MUSC 163 - Thinking Musically

CR: 3
As an art, a practice, and a form of entertainment, analyzing music offers a unique lens for investigating the creative, social, and intellectual tools humans use to make sense and meaning with sound. This course seeks to explore the ways people think about, explain, and understand music. Centering human beings as creators, listeners, and theorizers of music, we will examine how musicians and fans assign value to musical features. The course introduces fundamentals of musical analysis, including pitch, time, timbre, scales, harmonies, and the tools of musical composition. Students will learn the basics of Western musical notation within an expansive and comparative scope to make observations about and connections among music of different styles, cultures, and historical periods. No prior musical knowledge is expected for this course.