Department of Music

Fall 2021 Undergraduate Courses

MUSI 1310 Basic Musical Skills

3.0 credits

Section 2 (Ben Rous): MWF / 10:00-10:50 am
Class Number: 10685

Section 3 (Justin Mueller): MWF / 9:00-9:50 am
Class Number: 10686

Study of the rudiments of music and training in the ability to read music. Prerequisite: No previous knowledge of music required.

MUSI 2302 Keyboard Skills (Beginning)

2.0 credits, instructor permission

Section 1 (John Mayhood): TR / 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Class Number: 10687

Section 2 (John Mayhood): TR / 9:30-10:45 am
Class Number: 11738

Introductory keyboard skills; includes sight-reading, improvisation, and accompaniment at the keyboard in a variety of styles. No previous knowledge of music required. Satisfies the performance requirement for music majors.

MUSI 2307 Play Guitar!

Mike Rosensky
2.0 credits, instructor permission
MW / 1:00-1:50 pm
Class Number: 14593

Fundamentals of playing the guitar: left and right hands, chords, strumming, and scales. We'll also incorporate rhythmic training, music theory, song form, pop/rock styles and accompanimental textures. A new course designed to improve guitar performance.

Please give a brief description of your guitar experience when you request instructor permission. I will contact students on my permissions list shortly after registration ends.

Students must provide their own guitar.

MUSI 2308 Voice Class

Pam Beasley
2.0 credits, instructor permission
MW / 4:00-4:50 pm
Class Number: 14598

An introductory course to basic vocal technique; discussion to include those elements essential for healthy singing in a variety of styles. Will involve group and solo singing to apply these elements. No previous voice training or musical background required.

MUSI 2340 Learn to Groove

Robert Jospe
2.0 credits

Section 1: MW / 10:00-10:50 am
Class Number: 13413

Section 2: MW / 11:00-11:50 am
Class Number: 13414

"Learn to Groove" hand drumming and rhythmic fluency with Robert Jospe. This is a hands on drumming/percussion class using congas, djembes, claves, shakers, etc. This class is designed to enhance ones knowledge of syncopated patterns associated with jazz, rock, African and Latin American music and to improve ones facility in playing these patterns. This course will follow my book "Learn To Groove" and can include music students, non music students and is open to students of all skill levels. The course requires that students have or purchase a hand drum of their own. Congas, bongos, djembes, doumbeks or any other hand drums are appropriate.

MUSI 2342 Learn to Groove Intermediate

Robert Jospe
2.0 credits
MW / 1:00-1:50 pm
Class Number: 13415

"Learn to Groove" hand drumming and rhythmic fluency with Robert Jospe. This is the intermediate level of the class. It is a hands on drumming/percussion class using congas, djembes, claves, shakers, etc. This class is designed to enhance ones knowledge of syncopated patterns associated with jazz, rock, African and Latin American music and to improve ones facility in playing these patterns.

MUSI 2350 Technosonics: Digital Music and Sound Art Composition

Luke Dahl
3.0 credits
Section 100: MW / 10:00-10:50 am
Class Number: 14269

Discussion Sections:

Section 101 (Matias Vilaplana): M / 12:00-12:50 pm 
Class Number: 14270

Section 102 (Matias Vilaplana): M / 1:00-1:50 pm
Class Number: 14271

Section 103 (Matias Vilaplana): M / 2:00-2:50 pm
Class Number: 14272

Section 106 (Corey Harris): W / 12:00-12:50 pm
Class Number: 14275

Section 107 (Corey Harris): W / 1:00-1:50 pm 
Class Number: 14276

Section 108 (Corey Harris): W / 2:00-2:50 pm
Class Number: 14277

Section 109 (Rachel Gibson): F / 9:00-9:50 am
Class Number: 14278

Section 110 (Rachel Gibson): F / 10:00-10:50 am
Class Number: 14279

Section 112 (Rachel Gibson): F / 12:00-12:50 pm
Class Number: 14281

Section 113 (Siavash Mohebbi): F / 10:00-10:50 am
Class Number: 14282

Section 114 (Siavash Mohebbi): F / 11:00-11:50 am
Class Number: 14283

Section 115 (Siavash Mohebbi): F / 12:00-12:50 pm 
Class Number: 14284

This class (www.technosonics.info) explores the history, theory and practice of digital music and sound art. Students learn tools and techniques of music technology that inform many genres and traditions. In addition to historical and theoretical concerns, students will experiment with digital tools for musical creation.

