Music
Music
105D Hill Hall, CB# 3320
(919) 962-1039
First Session, 2024
MUSC 112 Richard Luby International Symposium 2024 (Group Lessons in Strings) (1)
This course offers intensive instruction, performance opportunities, and exchange of interpretation ideas ranging across three centuries of string repertoire repertoire. The focus of the 2024 Symposium will be the string chamber music of the Schumanns (Clara and Robert) and Mendelssohns (Fanny and Feix). Artist-Faculty include violinists Aaron Berofsky (University of Michigan), Nicholas DiEugenio (UNC-CH), violists Maiya Papach (St Paul Chamber Orchestra), Becca Albers (Minnesota Orchestra), and cellists Raman Ramakrishnan (Bard, ex-Daedalus Quartet and ex-Horszowski Trio), and James Wilson (Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, ex-Shanghai Quartet). Guest artists will be Fabian Lopez and Ināra Zandmane (UNCG). Course dates are May 13-18, with arrival on May 12 and departure on May 19. Program fee. Contact Associate Professor Dr. Nicholas DiEugenio at nicholas.dieugenio@unc.edu.
MUSC 121 Fundamentals of Music (3)
Covers the musical building blocks of pitch, melody, rhythm, meter, harmony, and form, along with the notation system used in tonal music. This course will be helpful for students who wish to read, write, and perform from conventional musical notation; to understand the concepts and systems behind music they play, sing, and hear; to improve their ability to understand “by ear” melody, harmony, and rhythm; and to prepare for further academic studies in music theory, composition, or performance.
MUSC 143
A survey of rock music from its origins in the 1940s to the present. We will discuss the development and evolution of rock music through its various styles and subgenres, including rock and roll, psychedelic rock, progressive rock, punk, heavy metal, and indie rock. In our discussions of the culture and aesthetics of rock, we will unpack sociohistorical issues of race, gender, socioeconomic status, and politics pertaining to rock’s musicians, fans, and industry. The course emphasizes listening, although no prior musical training is necessary.
MUSC 155 Art & Culture of the DJ (3)
An exploration of the important, often misunderstood role of the DJ in modern musical life, with particular attention to how DJing challenges traditional notions of music, musicianship, and musical instruments. Guest lectures, demonstrations, and tutorials by visiting DJs form a significant component of the course. MUSC 155 is offered as part of The Carolina Hip Hop Institute.
MUSC 156 Beat Making Lab (3)
An introductory hands-on study of the composition of electronic instrumental tracks for hip-hop and dance music. Students make beats, learn about the history and culture of the art form, and examine beat-making as a case study in entrepreneurship. MUSC 156 is offered as part of The Carolina Hip Hop Institute.
MUSC 157 Rap Lab (3)
An introductory hands-on study of the art of emceeing. Students engage in a rigorous lyricism curriculum, developing the skills to write, recite, and improvise lyrics in live and recorded settings. Students also explore the history of hip-hop culture and analyze the aesthetics of emcees from around the world. MUSC 157 is offered as part of The Carolina Hip Hop Institute.
MUSC 239 Introduction to Music Technology (3)
MAYMESTER. A practical study of selected aspects of computerized music technology, including one or more of sound design, MIDI sequencing, analog and digital synthesis, recording techniques, and electronic music composition.
MUSC 286 Music as Culture (The Music of Taylor Swift) (3)
Focusing on the music of Taylor Swift, this course aims to develop student’s critical skills through close examination of her music and analysis of the broader set of issues facing women musicians in the popular music industry. Students will be able to describe the contributions of Swift’s oeuvre using musical and literary vocabulary, analyze her eras using the women popstar career lifecycle model, and trace the shifting cultural expectations of women in society. Students will be invited to share their expertise and personal experiences related to the “Swiftie” community with its insular fan culture from music video Easter eggs to friendship bracelets…Are you ready for it?
Second Session, 2024
MUSC 89 Hip Hop Poetics, and Remixes in Higher Education (3)
This course is an exploration in hip-hop culture – its origins, its poetic aesthetic, and its implications for higher and postsecondary education. In addition, this course provides students an opportunity to situate hip-hop culture in context, as a lens for critiquing and radically reimagining institutions that reproduce inequality (e.g. schools/colleges and universities, churches, criminal justice system, etc.). Together, we will use hip-hop, poetry, and storytelling as a vehicle for negotiating the politics of place and space, and how hip-hop culture influences teaching, learning, institutional policy, and student life on college campuses. Using hip-hop as a lens to view our lived experiences, this course invites us to be vulnerable and honest, while feeling supported in a collective process of meaning-making. We hope to develop a community of artists committed to – and consistently engaged in – the work of social justice education. In so doing, students will learn the ways in which hip-hop – especially its poetic tradition – resists traditional forms of teaching and learning, while strengthening competencies that promote academic success, social engagement, and wellbeing.
MUSC 145 Introduction to Jazz (3)
A survey of jazz music from its origins to the present. The course builds skills in critical listening and blends discussion of musical materials and historical and cultural contexts.
MUSC 240 (ASIA 240) Punks, Gongs, and Shadow Plays (3)
The study and comparison of contemporary Southeast Asian performance genres (music, theatre, dance, ritual) in historical and cultural contexts.
MUSC 281 Popular Song in American Culture – The American Pop Star (3)
The relationship between popular song and culture in American society is explored by focusing on the histories and mythologies of American pop stardom in the United States.
Music 286 Music as Culture (3)
“Music and Media”
This course explores how sound and music interact with various forms of visual media. Starting with the Hollywood musical, this course examines the role of music and sound via different perspectives and technologies including cinema, television, and video game studies. We will analyze global media, including Bollywood film, Japanese videogames, and American television among other forms of media. No prior musical experience required.
MUSC 296 Independent Studies (1-3)
Available only to music majors by permission of the director of undergraduate studies. Intensive study on a particular topic under faculty supervision.
MUSC 364 The UNC Summer Jazz Program (3)
Satisfy the Experiential Education requirement by attending the UNC Summer Jazz Workshop. This five-day course runs Monday through Friday, Monday-Friday, June 24-28, 2024, from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily (with breaks) and applies to Summer Session II (though the course dates and daily schedule are different than other courses offered during Summer Session II).
Students have their choice two attend the workshop in one of two ways:
1. (Non-performance) – Students may opt to enroll in the Jazz History/Music Journalism through social media class at the workshop where they study jazz history and learn basic music skills. They will attend the evening jazz concerts and learn how to write reviews using blogs and other forms of social media. These students are not required to perform during the workshop or to have any prior musical training.
2. (Performance) – Students may opt to enroll to perform on their instrument while studying jazz theory, jazz improvisation, participating in jazz combos, masterclasses with guest artists, and while taking group lessons on their instruments. At the close of the week, student performers will participate in the Final Friday Student Concert for the family members of the participants.
APPLICATIONS FOR THE WORKSHOP MAY BE SUBMITTED TO:
UNC Summer Jazz Workshop Application Form
LEARN MORE ABOUT MUSC 364 UNC SUMMER JAZZ WORKSHOP: Here
For more information contact Dr. Stephen Anderson at anderssr@email.unc.edu.
MUSC 890 Independent Studies (3)
The faculty assists and advises graduate students in work on particular research projects. Available to musicology graduate students only.