Music Class Schedule | Fall 2024

Prereq: None 
Units: 4-0-8
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. 

Prereq: None 
Units: 3-0-9 
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 hands-on music making, live demonstrations by guest artists, and ethnographic research projects. Enrollment limited by lottery.

Prereq: None 
Units: 3-2-7 
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.

(Meets with 21M.560: Graduate Level)
Prereq: None 
Units: 3-0-9 
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. Enrollment limited. 

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

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.

Prereq: Permission of Instructor
Units: 1-1-4
1/2 HASS-A

1st Half of Term

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. Course 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.

Prereq: None. Coreq: 21M.301
3-0-9 units. HASS-A

Examines European, Mediterranean basin, and Latin American music in the ancient world, Middle Ages, and the Renaissance (to 1630). Interweaves a chronological survey with the intensive study of three topics, which are usually chant and its development, music in Italy 1340-1420, and music in Elizabethan England. Focuses on methods and pitfalls in studying music of the distant past. Students work with original sources and facsimiles in crafting research papers, presentation, and assignments.

Prereq: None
U (Fall)
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.

Prereq: 21M.301 or permission of instructor
Units: 3-0-9

Music for dance is relatively under-studied in musicological circles, but is incredibly important to our society and culture as a whole. This semester, we’ll explore a number of topics related to music for dance(rs) in a variety of genres, including: ballet, musical theater, modern/contemporary dance, and social/ballroom dance. Students may suggest questions and pieces of music/dance for us to study together. We’ll explore how composers write dance for specific choreography/choreographers, as well as the reverse: how choreographers make choices that emphasize a particular interpretation of the music. Through intensive listening, watching, and dancing ourselves, we’ll investigate questions about what music affords to dance(rs) and vice versa, and the semester will culminate with projects/presentations focused on a topic of the student’s choice.

Prereq: None
3-0-9 units. HASS-A

Focuses on the different styles and dramatic approaches exhibited by a range of operas. Important themes include dramatic and musical conventions, processes of adaptation, cultural and critical questions, and staging as a type of interpretation. Basic score-reading ability required.

Prereq: None
3-0-9 units. HASS-A

Provides a conceptual foundation and methodology for the study of music created for various types of (mainly) narrative films, from the medium's origins in the early twentieth century to the present. Close attention to select influential scores by composers active in Hollywood from the 1940s to the 1990s (e.g., Max Steiner, Bernard Herrmann, Quincy Jones, John Williams, Philip Glass). Those works are juxtaposed with landmarks of alternative film and musical styles from other countries and centers of production. Subsidiary topics include the history and challenges of live musical accompaniment to silent films, and the evolution of recording and sound-editing technologies from the studio era to the global present. Students taking the graduate version complete different assignments. Some background in the study of film and/or music is desirable, but not a prerequisite.

Prereq: None
3-0-9 units. HASS-A

Studies diverse musical practices in Bali, Indonesia. Students encounter a broad spectrum of Balinese musics — from ancient ritual and court musics to popular genres, internationally renowned gamelan traditions to radical contemporary and fusion compositions — engaging with their structures and techniques through music-making, listening analysis, music theory, composition, and dance. Explores the cultural, political, social, and historical contexts of these musics, grappling with complex questions of identity, representation, power, and belief through readings and discussion forums, creative open-ended projects, and in-depth class discussion. No musical experience required. Limited to 15.

Prereq: None
3-0-9 units. HASS-A

Examines select popular music genres from around the world through audio-visual materials, reading assignments, and classroom discussion. Considers issues of globalization, appropriation, and the impact of social media. Case studies include bhangra, Latin pop, Afropop, reggae, Kpop, and global hip-hop. Limited to 25; preference to Music majors, minors, concentrators. Admittance may be controlled by lottery.

Prereq: None
U (Fall, Spring)
3-0-9 units. HASS-A
Can be repeated for credit.

This course surveys 50 years of hip-hop, examining tradition and innovation, regional accents and core conventions in the arts of beat-making, DJing, and rapping, with reference to visual art and media, fashion, language, and related aesthetic practices.

Prereq: 21M.051 or 21M.150 or 21M.151 or Permission from Instructor
3-3-6
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.

Prereq: 21M.302
3-1-8 units. HASS-A

Written and analytic exercises based on 18th- and 19th-century small forms and harmonic practice found in music such as the chorale preludes of Bach; minuets and trios of Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven; and the songs and character pieces of Schubert and Schumann. Musicianship laboratory is required. Limited to 20 per section.

Prereq: 21M.302 or permission of instructor
3-0-9 units. HASS-A

Students complete written and analytical exercises based on compositional forms and practices from the first half of the 20th century. Areas covered include compositions based upon artificial scales and modes, as in Debussy, Bartok, and Stravinsky; compositions based on atonal pitch organizations, as with Schoenberg and Webern; compositions based on rhythmic process, timbral exploration, and/or non-Western influences. Basic instrumentation will be taught, and compositions will be performed in class.

Prereq: 21M.051, 21M.226, or permission of instructor
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.