MUSI 2600 Jazz Improvisation

John D'earth
3.0 credits
TR / 3:30-5:00 pm
Class Number: 11531

The Jazz Improvisation Workshop explores the basic techniques and procedures for improvising in jazz and other musical contexts. No previous jazz or improvising experience is required but students must demonstrate a degree of fluency on their main instrument, an ability to read music and some familiarity with the basics of music theory. An individual interview/audition with the instructor is required before registering for this class.

MUSI 2993: Independent Study

1.0 - 3.0 credits
Instructor permission and instructor number required to enroll.

MUSI 3020 Studies in 17th- & 18th-Century Music

Justin Mueller
3.0 credits
TR / 11:00 am - 12:15 pm
Class Number: 20416

This course will explore music of the later Baroque and Classical eras, from roughly 1680 to 1810. It will provide not only a deeper understanding of the composers we discuss and the compositional practices of the time, but also address issues germane to musico-dramatic realisation as they have been understood and debated, then and now. These will include questions of improvisation, performance practice, text–music relationships, and questions of staging and dramaturgy, among other topics. We will also read what people of the time were saying about this music, too—not just professional performers or music teachers, but critics, amateurs, listeners, philosophers, and others. This is all to suggest that we will not only come to know the pieces and composers we study in their own right, but also how they fit into the broader socio-political climate of the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.

MUSI 3050 Music and Discourse

3.0 credits

Section 1: Scott DeVeaux / MWF / 1:00-1:50pm 
Class Number: 13538

Section 2: Karl Miller / MWF / 10:00-10:50am
Class Number: 17620

Studies the range of music that has flourished since the end of the 19th century including modernist and post-modern art music, popular music, and world music, through historical, critical, and ethnographic approaches.

MUSI 3090 Performance in Africa

Michelle Kisliuk
3.0 credits
TR / 3:30-5:00pm
Class Number: 19457

At this moment of inflection in political and expressive life in the United States and around the world, exploring how cultural identification and collective creation intersect can move us forward. This course, while introducing students to African performance with a primary focus on two music/dance traditions: Ewe of Ghana/Togo and BaAka of Central African Republic*, delves into practical music/dance making, community formation, dynamics of power, the balance of fluidity and fixedness in cultural processes, ethnic identity/issues of representation, and conceptions of race and gender in expressive culture. The course combines reading/writing/discussing in equal proportion with practical instruction in percussion, dance, and singing, which allows students to comprehend aesthetic principles from an embodied and personally invested, vulnerable perspective. No previous experience is required (though willingness to try is required), and the course is open to students of any background.

*In fall 2021, this course will include Baganda xylophone traditions from Uganda and will include the possibility of instrument-making.

*There will be a flexible additional lab meeting scheduled occasionally on Friday afternoons from 1:30-3:30.

MUSI 3310 Theory I

3.0 credits

Section 1 (Fred Maus): MWF / 12:00-12:50 pm 
Class Number: 14286

Section 2 (Natalia Perez): MWF / 10:00-10:50 am 
Class Number: 18177

Studies the pitch and rhythmic aspects of several musical styles, including European art music, blues, African drumming, and popular music. Focuses on concepts and notation related to scales and modes, harmony, meter, form, counterpoint, and style.

MUSI 3332 and 3334 Musicianship I and II

2.0 credit

These lab courses give practical experience with many aspects of musical perception, performance, and creation. These will include sight-reading and sight-singing; dictation of melody, rhythm, and harmony; aural identification of intervals, chords, and rhythmic patterns; and exercises in musical memory and improvisation. Lectures, dictations, exercises, and quizzes will be in person on Mondays and Wednesdays. Singing and rhythm practice will be online on Fridays, and most homework assignments will also be completed online. Please contact Prof. Adam Carter with questions or concerns.

