Greek drama, but in the four centuries since then it has incorporated and explored the limits of the voice, dance, and applied arts within the form, and become more and more a response to the politics and society in which it was created. Through the lens of some of the greatest works in the repertoire, and the outputs of their composers, students consider why and how opera has moved from an elite literary form to a public art form. Drew Minter.
Prerequisite(s): One course in music (applied lessons, intensive, or classroom).
First six-week course.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 287 - Music in Classic French Cinema: 1930-1960 Semester Offered: Fall
0.5 unit(s)
(Same as FILM 287 ) The scholarly study of film music is a burgeoning topic. And yet a bias towards more recent film scores, taken together with Hollywood’s overwhelming influence, has tended to overshadow the accomplishments of European composers. This course examines a number of French films whose reputations rest in no small measure on their scores. We begin with an introduction to the terminology of film music studies, and then proceed to the works themselves, examining in detail the various uses to which music is put. Musical literacy is not required. Brian Mann.
Prerequisite(s): One course in either Music or Film Studies.
First six-week course.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 288 - Machines and Musicians: A Technocultural History from Metronomes to Moby Semester Offered: Spring
1 unit(s)
(Same as STS 288 ) This course explores the often-unacknowledged connections between novel acoustic technologies and vital compositional practices. Through weekly lectures, assignments, and discussions, students consider the ways in which machines have helped to influence certain musical trends from the classical, Romantic, and contemporary eras.
Some featured clockwork and electronic technologies include Winkel’s Componium, Maelzel’s Panharmonicon, the Welte-Mignon player piano, Cahill’s Telharmonium, the Theremin, and the Moog synthesizer. This technocultural survey similarly presents a gamut of musical repertoires: from Haydn’s musical-clock suites to Antheil’s Ballet mécanique; Miles Davis’ synthesized jazz albums to Todd Machover’s recent robotic opera, Death and the Powers; and more.
In a final project devoted to modern-age sound production, students examine compositions and texts by Schaeffer, Stockhausen, Xenakis, Reich, and Roads. Grading is determined through class participation, a midterm test, a research and analysis project, as well as a listening quiz. Alexander Bonus.
Prerequisite(s): One unit in one of the following: Music, Science, Technology, and Society; Sociology; or permission of the instructor.
Two 75-minute periods.
Course Format: CLS -
MUSI 290 - Community-Engaged Learning Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 298 - Independent Work Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 to 1 unit(s)
Special projects in theory, history, or performance that supplement the curriculum.
Open to qualified students with permission of department. Proposals for a project must first have the approval of a faculty advisor and then be submitted for departmental approval by the end of the previous semester.
Course Format: OTH
Music: III. Advanced
Music: Ensembles
In the following six large ensembles (Wind Ensemble, Jazz Ensemble, Orchestra, Choir, Women’s Chorus, and Madrigal Singers) the first semester is an uncredited prerequisite for the second: credited study is offered only in the second semester. Students wishing to enroll for credit in the second semester must register for the uncredited prerequisite in the first semester. No student should exceed 2 units of this credit in his or her four years at Vassar. Membership is open to all classes and assumes a full year commitment. Admission is by audition. -
MUSI 038 - Jazz Combo Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0 or 0.5 unit(s)
The study and performance of jazz improvisation.
Two sections. James Osborn.
Open to qualified students with the permission of the instructor. Students may register for credit each semester, but no student may exceed 2 units of this credit in his or her four years at Vassar.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 044 - Chamber Music Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0 or 0.5 unit(s)
The study and performance of selected works from the ensemble repertoire of instrumental or vocal mediums or their combinations. Alexander Bonus, Eduardo Navega.
Open to qualified students with the permission of the instructor. Students may register for credit each semester, but no student may exceed 2 units of this credit in his or her four years at Vassar.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 048 - Wind Ensemble Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0 or 0.5 unit(s)
The fifty-member ensemble of students and community players performs works of the wind and band repertoire. Open to all woodwind, brass, and percussion players. James Osborn.
