Music Class Schedule | Spring 2026

4-0-8 units. HASS-A; CI-H 

Provides a broad overview of Western music from the Middle Ages to the 21st century, with emphasis on late baroque, classical, romantic, and modernist styles. Designed to enhance the musical experience by developing listening skills and an understanding of diverse forms and genres. Major composers and works placed in social and cultural contexts. Weekly lectures feature demonstrations by professional performers and introduce topics to be discussed in sections. Enrollment limited.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A; CI-H

An introduction to diverse musical traditions of the world. Music from a wide range of geographical areas is studied in terms of structure, performance practice, social use, aesthetics, and cross-cultural contact. Includes music making, live demonstrations by guest artists, and ethnographic research projects. Enrollment limited by lottery.

3-2-7 units. HASS-A

Introduces students to the rudiments of Western music through oral, aural, and written practice utilizing rhythm, melody, intervals, scales, chords, and western staff notation. Individual skills are addressed through a variety of approaches, including the required piano and sight singing labs. Intended for students with little to no prior experience reading music or performing. Not open to students who have completed 21M.150, 21M.151, 21M.301, 21M.302, or are proficient in reading music. Limited to 18 per section.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A

 Project-oriented class, beginning with a series of guided micro-compositions and culminating in a final composition which is rehearsed, workshopped, and performed. Assignments focus on specific musical parameters (melody and mode, rhythm and meter, form and structure), composing for film and video games, creating beats and grooves, and using microphones and digital audio workstations to create sound sculptures. Listening and discussion assignments present music from a wide range of genres and styles. Students create several complete pieces, sharpen their notation and musicianship skills, and learn the basics of sequencing, recording, and audio editing. Familiarity with western music notation is strongly encouraged; previous compositional and/or arranging experience is welcome but not required. Enrollment limited.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A

 Investigates how technology is used in the analysis, modeling, synthesis and composition of music, and its contribution to the artistic production practice. With an eye towards historical context as well as modern usage, topics include the physics of sound, digital representations of music, the Digital Audio Workstation (DAW), analog and digital synthesis techniques, MIDI and sequencing, electronic instrument design, notation software, generative music systems, and computational analysis of music. Weekly assignments focus on both theory and practice, requiring technical proficiency, creative output, and aesthetic consideration. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Enrollment limited.

Prerequisites: 21M. 051, 21M.150/151, or equivalent

2-0-4 units

Do you love listening to different covers of your favorite artists and songs? Are you intrigued by how a simple melody can be heard in a variety of colors and styles by different ensembles and instruments? The craft of arranging previously composed music, whether one’s own or another’s, is a way to express oneself musically in a variety of timbres, sounds, and textures. We will explore arranging as a bi-directional process: reducing a large score to a piano reduction and taking something as basic as a lead sheet melody with chords and expanding it to a larger vocal or instrumental piece. As a final project students will arrange a short piece of their choice for an a cappella or small instrumental ensemble.

1-1-4 units

 Accelerated half-semester study of the fundamentals of Western music. Requires ability to read Western staff notation in at least one clef. Coverage includes intervals, triads, major and minor keys, basic musical analysis over a variety of idioms in Western music. Also emphasizes developing the ear, voice, and keyboard skills. Not open to students who have completed or are enrolled in 21M.051, 21M.151, 21M.301, or 21M.302. Subject content is identical to 21M.151: 21M.150 is offered first half of term; 21M.151 is offered second half of term or during IAP. Limited to 18 per section.

3-0-9 units - HASS-A - CI-H
 Examines the production, transmission, preservation and the qualities of folk music in the British Isles and North America from the 18th century to the folk revival of the 1960s and the present. Special emphasis on balladry, fiddle styles, and African-American influences. Enrollment limited.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A

 Historical survey from roots in African and American contexts, including spirituals, blues, and ragtime, through early jazz, Swing, bebop, and post-bop movements, with attention to recent developments. Key jazz styles, the relation of music and society, and major figures such as Armstrong, Ellington, Basie, Goodman, Parker, Monk, Mingus, Coltrane, and others are considered. Some investigation of cross-influences with popular, classical, folk, and rock musics. Enrollment may be limited.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A

 Surveys genres from the Western tradition composed in the 17th and 18th centuries: opera, cantata, oratorio, sonata, concerto, quartet and symphony. Includes the composers Monteverdi, Purcell, Lully, Strozzi, Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Bologne, and Mozart. Bases written essays, projects, and oral presentations on live performances as well as listening and reading assignments. Basic music score-reading ability required.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A