MUSI 3332 Musicianship I

Adam Carter
MWF / 12:00-12:50 pm
Class Number: 10689

MUSI 3334 Musicianship II

Savanna Morrison
MWF / 12:00-12:50 pm
Class Number: 12143

MUSI 3350 Deep Listening

Fred Maus
1.0 credit
W / 11:00-11:50 am 
Class Number: 14354

Exploration of collective activities that involve listening and making sound together, and other interactions, at the intersection of music-making and contemplative practices, drawing on the work of Pauline Oliveros, the Fluxus artists, and other musicians and thinkers. Weekly reading assignments for conceptualization in relation to the experiential component; weekly email responses to readings along with several brief reflective papers.

MUSI 3370 Songwriting

Ted Coffey
3.0 credits
TR / 2:00-3:15 pm
Class Number: 14287

The goal of this course is to delve into songwriting; to develop your aural, analytic and creative abilities and to join them together in understanding and composing songs. You will learn about rhythm, melodic design, harmonic progression, lyrics and song forms. You will also work on eartraining, so that concepts you learn will be sonically meaningful. We will consider examples from a broad musical spectrum: blues, folk, tin pan alley, musicals, R & B, rock & roll, hip hop. We will also discuss the issues that songwriters encounter. You will have the opportunity to suggest songs for study, and some assignments will be done in groups. In these situations, we will organize groups that have complementary abilities for in-class performances. The Lab is a required part of the class, and you must sign up for a lab section. During the lab you will go over concepts we are covering in class, as well as work on additional eartraining, analysis and creative projects.

MUSI 3372 Writing Rap

A.D. Carson
3.0 credits
TR / 8:00-9:15 am 
Class Number: 14592

This course focuses on the craft of writing raps. It is not necessary that students have previous experience writing raps to take this course. Students will listen to, attempt to deconstruct, and evaluate a broad range of rap music while learning the basics of composing lyrics. Along with writing raps, students will learn songwriting techniques and some theoretical approaches to composing larger works such as a “mixtape” or “album” through examinations of music, criticism, and literature.

MUSI 3559 New Course in Music
Topic: Amplified Justice

Bonnie Gordon and Nomi Dave
3.0 credits
TR / 9:30-10:45 am 
Class Number: 17623

This yearlong community engaged course explores the connections between sound, voice, and claims for justice. What does justice mean, evoke, and promise for different people in particular times and places? How are justice claims made outside of the legal system and in everyday life, through stories, political actions, and art? What are the voices and narratives that are often left out of formal, disciplinary proceedings? Social media, mainstream news, and television show us how legal proceedings often silence stories. On the other hand, artists and activists amplify voices to incite change. This class digs into the dissonance between these voices and ways of hearing. The class exposes students to a range of research and engagement methods that work toward equitable community partnerships, and teaches students to think intentionally of the role of creative practice in redressing inequity. Students will have the opportunity to work with community partners and engage in creative practice. The class is connected to the new Sound Justice Lab. Prior musical experience is not necessary.

This is a year-long course through the College’s Civic & Community Engagement Program. Students are not permitted to enroll for just one semester.

MUSI 3570 Music Cultures
Topic: Curating Sound: Art, Ethnography, Practice

Noel Lobley
3.0 credits
MW / 2:00-3:15 pm / Wilson 142
Class Number: 20056

This practical and discovery-driven design course explores the intersections of curatorial practice, sound studies, ethnography, composition, sound art, and community arts practice, through a series of engagements linking archival collections, local and international artists and art and community spaces, and the method and philosophies of embodied and experiential deep listening. Drawing from both the histories and potential affordances of sound curation we engage with practical examples ranging from sub-Saharan Africa to Australia, and from Europe to New York, asking what it means to curate local sound within globalized arts circuits. We will explore multiple and diverse case studies where artists, curators, communities, industries and institutions have both collaborated and clashed, as we ask whether it is desirable or even possible to curate the elusive, invasive and ephemeral object, medium and experience of sound.

Throughout the entire course we will be working closely with professional artists and curators including Around HipHop Live Café and the Black Power Station (Makhanda, South Africa), the Kluge Ruhe Aboriginal Art Collection (UVA/ Australia), and MOMENTNYC (New York). Our work will be to design content for live exhibitions linking Charlottesville with South Africa, Australia and New York.