Open to all students by audition.
One period per week plus sectional rehearsals.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 050 - Jazz Ensemble Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0 or 0.5 unit(s)
The jazz ensemble performs literature ranging from the Big Band Era to jazz-rock fusion. Improvisation and ensemble playing in a jazz style are featured. James Osborn.
Open to all students by audition.
One period per week.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 052 - Orchestra Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0 or 0.5 unit(s)
The 60-member orchestra performs masterworks of the symphonic literature. Eduardo Navega.
Open to all students by audition.
Two periods per week.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 054 - Women’s Chorus Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0 or 0.5 unit(s)
The Women’s Chorus is an ensemble of 30-50 women that studies and performs repertoire from the medieval period to the present. The choir performs on campus and occasionally makes concert tours.
Open to all students by audition.
Three periods per week.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 056 - Choir Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0 or 0.5 unit(s)
The choir is a mixed ensemble of between 40 and 60 voices that studies and performs choral/orchestral and a cappella literature for a larger chorus from the Renaissance through the present. The choir performs on campus and occasionally makes concert tours. Eduardo Navega.
Open to all students by audition.
Three periods per week.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 058 - Chamber Singers Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0 or 0.5 unit(s)
The Chamber Singers is a select mixed ensemble of between 10 and 20 voices that studies and performs literature for solo and chamber vocal ensemble. Drew Minter.
Two 90-minute periods.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 138 - Jazz Combo Semester Offered: Fall or Spring
0.5 unit(s)
The study and performance of jazz improvisation.
Open to qualified students with the permission of the instructor. Students may register for credit each semester, but no student may exceed 2 units of this credit in his or her four years at Vassar.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 254 - Opera Workshop
0.5 unit(s)
The study and performance of selected operatic repertoire. Open to qualified students by audition. Miriam Charney.
No student may exceed two units of this credit in his or her four years at Vassar.
Not offered in 2020/21.
Course Format: CLS
Music: Individual Instruction
The music department offers private lessons in most instruments and voice. Enrollment is limited in certain areas of instruction, especially voice. Music majors and students taking lessons for credit will be given preference. Beginners are accepted as instructors’ teaching hours allow.
Some lessons - such as piano, violin, viola, and voice - require auditions at the beginning of the year. Audition sign-up sheets are posted on the bulletin board outside Skinner Room 105 the week before classes begin.
Accepted students arrange for private lessons with the instructor and include one 50-minute period per week for a total of thirteen lessons per semester. Lessons require an additional fee per semester (see Fees ) although students on need-based Vassar scholarship qualify for a fee waiver.
Lessons are taught at various levels and the lesson numbers - for example, 137, 237, 337 - reflect the level of study. Lessons may also be taken for non-credit, and these registration numbers begin with zero, as in 037. All students taking lessons, whether or not for credit, must register for them. (See the individual course numbers for your instrument below.)
Course Requirements for Lessons: All students who take lessons for credit (see Individual Instruction below) are required to take two music courses, preferably before their senior year. The department strongly believes that music performance in a liberal arts environment should be studied in the context of some knowledge of music history or theory. Therefore, co-requisite courses in music should begin as early as possible, but no later than the third semester of credited study. Freshman and first-semester sophomores are especially encouraged to take MUSI 101 , 105 , 140 , or 141 . Among the other courses that may count toward the co-requisite are: MUSI 106 , 136 , 201 , 202 , 213 , 214 , 215 , 217 , 218 , 231 , 238 , and 259 .
Voice (MUSI 031 , 131 , 063 , 163 , 263 , 363 , 380 ): Courtenay Budd, Christine Howlett, Drew Minter, Mary Nessinger, Robert Osborne, Rachel Rosales, James Ruff.
