The music program offers a variety of courses in the history, theory, and performance of music, including cross-cultural and technological aspects. Performance is encouraged through numerous student recitals, the Integrative Capstone, and participation in the Chatham College Choir. Students have opportunities to study privately with members of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra and on occasion may present public performances with their teachers. The student majoring in music also may choose to focus on other aspects of the discipline, including creative projects. The cross-disciplinary opportunities afforded by the College curriculum allow for imaginative program design.

Students must earn a C- or better in all major courses. Failure to earn this minimum grade will result in the need to repeat the course thereby possibly extending the student’s course of study beyond four years.

Admission Requirements

Learning Outcomes

Program-Specific Goals & Objectives

This section explains the discipline-specific goals and objectives of the Music program.

1. General musicianship (all concentrations)

Students will acquire:

1. The ability to hear, identify and work conceptually with the elements of music such as rhythm, melody, harmony, structure, timbre, texture.
2. An understanding of and the ability to read and realize musical notation.
3. An understanding of compositional processes, aesthetic properties of style, and the ways these shape and are shaped by artistic and cultural forces.
4. An acquaintance with a wide selection of musical literature, the principal ears, genres, and cultural sources.
5. The ability of develop and defend musical judgments.

2. Performance

Students will acquire:

1. Technical skills requisite for artistic self-expression in at least one major performance area at a level appropriate for the particular music concentration.
2. An overview understanding of the repertory in their major performance area and the ability to perform from a cross-section of that repertory.
3. The ability to read at sight with fluency demonstrating both general musicianship and, in the major performance area, a level of skill relevant to professional standards appropriate for the particular concentration.
4. Knowledge and skills sufficient to work as a leader and in collaboration on matters of musical interpretation. Rehearsal and conducting skills are required as appropriate to the particular music concentration.
5. Keyboard competency.
6. Growth in artistry, technical skills, collaborative competence and knowledge of repertory through regular ensemble experiences. Ensembles should be varied both in size and nature.

3. Musicianship skills and analysis

Students will acquire:

1. An understanding of the common elements and organizational patterns of music and their interaction, the ability to employ this understanding in aural, verbal, and visual analyses, and the ability to take aural dictation.
2. Sufficient understand of and capability with musical forms, processes, and structures to use this knowledge and skill in compositional, performance, analytical, scholarly, and pedagogical applications according to the requisites of their specializations.
3. The ability to place music in historical, cultural, and stylistic contexts.

4. Composition and improvisation

Students must acquire a rudimentary capacity to create derivative or original music both extemporaneously and in written form; for examples, the imitation of various musical styles, improvisation on pre-existing materials, the creation of original compositions, experimentation with various sound sources, and manipulating the common elements in non-traditional ways.

5. History and Repertory

Students must acquire basic knowledge of music history and repertories through the present time, including study and experience of musical language and achievement in addition to that of the primary culture encompassing the area of specialization.

6. Technology

Students must acquire the ability to use technologies current to their area of specialization.

7. Synthesis

While synthesis is a lifelong process, by the end of the undergraduate study students must be able to work on musical problems by combining, as appropriate to the issue, their capabilities in performance; aural, verbal, and visual analysis; composition and improvisation; history and repertory; and technology.

The learning outcomes are taken from the National Association of Schools of Music Handbook; the NASM is the primary accrediting agency for collegiate music programs in the United States. Section 1 corresponds to the knowledge and skills associated with the Bachelor of Arts degree, while Sections 2 through 7 correspond to a professional degree, typically the Bachelor of Music.

