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Course Descriptions — Music
MUS1010 Beginning Voice (1 semester hour)
No prerequisites.
Vocal and aural skills and notation of the basic elements of tonal music, including scales, intervals, chord qualities, melodic shapes, rhythmic patterns, chord functions, and form. Development of musical skills including ear training and dictation, sight singing, elementary conducting patterns, and rhythmic reading.
No prerequisites.
MUS1210 Beginning Piano (1 semester hour)
Individual lessons for the inexperienced or beginning pianist. Sight reading, aural skills, musical symbols, analysis of harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic structures, and finger facility in all keys. Beginning development of aesthetic awareness. Jury performance for music faculty. Attendance may be required at live concerts, some of which may be off-campus and/or evenings with additional ticket charges. A maximum of 2 semester hours of MUS 1210 may be counted toward graduation.
No prerequisites.
MUS1410 Beginning Classical Guitar (1 semester hour)
Introduction of technical skills for performing classical guitar repertoire, including the study of representative works from the literature, scales, arpeggios, etudes, and the development of aesthetic awareness. Jury performance for music faculty. Attendance may be required at live concerts, some of which may be off-campus and/or evenings with additional ticket charges. A maximum of 2 semester hours of MUS 1xxx may be counted toward graduation.
No prerequisites.
MUS1500 Music Appreciation (4 semester hours)
Exploration of the dominant trends in western music, including the major composers, their masterworks, musical styles, and historical eras from the Middle Ages to the present. Attention to the development of active listening skills and discernment of musical styles. Study of musical expression as a manifestation of social and cultural customs and as an artistic and aesthetic communication. Attendance may be required at live concerts, some of which may be off-campus and/or evenings with additional ticket charges.
No prerequisites.
Meets General Education "Aesthetic and Philosophical Expression" Group B requirement.
MUS1600 Fundamentals of Music (2 semester hours)
Introduction to fundamental organizing principles of Western tonal music, including notating and reading major and minor scales, key signatures, chords, intervals on treble and bass clefs, rhythms, and meters. Basic score reading and instrumental transpositions. Vocabulary for tempo and expression. Listening assignments and possible attendance at live concerts, some of which may be off-campus and/or evenings with additional ticket charges.
No prerequisites.
MUS1900 Women’s Ensemble (1 semester hour)
The Aurora University Women's Ensemble prepares, studies, and performs significant choral literature for women's voices spanning several centuries and styles. Choral works will be studied and sung in several languages, with an effort to understand choral repertoire from historical and artistic viewpoints. Public performances on and off campus required. May be repeated for credit.
MUS1910 University Chorale (1 semester hour)
The Aurora University Chorale prepares, studies, and performs significant choral literature spanning several centuries and styles. Choral works will be studied and sung in several languages, with an effort to understand choral repertoire from historical and artistic viewpoints. Public performances on and off campus required. May be repeated for credit.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor based on successful vocal audition.
Corequisites: In first semester of enrollment, MUS 1xxx Sightsinging Lab. In each of the first two semesters of enrollment, MUS1010 Beginning Voice or MUS2010 Voice I.
MUS2010 Voice I (1 semester hour)
These courses include work toward the master of technical production of sound. Students will also explore the music of composers via analysis, rehearsal and per¬formance. More advanced musical literature including arias and art songs will be studied. Foreign language diction will be addressed. A studio recital and a jury performance for the music faculty conclude each term. Following an audition, a non-beginner who has not previously studied at Aurora University will be placed in the appropriate course.
Prerequisites: MUS1010 and MUS1020.
MUS2060 Aural Skills I (1 semester hour)
Development of the ability to hear the basic elements of diatonic music, including scales, intervals, chord qualities, melodic shapes, rhythms, harmonic functions, and form. Practice reading and singing rhythms and diatonic melodies at sight and notating music examples.
Prerequisite: MUS1060 or equivalent.
MUS 2070 Aural Skills II (1 semester hour)
Increase the ability to hear diatonic music and the basic elements of chromatic music, including scales, intervals, chord qualities, melodic shapes, rhythms, harmonic functions, and form. Practice reading and singing rhythms and diatonic and chromatic melodies at sight and notating music examples.
Prerequisite: MUS 2060.