 Surveys 19th century Western concert music including Lied/song, choral music, opera, piano sonata/character piece, concerto, and symphony/symphonic poem. Includes the composers Beethoven, Schubert, Berlioz, Chopin, Farrenc, Brahms, Verdi, Tchaikovsky, Beach, Smyth, and Mahler. Bases written work and oral presentations on live performances as well as listening and reading assignments. Basic score-reading ability recommended.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A

Covers select Broadway stage works and Hollywood films in depth. Proceeds chronologically within four historical categories: breakthrough musicals of the 1920s and '30s; classic "book musicals" of the '40s and '50s; modernist and concept musicals of the '60s and '70s; and postmodern and cutting-edge works of the '80s and '90s. Recent musicals also explored. Attention given to the role of music in relation to script, characterization, and dramatic structure. Papers involve comparison of at least one stage and one film work, selected in consultation with the instructor. Oral presentations required and in-class performances encouraged.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A

Studies musical traditions of sub-Saharan Africa, with focus on West Africa. Explores a variety of musical practices and their cultural contexts through listening, reading and writing assignments with an emphasis on class discussion. Includes in-class instruction in drumming, song and dance of Senegal, Ghana, and South Africa, as well as live lecture-demonstrations by guest performers from throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Limited to 15; preference to majors, minors, concentrators. Admittance may be controlled by lottery.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A

 Surveys the development of popular music in the US, and in a cross-cultural milieu, relative to the history and sociology of the last two hundred years. Examines the mixture that characterizes modern music, and how it reflects many rich traditions and styles (minstrelsy, Tin Pan Alley, blues, country, rock, soul, rap, techno, etc.). Provides a background for understanding the musical vocabulary of current popular music styles. Limited to 20.

3-0-9 units. HASS-A

From medieval troubadours to singing cowboys, kawaii heavy metal, and the City Pop revival, this course offers an expansive survey of Japanese popular music. In studying the origins of the commercial music industry, we will complicate notions of “the popular” and Japan’s relationship to Western theories, concepts, and aesthetics of musical practice in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries. In taking popular music seriously as a historical object of study, this course provides students with a critical lens through which to explore broader social, cultural and economic histories of Japan’s “modernization” and the ongoing implications of its imperial shadow in East Asia. This class will meet twice a week for one lecture and one seminar centered on the discussion of assigned readings. Assignments include weekly “song hunts” and the navigation of a suite of assignments geared towards the completion of an original research essay and the presentation of a conference paper. Throughout the semester, we will be joined by guest speakers and participate in a retro Japanese roller disco. No prior experience in music or the Japanese language is necessary. 

Prereq: 21M.051, 21M.151, or permission of instructor

3-3-6 units. HASS-A

Explores Western diatonic music through regular composition and analysis assignments. Engages a broad range of historical periods, traditions, and individuals. Topics include rhythm and meter, harmony and counterpoint within a single key, and a brief overview of form and modulation. Individual skills are addressed through a variety of approaches, including the required piano and sight singing labs. Local musicians perform final composition projects. Students should be proficient in reading Western staff notation in at least one clef and have experience with key signatures and scales. Students taking the graduate version complete additional assignments. Limited to 18 per section.

Prereq: 21M.301 or permission of instructor

3-2-7 units. HASS-A

A continuation of 21M.301, including chromatic harmony and modulation, a more extensive composition project, keyboard laboratory, and musicianship laboratory. Limited to 20 per section.

Pre-req: 21M.303     

3-1-8 units. HASS-A

Further written and analytic exercises in tonal music, focusing on larger or more challenging forms. For example, students might compose a sonata-form movement for piano or a two-part invention in the style of Bach. Students have opportunities to write short works that experiment with the expanded tonal techniques of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Musicianship laboratory is required. Limited to 20.

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

Basic harmony and theory of mainstream jazz and blues; includes required listening in jazz, writing and analysis work, and two full-scale arrangements. Serves as preparation for more advanced work in jazz with application to rock and pop music. Performance of student arrangements. Limited to 15.

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

 Jazz writing using tonal, modal, and extended compositional approaches as applied to the blues, the 32-bar song form, and post-bop structural designs. Consideration given to a variety of styles and to the ways improvisation informs the compositional process. Study of works by Ellington, Mingus, Parker, Russell, Golson, Coleman, Coltrane, Hancock, Tyner, Davis, and others. Performance of student compositions. Limited to 15.