MUSI 3993 Independent Study

1.0-3.0 credits
Instructor permission and instructor number required to enroll.

MUSI 4065 The "Black Voice"

A.D. Carson
3.0 credits
TR / 9:30-10:45 am 
Class Number: 17625

This course focuses on critical analyses of and questions concerning “The Black Voice” as it pertains to hip-hop culture, particularly rap and related popular musics. Students will read, analyze, discuss a wide range of thinkers [artists included] to explore many conceptions and definitions of “Blackness” while examining popular artists and the statements they make in [and about] their art.

MUSI 4410 Orchestration II

Ben Rous
3.0 credits
MWF / 11:00-11:50 am 
Class Number: 19393

This course will examine the symphony orchestra in detail, equipping students with all necessary skills to arrange or compose for any ensemble. We will learn the capabilities of every orchestral instrument, and study how they are combined by master composers. Students will create arrangements for string quartet, woodwind quintet, and full orchestra. The majority of these projects will receive readings by ensembles.

Projects may be completed with notation software or may be handwritten. No previous composition or arranging experience is necessary, but fluency in musical notation and familiarity with the basics of music theory are required.

MUSI 4507 Composers
Topic: Meet the Beatles

Scott DeVeaux
3.0 credits
MWF / 11:00-11:50 am
Class Number: 20343

Meet the Beatles offers a comprehensive introduction to the Beatles, the most consequential and powerful band of the twentieth century. We will examine the Beatles from numerous perspectives, some technical to music, others open to early rock 'n' roll history and the countercultural trends of the 1960s.

MUSI 4509 Cultural and Historical Studies in Music
Topic: The Music of Richard Wagner

Justin Mueller
3.0 credits
W / 2:00-4:30 pm
Class Number: 14288

This course seeks to explore the professional career and musical output of Richard Wagner, a polarizing figure in the world of Western music whose social, political, and theatrical ideologies have influenced everything from Hitler to Hollywood. With an in-depth look at works spanning the length of his compositional career, our meetings will serve as an occasion to assess how Wagner’s operas have been received on-stage and off by tracing their socio-political import and dramaturgical history from the time of their premieres through to the present. In addition to grappling with the works themselves, we will look at Wagner’s own writings on various subjects, as well as a variety of musical, literary, political, and philosophical ideas that inspired them, with a view to how and why performers, spectators, and scholars think through, understand, and come to reckon with the composer and his works in a twenty-first century context.

MUSI 4545 Computer Applications in Music
Topic: Designing Audio Effect Plugins

Luke Dahl
3.0 credits
MW / 3:00-4:15 pm 
Class Number: 13370

Audio effects are common and useful tools used in the recording, mixing, and mastering of music and sound, as well as in sound design.

This course focuses on understanding, designing and implementing audio effects, and using them for musical projects. We will cover the signal processing involved in effects such as EQ, delay, chorus, flanger, reverb, distortion, and compression, and we will implement these effects as VST or AudioUnit plug-ins by programming in C/C++ and using the JUCE framework. We will emphasize the musical application of our designs, and as a final project students will create a unique new effect that addresses their own musical goals. 

Enrollment is by instructor permission. Students are expected to have experience using digital audio tools, and to have a music-making or sound-based practice. Previous programming experience is _very_ helpful, but not required if you are enthusiastic and able to learn quickly!

MUSI 4600 Performance with Computers

Matthew Burtner
4.0 credits
TR / 2:00-3:15 pm 
Class Number: 12442

Lab (Alex Christie): T / 3:30-4:30
Class Number: 12443

 “Performance with Computers” (MUSI 4600) will teach Max/MSP/Jitter music and video programming for live performance, this semester we will focus on network-based musical performance. As we survive a present without in-person concerts, and look to a future in which live music events may be increasingly organized telematically, musicians can benefit from understanding interactive music and video tools, techniques and theory. This altering musical landscape presents extreme challenges, but it will also create new opportunities for those with knowledge of emerging interactive media technology and aesthetics. MUSI 4600 is a multifaceted class, involving lectures focused on aesthetics and theory, seminar discussions based on readings in interactive media, labs and hacking sessions focused on programming in Max/MSP/Jitter, and group collaborative jams using our instruments and/or computers.