Demystifying the process and empowering student writers since 2022!  There is no “best” or “correct” way to write a song. Journey with your peers through weekly projects that explore the process from as many angles as possible and discover the ways that best resonate with you. The class will analyze music from many eras and genres, and include visits from modern artists. Each student will end the class by presenting a personal songwriting portfolio. Students enrolled in this class are expected to have a basic understanding of music theory, as we will be talking about melodic and harmonic structures, analyzing chord progressions, and writing melodies using standard music notation.

Prereq: None
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.

Prereq: (6.1010 and 21M.301) or permission of instructor
U (Fall, Spring)
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.

Prereq: 6.3000 and 21M.051
3-0-9 units. HASS-A

Analyzes recorded music in digital audio form using advanced signal processing and optimization techniques to understand higher-level musical meaning. Covers fundamental tools like windowing, feature extraction, discrete and short-time Fourier transforms, chromagrams, and onset detection. Addresses analysis methods including dynamic time warping, dynamic programming, self-similarity matrices, and matrix factorization. Explores a variety of applications, such as event classification, audio alignment, chord recognition, structural analysis, tempo and beat tracking, content-based audio retrieval, and audio decomposition. Students taking graduate version complete different assignments.

Prereq: None 
Units: 0-4-2 
This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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.

Prereq: None 
Units: 3-0-3 
This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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

Prereq: None 
Units: 0-4-2 
This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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.

Prereq: 21M.302 or permission of instructor
3-0-3 units
Can be repeated for credit.

Introduces ensemble conducting as a technical and artistic discipline. Incorporates ear training, score-reading skills and analysis, rehearsal technique, and studies of various philosophies. Attendance of rehearsals and specific concerts required. Opportunities include conducting students, professional musicians, and MIT Symphony Orchestra (when possible). Instrumental proficiency required, although vocalists with keyboard abilities will be accepted. May be repeated once for credit with permission of instructor.

Prereq: None 
Units: 0-4-2 
This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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.

Prereq: None 
Units: 0-4-2 
This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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.

The MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble is an audition-based group of up to 16 singers. Students will have the opportunity to sing both with the ensemble and as a soloist at one of two or more performances each semester. MIT VJE performs both traditional and contemporary vocal jazz music, including student compositions and arrangements. The group is also invited to learn from exciting visiting jazz artists each year. Exploring improvisation, history, and style, the vocal jazz ensemble is a vital part of the MIT jazz community. 

Prereq: None 
Units: 0-4-2 
This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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.

Prereq: Permission of instructor 
Units: 0-3-3 

This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

In this class students can try one or more of the instruments used in a traditional Balinese gamelan, including various gangsa instruments (ancient bronze metallophones), suling (Balinese bamboo flute), reyong (bronze pots), various gongs and drum. Students will learn traditional and contemporary pieces by Balinese aural methods. Class culminates in a performance. No previous experience in music required, only an interest in learning to play any of these beautiful instruments.

(Meets with 21M.514: Graduate Level)
Prereq: None 
Units arranged 

This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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.

Prereq: None 
Units: 0-3-3 
This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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.

Prereq: None 
Units: 0-3-3 

This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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. Admission by audition.

(Subject meets with 21M.511) 
Prereq: None 
Units: 1-2-3 

This class can be combined with another 6-unit Music & Theater Arts samplings or performance ensemble for HASS credit.

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 the graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition for Emerson/Harris Program.

Subject meets with 21M.512) 
Prereq: None 
Units: 1-2-6
HASS-A

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 the graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition for the Emerson/Harris Program.

Prereq: Permission of instructor
3-0-9 units. HASS-A
Can be repeated for credit.

Borrowings, Adaptations, and Arrangements

In this seminar, we will explore ways in which musical influences are manifested across history and cultures through borrowings, adaptations, and arrangements. Topics will range from the adaptation of spaces as concert venues to composers borrowing their own earlier compositions and/or arranging the work of another musician. An underlying theme throughout the class will be the implications of borrowings, adaptations, and arrangements as related to time and place.

Graduate version
Prereq: None
Units: 1-2-3

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 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 the graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition for Emerson/Harris Program.

Graduate Version
Prereq: None 
Units: 1-2-6

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 the graduate version complete different assignments. Admission by audition for the Emerson/Harris Program.

UNITS: 3

The MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble is an audition-based group of up to 16 singers. Students will have the opportunity to sing both with the ensemble and as a soloist at one of two or more performances each semester. MIT VJE performs both traditional and contemporary vocal jazz music, including student compositions and arrangements. The group is also invited to learn from exciting visiting jazz artists each year. Exploring improvisation, history, and style, the vocal jazz ensemble is a vital part of the MIT jazz community. 

UNITS: 3

The MIT Vocal Jazz Ensemble is an audition-based group of up to 16 singers. Students will have the opportunity to sing both with the ensemble and as a soloist at one of two or more performances each semester. MIT VJE performs both traditional and contemporary vocal jazz music, including student compositions and arrangements. The group is also invited to learn from exciting visiting jazz artists each year. Exploring improvisation, history, and style, the vocal jazz ensemble is a vital part of the MIT jazz community.