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

 Directed composition of original writing involving voices and/or instruments. Includes a weekly seminar in composition for the presentation and discussion of work in progress. Students are expected to produce at least one substantive work that will be performed in public by the end of the term. Contemporary compositions and major works from 20th-century music literature are studied. Students taking the graduate version complete different assignments.

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

 Students study concepts and practice techniques of improvisation in solo and ensemble contexts. Centered on the jazz tradition, examines relationships between improvisation, composition, and performance, utilizing both mainstream and experimental approaches. Students are expected to perform in class on a regular basis. Involves extensive listening and analysis. Music reading skills are required, as is intermediate instrumental or vocal proficiency. Enrollment limited to 15; open by audition to instrumental or vocal performers.

2-1-9 units, HASS-A

 Students develop basic skills in composition through weekly assignments focusing on sampling and audio processing. Source materials include samples of urban/natural environments, electronically generated sounds, inherent studio/recording noise, and pre-existing recordings. Audio processing includes digital signal processing (DSP) and analog devices. Covers compositional techniques, including mixing, algorithms, studio improvisation, and interaction. Students critique each other's work and give informal presentations on recordings drawn from sound art, experimental electronica, conventional and non-conventional classical electronic works, and popular music. Covers technology, math, and acoustics in varying detail. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 15 per section; ; preference to Music Technology graduate students, Music majors, minors, and concentrators.

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

 Explores various technologies in relation to musical analysis, composition, performance, culture, and quantitative methods. Topics vary each term and may include development and impact on society, generative and algorithmic music, recording techniques or procedural sound design. May involve hands-on components such as laptop music ensemble, new instrument building, or comparing the theory and practice of audio recording. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 16.

3-6-3 units, HASS-A

 Covers aesthetic and technical challenges in the creation of physical interfaces for musical performance. will engage in the design and creation of musical interfaces, and learn how to incorporate new technologies in their artistic practice. Topics covered include user experience design for artistic performance, musical human-computer interaction (HCI), hardware and software standards for digital musical systems, embedded programming and sound synthesis, analog and digital sensors, rapid prototyping and digital manufacturing, and creating performance practices around custom hardware. Students design and build their own digital musical instrument, and present a performance with the instrument as their final project. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 18.

Prereq: 6.1010 and (21M.051, 21M.150, or 21M.151)

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

 Explores audio synthesis, musical structure, human computer interaction (HCI), and visual presentation for the creation of interactive musical experiences. Topics include audio synthesis; mixing and looping; MIDI sequencing; generative composition; motion sensors; music games; and graphics for UI, visualization, and aesthetics. Includes weekly programming assignments in python. Teams build an original, dynamic, and engaging interactive music system for their final project. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 36.

0-4-2 units

 Rehearsals and performance of primarily large-scale works for chorus, soloists, and orchestra--from the Passions and Masses of J. S. Bach to oratorios of our own time. Open to graduate and undergraduate students by audition.

3-0-3 units

 Rehearsal and performance of choral repertoire for small chorus, involving literature from the Renaissance to contemporary periods. Limited to 32 by audition.

3-0-3 units

 For the singer and/or pianist interested in collaborative study of solo vocal performance. Historical study of the repertoire includes listening assignments of representative French, German, Italian, and English works as sung by noted vocal artists of the genre. Topics include diction as facilitated by the study of the International Phonetic Alphabet; performance and audition techniques; and study of body awareness and alignment through the Alexander Technique and yoga. Admission by audition; Emerson Vocal Scholars contact department.

0-4-2 units

 Rehearsals prepare works for concerts and recordings. Analyses of musical style, structure, and performance practice are integrated into rehearsals as a means of enriching musical conception and the approach to performance. Likewise, additional scores of particular structural or stylistic interest are read whenever time permits. Admission by audition.

0-4-2 units

 Designed for advanced instrumentalists who are committed to the analysis, performance, and recording of woodwind, brass, and percussion literature from the Renaissance through the 21st century. The repertoire consists primarily of music for small and large wind ensembles. May include ensemble music from Gabrieli to Grainger, Schuller, Mozart, Dvorak, and various mixed media including strings. Performance of newly commissioned works. Opportunities for solo work and work with recognized professional artists and composers. Admission by audition.

0-4-2 units

 Designed for instrumentalists dedicated to the analysis, performance, and recording of traditional and contemporary jazz ensemble compositions. Instrumentation includes saxophones, trumpets, trombones, piano, guitar or vibraphone, bass, percussion and occasionally french horn, double reeds, and strings. Provides opportunities to work with professional jazz artists and perform commissioned works by recognized jazz composers. Experience in improvisation preferred but not required. Admission by audition.