MUS2210 Piano I (1 semester hour)
These courses include work toward the mastery of technical skills needed both in the performance of the repertoire studied and understanding of the forms and styles of composition, the elements of musical interpretation, and memorization. These skills will then be applied in the performance of appropriate repertoire: major and minor scales, triads, arpeggios, representative works from the finest piano literature, further exploration of the values of aesthetic awareness. A studio recital and a jury performance for music faculty conclude each term. Following an audition, a non-beginner who has not previously studied at Aurora University will be placed in the appropriate course by the instructor following an audition. Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of piano technique and completion of material in MUS1210 and MUS1220.
MUS2230 Applied Woodwinds, Flute (1 semester hour)
Mastery of technical skills for performing woodwing repertoire, including the study of representative works from the literature, scales, arpeggios, etudes, and the development of aesthetic awareness. Studio recital and jury performance for music faculty. Attendance may be required at live concerts, some of which may be off-campus and/orevenings with additional ticket charges. A maximum of 2 semester hours of MUS2230 may be counted toward graduation.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and previous performing experience.
MUS2240 Applied Brass (1 semester hour)
Mastery of technical skills for performing brass (trumpet, horn, or trombone) repertoire, including the study of representative works from the literature, scales, arpeggios, etudes and the development of aesthetic awareness. Studio recital and jury performance for music faculty. Attendance may be required at live concerts, some of which may be off-campus and/or evenings with additional ticket charges. A maximum of 2 semester hours of MUS 2240 may be counted toward graduation.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and previous performing experience.
MUS2250 Applied Strings (1 semester hour)
Mastery of technical skills for performing string (violin or viola) repertoire, including the study of representative works from the literature, scales, arpeggios, etudes and the development of aesthetic awareness. Studio recital and jury performance for music faculty. Attendance may be required at live concerts, some of which may be off-campus and/or evenings with additional ticket charges. A maximum of 2 semester hours of MUS2250 may be counted toward graduation.
Prerequisite: Permission of instructor and previous performing experience.
MUS2510 History of Western Music: Antiquity - 1750 (4 semester hours)
Survey of Western music from Antiquity to the Classical period, with particular emphasis on music literature and identification of stylistic characteristics of each period.
No prerequisites.
Meets General Education "Aesthetic and Philosophical Expression" Group B requirement.
MUS2520 History of Western Music: 1750 - present (4 semester hours)
A continuation of MUS2510 History of Western Music I, this course traces the development of Western music from early Romanticism to the present day.
No prerequisites.
Meets General Education "Aesthetic and Philosophical Expression" Group B requirement.
MUS2550 Opera Appreciation (2 semester hours)
Traces the history and development of opera from its beginnings to the present day, emphasizing opera as a combination of the art forms. Introduces operas, composers, and performers through listening to live and recorded music, discussions and films.
No prerequisites.
MUS2600 Introduction to Music Theory (2 semester hours)
Study of the basic fundamentals of music, including rhythm and meter, keys, scales, intervals and triads. Ear-training will also be included in the course.
No prerequisites.
MUS2610 Music Theory II (2 semester hours)
Study of basic part-writing, development of theoretical and analytical skills. The course will continue the study of ear-training begun in the introductory course.
Prerequisite: MUS2600.
MUS3010 Voice II (1 semester hour)
A continuation of Voice I.
Prerequisites: MUS2010, MUS2020; MUS1210, MUS1220 recommended.
MUS3110 Voice III (1 semester hour)
A continuation of Voice II.
Prerequisites: MUS3010, MUS3020.
MUS3210 Piano II (1 semester hour)
A continuation of Piano I.
Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of piano technique and completion of material in MUS2210 and MUS2220.
MUS3310 Piano 111 (1 semester hour)
A continuation of Piano II.
Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of piano technique and completion of material in MUS3210 and MUS3220.
MUS4010 Voice IV (1 semester hour)
A continuation of Voice III.
Prerequisites: MUS3110, MUS3120.
MUS4210 Piano IV (1 semester hour)
A continuation of Piano III.
Prerequisites: A basic knowledge of piano technique and completion of material in MUS3210 and MUS3220.
Academic information on departmental Web sites reflects the university's most current curriculum. The print version of the catalog, which is also posted online, may differ from this information.