Piano (MUSI 032 , 132 , 060 , 160 , 260 , 360 , 380 ): Miriam Charney, Marija Ilic, Anna Polonsky, Thomas Sauer.
Classical Guitar (MUSI 068 , 168 , 268 , 368 , 380 ): Trevor Babb, Yenne Lee.
Flute (MUSI 070 , 170 , 270 , 370 , 380 ): Susan Rotholz.
Oboe (MUSI 071 , 171 , 271 , 371 , 380 ): Cheryl Bishkoff.
Clarinet (MUSI 072 , 172 , 272 , 372 , 380 ): TBA.
Bassoon (MUSI 073 , 173 , 273 , 373 , 380 ): Elisabeth Romano.
Saxophone (MUSI 043 , 143 , 243 , 343 , 380 ): Christopher Brellochs.
French Horn (MUSI 074 , 174 , 274 , 374 , 380 ): Peter Reit.
Trumpet (MUSI 075 , 175 , 275 , 375 , 380 ): James Osborn.
Trombone (MUSI 076 , 176 , 276 , 376 , 380 ): Paul Bellino.
Tuba (MUSI 077 , 177 , 277 , 377 , 380 ): Paul Bellino.
Harp (MUSI 069 , 169 , 269 , 369 , 380 ): Ashley Jackson.
Organ (MUSI 061 , 161 , 261 , 361 , 380 ): Gail Archer.
Harpsichord (MUSI 062 , 162 , 262 , 362 , 380 ): Gail Archer.
Jazz Guitar (MUSI 034 , 134 , 234 , 334 , 380 ): Mike DeMicco.
Jazz Piano (MUSI 042 , 142 , 242 , 342 , 380 ): Peter Tomlinson.
Percussion (MUSI 078 , 178 , 278 , 378 , 380 ): Frank Cassara, Trey Files.
Violin (MUSI 064 , 164 , 264 , 364 , 380 ): Anna Elashvili, Amy Schroeder.
Viola (MUSI 065 , 165 , 265 , 365 , 380 ): Danielle Farina.
Violoncello (MUSI 066 , 166 , 266 , 366 , 380 ): Yves Dharamraj.
Double Bass (MUSI 067 , 167 , 267 , 367 , 380 ): Phil Helm.
Other Instruments (MUSI 037 , 137 , 237 , 337 , 380 )
-
MUSI 380 - 4th Year Instruction Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
After six full semesters of study in any instrument, all students, no matter which instrument, register for Music 380. Two semesters of study at the 380 level counts as one full credit of senior-level work.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT
Music: Itemized List
-
MUSI 031 - Introduction to Voice Semester Offered: Fall
0 unit(s)
Introduction to Voice is a yearlong course of private instruction in voice that focuses on vocal technique, musicianship, and performance. Private lessons are offered for 30-minutes for 11 weeks in each fall and spring semester. This course is designed for students who have had limited musical study, and/or who have not had the opportunity to study voice privately. Courtenay Budd.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Corequisite(s): 1.5 units of corequisite courses (courses taken in conjunction with music lessons) are encouraged in the first year of lessons and are required by the second year of lessons.
Students are highly encouraged to take MUSI 101 or 105 during their first semester of lessons.
Yearlong course 031-MUSI 131 .
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 032 - Introduction to Piano Semester Offered: Fall
0 unit(s)
Introduction to Piano is a yearlong course of private instruction in piano that focuses on technique, musicianship, and performance. Private lessons are offered for 30-minutes for 11 weeks in each fall and spring semester. This course is designed for students who have had limited musical study, and/or who have not had the opportunity to study piano privately. Amy Posner.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Corequisite(s): 1.5 units of corequisite courses (courses taken in conjunction with music lessons) are encouraged in the first year of lessons and are required by the second year of lessons.
032-MUSI 132 .
Individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 034 - Jazz Guitar Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Mike DeMicco.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 037 - Other Instruments Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 042 - Jazz Piano Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Peter Tomlinson.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 043 - Saxophone Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Christopher Brellochs.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 060 - Piano Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Miriam Charney, Marija Ilic, Anna Polonsky, Thomas Sauer.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 061 - Organ Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Gail Archer.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 062 - Harpsichord Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Gail Archer.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 063 - Voice Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Courtenay Budd, Drew Minter, Mary Nessinger, Robert Osborne, Rachel Rosales, James Ruff.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 064 - Violin Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Anna Elashvili, Amy Schroeder.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 065 - Viola Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Danielle Farina.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 066 - Violoncello Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Yves Dharamraj.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 067 - Double Bass Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Phil Helm.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 068 - Classical Guitar Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Trevor Babb, Yenne Lee.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 069 - Harp Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Jeannie Chenette.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 070 - Flute Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Susan Rotholz.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 071 - Oboe Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Cheryl Bishkoff.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 072 - Clarinet Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Ian Tyson.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 073 - Bassoon Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Elisabeth Romano.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 074 - French Horn Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Peter Reit.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 075 - Trumpet Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. James Osborn.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 076 - Trombone Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Paul Bellino.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 077 - Tuba Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Paul Bellino.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 078 - Percussion Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0 unit(s)
Uncredited lessons. Frank Cassara, Roland Vazquez.
Open to all classes by audition.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 131 - Introduction to Voice Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Introduction to Voice is a year-long course of private instruction in voice that focuses on vocal technique, musicianship, and performance. Private lessons are offered for 30-minutes for 11 weeks in each fall and spring semester. This course is designed for students who have had limited musical study, and/or who have not had the opportunity to study voice privately. Courtenay Budd.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Corequisite(s): 1.5 units of co-requisite courses (courses taken in conjunction with music lessons) are encouraged in the first year of lessons and are required by the second year of lessons.
Students are highly encouraged to take MUSI 101 or 105 during their first semester of lessons.
Yearlong course MUSI 031 -131.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 132 - Introduction to Piano Semester Offered: Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Introduction to Piano is a yearlong course of private instruction in piano that focuses on technique, musicianship, and performance. Private lessons are offered for 30-minutes for 11 weeks in each fall and spring semester. This course is designed for students who have had limited musical study, and/or who have not had the opportunity to study piano privately. Amy Posner.
Prerequisite(s): Permission of the instructor.
Corequisite(s): 1.5 units of corequisite courses (courses taken in conjunction with music lessons) are encouraged in the first year of lessons and are required by the second year of lessons.
MUSI 032 -132.
Individual conferences with the instructor.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 134 - Jazz Guitar Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Mike DeMicco.
Corequisite(s): Acourse in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 137 - Other Instruments Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
-
MUSI 142 - Jazz Piano Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Peter Tomlinson.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 143 - Saxophone Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Christopher Brellochs.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 160 - Piano Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Miriam Charney, Marija Ilic, Anna Polonsky, Thomas Sauer.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 161 - Organ Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Gail Archer.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 162 - Harpsichord Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Gail Archer.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 163 - Voice Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Courtenay Budd, Drew Minter, Mary Nessinger, Robert Osborne, Rachel Rosales, James Ruff.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 164 - Violin Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Anna Elashvili, Amy Schroeder.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 165 - Viola Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Danielle Farina.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 166 - Violoncello Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Yves Dharamraj.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 167 - Double Bass Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Phil Helm.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 168 - Classical Guitar Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Trevor Babb, Yenne Lee.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 169 - Harp Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Jeannie Chenette.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT -
MUSI 170 - Flute Semester Offered: Fall and Spring
0.5 unit(s)
Susan Rotholz.
Corequisite(s): A course in music theory or history should be taken during the first year of credited lessons. MUSI 101 , MUSI 105 , MUSI 140 , or MUSI 141 are strongly recommended.
Open to all students who have passed the audition or upon recommendation of the instructor.
One 50-minute period.
Unscheduled.
Course Format: INT
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