0-4-2 units

 A performance ensemble for vocalists dedicated to studying traditional and contemporary vocal jazz compositions. Primarily ensemble repertoire ranging from a cappella to full big band accompaniment. Opportunities for solo performances, student-driven arrangements, and to work with professional jazz artists. Practical sight-reading skills required; experience in improvisation preferred. Admission by audition.

0-4-2 units

 Study of chamber music literature through analysis, rehearsal, and performance. Weekly seminars and coaching. Open to string, piano, brass, woodwind players, and singers. Admission by audition.

0-3-3 units

 A performing ensemble dedicated to the traditional music of Bali. Members of the ensemble study structures and techniques used on various gamelan instruments — such as gangsa (ancient bronze metallophones), suling (Balinese bamboo flute), reyong (bronze pots), gongs, and drums — and learn to perform gamelan pieces. Culminates in a performance. No previous experience required.

Open by audition to pianists, instrumentalists and singers who wish to explore and develop their talents as collaborative musicians. Students are paired based on availability and receive weekly coachings by appointment. Students practice independently, rehearse with their collaborator, attend their collaborator's lessons as needed, and perform at a juried recital at the end of the term. Students may register for 3 units for a smaller-scale assignment or 6 units for a larger-scale assignment or two small assignments. May satisfy the ensemble requirement for pianists and instrumentalists in the Emerson/Harris program at the discretion of the instructor. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.

0-3-3 units

 A performance ensemble focusing on the sabar drumming tradition of Senegal, West Africa. Study and rehearse Senegalese drumming techniques and spoken word. Perform in conjunction with MIT Rambax drumming group. No previous experience necessary, but prior enrollment in 21M.030 or 21M.293 strongly recommended. Limited to 30 by audition.

3-0-3 units

 The MIT Laptop Ensemble is a forum for the exploration of emerging digital musical practices, giving ensemble members hands-on experience with compositional and performance strategies based on current research. Concerts by the ensemble include repertoire drawn both from historical electronic and computer music compositions, as well as new compositions by invited composers. Also includes opportunities for ensemble members to compose for and conduct the ensemble. Weekly rehearsals focus on concepts drawn from a variety of 20th- and 21st-century practices, including experimental and improvised music, telematic performance, gestural controllers, multimedia performance, live coding, and interactive music systems. No previous experience required. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition.

1-2-3 units

 Designed for students who demonstrate considerable technical and musical skills and who wish to develop them through intensive private study. Students must take a weekly lesson, attend a regular performance seminar, participate in a departmental performing group, and participate in a group recital at the end of each term. Full-year commitment required. Information about lesson fees, scholarships, and auditions available in Music Section Office. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition for Emerson/Harris Program.

1-2-6 units

 Designed for students who demonstrate considerable technical and musical skills and who wish to develop them through intensive private study. Students must take a weekly lesson, attend a regular performance seminar, and participate in a departmental performing group, and present a 50-minute solo recital at the end of the Spring term. Full-year commitment required. Information about lesson fees, scholarships, and auditions available in Music Section Office. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition for the Emerson/Harris Program.

1-2-6 units

 Solo 50-minute recital prepared with a private teacher and approved by the Emerson Private Studies Committee based on evidence of readiness shown in the Fall Term performances. See Music and Theater Arts website for application deadlines and conditions. Restricted to Emerson Scholars.

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

 Students study concepts and practice techniques of improvisation in solo and ensemble contexts. Centered on the jazz tradition, examines relationships between improvisation, composition, and performance, utilizing both mainstream and experimental approaches. Students are expected to perform in class on a regular basis. Involves extensive listening and analysis. Music reading skills are required, as is intermediate instrumental or vocal proficiency. Enrollment limited to 15; open by audition to instrumental or vocal performers.

3-0-3 units

 For the singer and/or pianist interested in collaborative study of solo vocal performance. Historical study of the repertoire includes listening assignments of representative French, German, Italian, and English works as sung by noted vocal artists of the genre. Topics include diction as facilitated by the study of the International Phonetic Alphabet; performance and audition techniques; and study of body awareness and alignment through the Alexander Technique and yoga. Admission by audition; Emerson Vocal Scholars contact department.

1-2-3 units

 Designed for students who demonstrate considerable technical and musical skills and who wish to develop them through intensive private study. Students must take a weekly lesson, attend a regular performance seminar, participate in a departmental performing group, and participate in a group recital at the end of each term. Full-year commitment required. Information about lesson fees, scholarships, and auditions available in Music Section Office. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition for Emerson/Harris Program.