Curriculum

+Major Requirements

14 courses, including

MUS159	Music Fundamentals The course introduces fundamental terminology and theoretical concepts associated with common practice Western art music. Specific topics covered include notation, scales, intervals, triads, rhythm, form and basic aural skills. This course provides the requisite knowledge necessary for MUS161: Music Theory I.	3
MUS161	Diatonic Tonal Harmony The course covers principles of diatonic harmony and voice-leading, as well as species counterpoint and simple formal structures, with an emphasis on analysis and stylistically appropriate composition. The course includes an ear-training lab that features sight-singing, rhythmic performance, and melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation.	4
MUS252	Chromatic Tonal Harmony The course covers principles of chromatic harmony and voice-leading, as well as advanced formal structures, with an emphasis on analysis and stylistically appropriate composition. The course includes an ear-training lab that features sight-singing, rhythmic performance, and melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: MUS161 Diatonic Tonal Harmony	4
MUS267W	History of Music I These courses examine the growth and development of music as an art, music as a part of the whole of civilization, and representative works of all periods leading to an understanding of music itself.	3
MUS368W	History of Music II This course is a continuation of History of Music I, and examines the growth and development of music as an art, music as a part of the whole of civilization, and representative works of all periods leading to an understanding of music itself. Pre-requisites Complete any 1 of the following courses: MUS267 History of Music I MUS267W History of Music I	3
MUS365	20th-Century Music Analysis The course introduces students to art music of 20th-century through the technical analysis of pitch, rhythmic, formal, and timbral structures. Composers whose work is studied in this course include, but are not limited to, Arnold Schoenberg, Anton Webern, Igor Stravinsky, Pierre Boulez, Charles Ives, John Cage, Morton Feldman, and Iannis Xenakis. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: MUS252 Chromatic Tonal Harmony	3
Applied music or composition (2-3)
Applied music or composition (2-3)
Applied music or composition (2-3)
Applied music or composition (2-3)
MUS262	Introduction to Computer Music The course is a composition-focused introduction to computer music resources. Basic principles of digital audio and acoustics/psychoacoustics, as well as the history of electroacoustic and computer music, are introduced. A range of software applications are used for recording, editing, sequencing, synthesis, and processing. Discussion of composition strategies and aesthetic issues guide the use of such techniques in creative projects.	3
INTMUS303	Internship - Music Internship - Music	3
MUS490	Integrative Capstone The integrative capstone, undertaken by the student during the senior year, is an extended project that helps the student complete their transition from an undergraduate student to a world-ready professional.  The study usually centers on the student’s major and may be conducted, at least in part, in the context of a group experience.  Such programs are crafted to meet the unique needs of each major, and could include, for example, fieldwork, theater production, creative work in the arts, independent research, or independent readings. The integrative capstone in an interdisciplinary major must have the approval of both academic programs.	3
4 two-credit courses in applied music after acceptance into the major program. Basic keyboard proficiency is expected for completion of the music major.

+Music elective

Choose one of the following music electives.

MUS174	Jazz Survey Students explore the origin and development of jazz from its African origins to Dixieland and contemporary styles. They become familiar with jazz musicians and a wide variety of jazz styles through recorded music and, when possible, live performances.	3
MUS150	History of Rock, Pop and Soul This course explores the evolution of American and British popular music from about 1950 to the present day. Musical styles are studied and contextualized with an examination of related cultural, social and political trends. Attention is given to issues and constructions of race and gender as they relate to course material, particularly the changing role and status of women in American and British popular music. This course also introduces fundamental music terminology that is germane to the study of popular music.	3
MUS210	Music & the Natural World This course will explore the intersection of music and nature in musical thought and practice. Students will explore readings from a variety of historical periods to understand the variety of ways in which the relationship between music and nature has been conceived. Particular emphasis will be placed on Early Modern thought as well as living composers such as David Dunn, Annea Lockwood, John Luther Adams, Alvin Curran, Christopher Shultis, and other sonic ecologists who incorporate sounds from the natural environment into their work. This course fulfills an environmental general education mission course requirement.	3
MUS262	Introduction to Computer Music The course is a composition-focused introduction to computer music resources. Basic principles of digital audio and acoustics/psychoacoustics, as well as the history of electroacoustic and computer music, are introduced. A range of software applications are used for recording, editing, sequencing, synthesis, and processing. Discussion of composition strategies and aesthetic issues guide the use of such techniques in creative projects.	3
MUS266	World Music The course focuses on the music and related arts of selected major civilizations of the world, including India, China, and Japan as well as areas such as Southeast Asia, South America, and Africa. Emphasis is placed on the factors resulting in art that is sometimes quite different from Western music.	3

