Music

Fall, Spring. Credit, three hours. Introduction to Music is made for students with little to no music background who seek to understand how music works. This course is designed to provide a survey of genres and its lyrical, harmonic, and instrumental characteristics. Music is about social life and is communicated through sounds and rhythms. This class will teach students about the ways music communicates emotions, thoughts, and has been used to relay coded messages. Students will be introduced to the details of basic music theory and the technical aspects of music, such as, intervals and notation. Introduction to Music will discuss the ethical implications of race, genre, ethnicity and class in global societies and build attentive listening techniques. 

Fall. Credit, three hours. This course introduces music fundamentals, including rhythm, meter, scales, intervals, and chords, with practical applications to analysis and composition/songwriting. This course is designed for music minors and non-music majors.

Spring. Credit, three hours. Students will be introduced to a rich tapestry of classical and vernacular traditions worldwide. This global perspective equips them with the skills to research and write critically about musical cultures, repertoires, and practices. Designed for music majors/minors, it is a prerequisite for many other music courses.

Spring. Credit, three hours. This course presents a chronological overview of the primary genres of African American music, from antebellum formations to current manifestations. Bringing together music analyses and ethnography, privileging the music-maker's voice, this course yields a rich tapestry of African American culture and history. Topics explored include genre classification, musical features, and the aesthetics of style; oral vs. written traditions; musical transformation and representation; and inter- and intra-cultural interactions. Central themes addressed throughout the course include issues of race, class, identity, authenticity, gender, and meaning.

Spring. Credit, three hours. This course introduces the study of music from a global perspective. Through various readings, multimedia, and guided listening examples, students will develop critical skills for thinking, writing, and talking about a selection of world musical traditions.

Fall. Credit, three hours. For decades, gospel music has been used to heal the wounded heart and sooth the soul through the stories expressed within its lyrical content and musical composition. Music is about social life and is communicated through sounds and rhythms. Rooted in African musical practices, the gospel sound can be heard by sacred and secular artists. The aesthetic significance of the Black sound culture has been the catalyst for intercultural and intracultural borrowing as its contributed to the making of American popular culture. As sound culture remains an important area of discussion in African culture, its performance practices can be found in genres on the Black music continuum. This course will explore the history of gospel, how communication evokes social engagement through symbolic forms, its expansion from the church house to the streets and the hip-hop stage, and the artists responsible for constructing these multi-genre opportunities. This course also counts towards the music major at the Atlanta Emory campus. 

Spring. Credit, three hours. Latin American and Caribbean societies’ process of globalization from the perspective of their musical practices, from colonial to present times, and the circulation of music across national and cultural boundaries, within and beyond this region. Intended for students pursuing majors, minors, and concentrations in Latin American and Caribbean Studies, History, and Music. Cross-listed with LACS 261.

Fall, Spring. Credit, one hour. We are an introductory mixed-voice ensemble that is devoted to performing a diverse selection of repertoire. Comprised of undergraduate students, every student will learn proper and healthy singing techniques, musical terms, choral concepts, and advantage of exploring compositions from a variety of eras and cultures. 

TBA. Credit, variable one to two hours. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. Group instruction in instrumental music and performance of selected repertoire. This course is comprised of multiple units of instrumentalists that are organized based on instrumentation availability. When appropriate, the Oxford Chamber Ensemble organizes into a single unit to explore repertoire within a larger ensemble setting. May be repeated for credit, with total credit not to exceed four hours.

Fall. Credit, one hour. This course studies African American history and culture through culturally informed musical performance. Centered within the African American popular music traditions of Soul, Funk, and R&B, The Oxford Soul Collective provides a unique learning experience and an opportunity to tell the compelling story of the African American experience through music. Audition required. May be repeated for credit.

Fall, Spring or on demand. Credit, one hour. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor. The study of music literature through performance on a specific instrument. One- hour private instruction weekly. Audition and lesson fee required. Contact the music department for current information on auditions, fees, and instruments offered.

TBA. Credit, three hours. Prerequisite: Music 101 or permission of instructor. Study of a selected topic in Western music history.