1-2-6 units

 Designed for students who demonstrate considerable technical and musical skills and who wish to develop them through intensive private study. Students must take a weekly lesson, attend a regular performance seminar, and participate in a departmental performing group, and present a 50-minute solo recital at the end of the Spring term. Full-year commitment required. Information about lesson fees, scholarships, and auditions available in Music Section Office. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition for the Emerson/Harris Program.

3-0-3 units

 The MIT Laptop Ensemble is a forum for the exploration of emerging digital musical practices, giving ensemble members hands-on experience with compositional and performance strategies based on current research. Concerts by the ensemble include repertoire drawn both from historical electronic and computer music compositions, as well as new compositions by invited composers. Also includes opportunities for ensemble members to compose for and conduct the ensemble. Weekly rehearsals focus on concepts drawn from a variety of 20th- and 21st-century practices, including experimental and improvised music, telematic performance, gestural controllers, multimedia performance, live coding, and interactive music systems. No previous experience required. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition.

1-2-6 units

 Solo 50-minute recital prepared with a private teacher and approved by the Emerson Private Studies Committee based on evidence of readiness shown in the Fall Term performances. See Music and Theater Arts website for application deadlines and conditions. Restricted to Emerson Scholars.

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

 Project-oriented class, beginning with a series of guided micro-compositions and culminating in a final composition which is rehearsed, workshopped, and performed. Assignments focus on specific musical parameters (melody and mode, rhythm and meter, form and structure), composing for film and video games, creating beats and grooves, and using microphones and digital audio workstations to create sound sculptures. Listening and discussion assignments present music from a wide range of genres and styles. Students create several complete pieces, sharpen their notation and musicianship skills, and learn the basics of sequencing, recording, and audio editing. Familiarity with western music notation is strongly encouraged; previous compositional and/or arranging experience is welcome but not required. Enrollment limited.

2-1-9 units, HASS-A

 Students develop basic skills in composition through weekly assignments focusing on sampling and audio processing. Source materials include samples of urban/natural environments, electronically generated sounds, inherent studio/recording noise, and pre-existing recordings. Audio processing includes digital signal processing (DSP) and analog devices. Covers compositional techniques, including mixing, algorithms, studio improvisation, and interaction. Students critique each other's work and give informal presentations on recordings drawn from sound art, experimental electronica, conventional and non-conventional classical electronic works, and popular music. Covers technology, math, and acoustics in varying detail. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 15 per section; ; preference to Music Technology graduate students, Music majors, minors, and concentrators.

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

Explores various technologies in relation to musical analysis, composition, performance, culture, and quantitative methods. Topics vary each term and may include development and impact on society, generative and algorithmic music, recording techniques or procedural sound design. May involve hands-on components such as laptop music ensemble, new instrument building, or comparing the theory and practice of audio recording. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 16.

3-6-3 units, HASS-A

 Covers aesthetic and technical challenges in the creation of physical interfaces for musical performance. will engage in the design and creation of musical interfaces, and learn how to incorporate new technologies in their artistic practice. Topics covered include user experience design for artistic performance, musical human-computer interaction (HCI), hardware and software standards for digital musical systems, embedded programming and sound synthesis, analog and digital sensors, rapid prototyping and digital manufacturing, and creating performance practices around custom hardware. Students design and build their own digital musical instrument, and present a performance with the instrument as their final project. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 18.

Prereq: 6.1010 and (21M.051, 21M.150, or 21M.151)                           

3-0-9 units, HASS-A

 Explores audio synthesis, musical structure, human computer interaction (HCI), and visual presentation for the creation of interactive musical experiences. Topics include audio synthesis; mixing and looping; MIDI sequencing; generative composition; motion sensors; music games; and graphics for UI, visualization, and aesthetics. Includes weekly programming assignments in python. Teams build an original, dynamic, and engaging interactive music system for their final project. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments. Limited to 36.

Open by audition to pianists, instrumentalists and singers who wish to explore and develop their talents as collaborative musicians. Students are paired based on availability and receive weekly coachings by appointment. Students practice independently, rehearse with their collaborator, attend their collaborator's lessons as needed, and perform at a juried recital at the end of the term. Students may register for 3 units for a smaller-scale assignment or 6 units for a larger-scale assignment or two small assignments. May satisfy the ensemble requirement for pianists and instrumentalists in the Emerson/Harris program at the discretion of the instructor. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.