+Voice Concentration

MUS171	Choir Students prepare and perform a variety of choral literature. Rehearsals that are 90-120 minutes in duration are held twice per week. Public performances occur at various points throughout the semester. An audition is required.	1
Two semesters of a foreign language approved by a student’s advisor or the Music Program Director. Preferred language includes, French, German and Italian.

+Piano and Orchestral Instrument Concentrations

During the course of the program, four solo ensemble performances (piano and instrument, two piano, voice and piano, etc.), supervised by Applied Music Faculty.

+Composition Concentration

MUS262	Introduction to Computer Music The course is a composition-focused introduction to computer music resources. Basic principles of digital audio and acoustics/psychoacoustics, as well as the history of electroacoustic and computer music, are introduced. A range of software applications are used for recording, editing, sequencing, synthesis, and processing. Discussion of composition strategies and aesthetic issues guide the use of such techniques in creative projects.	3
Four semesters of MUS 183: Composition (3)

+Interdisciplinary Major Requirements

9 courses, excluding the Integrative Capstone

MUS161	Diatonic Tonal Harmony The course covers principles of diatonic harmony and voice-leading, as well as species counterpoint and simple formal structures, with an emphasis on analysis and stylistically appropriate composition. The course includes an ear-training lab that features sight-singing, rhythmic performance, and melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation.	4
MUS252	Chromatic Tonal Harmony The course covers principles of chromatic harmony and voice-leading, as well as advanced formal structures, with an emphasis on analysis and stylistically appropriate composition. The course includes an ear-training lab that features sight-singing, rhythmic performance, and melodic, harmonic and rhythmic dictation. Pre-requisites Complete the following course: MUS161 Diatonic Tonal Harmony	4
MUS267W	History of Music I These courses examine the growth and development of music as an art, music as a part of the whole of civilization, and representative works of all periods leading to an understanding of music itself.	3
MUS368W	History of Music II This course is a continuation of History of Music I, and examines the growth and development of music as an art, music as a part of the whole of civilization, and representative works of all periods leading to an understanding of music itself. Pre-requisites Complete any 1 of the following courses: MUS267 History of Music I MUS267W History of Music I	3
MUS159	Music Fundamentals The course introduces fundamental terminology and theoretical concepts associated with common practice Western art music. Specific topics covered include notation, scales, intervals, triads, rhythm, form and basic aural skills. This course provides the requisite knowledge necessary for MUS161: Music Theory I.	3
4 two-credit courses in applied music

+Minor Requirements

6 courses selected in conjunction with the music program director and approved by the faculty advisor and music program director.

+Certification Program in Music Education

A cooperative program in Music Education Certification has been established with Carnegie Mellon University. At Chatham, students take the courses required for the Music major. Concurrently, at Carnegie Mellon, students cross-register for the courses required for certification in Music Education. In four years, upon successful completion of all courses in both programs, students receive a Bachelor of Arts degree in Music and Certification in Music Education. Well-qualified students should begin the Chatham Music major program in the first year and the Carnegie Mellon program in the sophomore year. Consultation should be maintained with the Music Program Director at Chatham, and the Certification Officers at both institutions.

Chatham Courses

In addition to all courses required for the Music major and General Education:

2 courses in Mathematics

1 course in English Literature

1 course in Developmental Psychology

1 Professional Education course

1 Applied Music course (fretted instrument)

Carnegie Mellon Courses

15 courses (30-33 credits), including Student Teaching in spring term of Senior Year. A complete listing of all courses is posted on the Music web page.