This class is designed as a synchronous online course, with some material presented asynchronously as appropriate. There will be ample opportunity for in-person discussion both in class and labs and through office hours. Students should plan to attend the class on Zoom on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2-3:15, and to participate in a lab each week which will be scheduled separately. The labs will teach programming techniques needed to complete a series of assignments and projects. Our class will also become a Mobile Interactive Computer Ensemble (MICE) and we will compose and perform a collaborative network ensemble piece to present online at the end of the semester.

No previous programming experience is required. An introductory composition and computer music class such as Intro to Computers in Music, Ecoacoustics, Songwriting, or Intro to Composition, or equivalent experience by instructor permission is prerequisite. Students are not required to play a musical instrument although musicians will find it useful to incorporate their instruments into the computer music framework.

Students should have access to a Mac OS or Windows computer with a network connection capable of running Zoom.

Each student should also purchase and install the Max software from Cycling74.com (student license is either $9.99 per month or $59 for a year). This software package includes Max, MSP and Jitter. Additional tools and readings will be provided digitally through Collab.

MUSI 4750 Choral Conducting I

Michael Slon
3.0 credits
Lecture: MW / 2:00-3:15 pm 
Class Number: 17621

Studies in the basic technique and art of conducting, with weekly experience conducting repertoire with a small choral ensemble. Prerequisite: basic ear training, sight-reading. Previous experience in a choral or instrumental ensemble is preferred. Interested students should consult with the instructor before registering. Instructor permission is required.

MUSI 4993 Independent Study

1.0-3.0 credits
Instructor permission and instructor number required to enroll.

Fall 2021 Graduate Courses

MUSI 7510 Cultural and Historical Studies of Music
Topic: Music in Relation to Sexuality and Disability

Fred Maus
3.0 credits
W / 3:00-5:00 pm 
Class Number: 14290

Music in relation to sexuality and disability, drawing extensively on The Oxford Handbook of Music and Queerness and The Oxford Handbook of Music and Disability Studies along with other scholarly writing mostly from the 1990s on.

MUSI 7511 Introduction to Research

Nomi Dave
3.0 credits
R / 2:00-4:30 pm 
Class Number: 14291

MUSI 7526 Topics in Ethnomusicology

Noel Lobley
3.0 credits
T / 2:00-4:30 pm
Class Number: 12785

MUSI 7547 Materials of Contemporary Music

Ted Coffey
3.0 credits
T / 5:00-7:30 
Class Number: 14377

MUSI 7583 Proseminar in Computer Music Composition

Matthew Burtner
3.0 credits
W / 2:00-4:30 
Class Number: 14428

Fall 2021 Curricular Ensembles

MUBD 2610, 2620, 2630 and 2640 Marching Band I-IV

Elliott Tackitt and Andrew Koch
2.0 credits
Lecture: TRF / 6:00-8:15 pm / Hunter Smith Band Building

MUBD 2610
Class Number: 10634

MUBD 2620
Class Number: 10635

MUBD 2630 
Class Number: 10636

MUBD 2640
Class Number: 10637

The Cavalier Marching Band is open to all students at the University of Virginia by audition. The band is comprised of members from nearly every major at UVA. A normal practice schedule is twice a week, with additional Friday practices on home game weeks.  Attendance is mandatory at our band camp in August. There are no fees to be in the Cavalier marching Band. IF you are interested please contact the bands office at 434.982.5347 or email Elliott Tackitt.

MUEN 3600 Jazz Ensemble

John D'earth
2.0 credits
Lecture: MR / 7:30-9:30 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10638

Led by internationally recognized jazz trumpeter/composer John D'earth, the Jazz Ensemble is a full-sized jazz big band, whose focus includes “head arrangements” group improvisation, world music and original compositions from within the band, along with music ranging from swing to bop to fusion. You'll gain valuable experience in ensemble playing and in the art of solo improvisation, and may take private instruction in jazz improvisation, perform in small combos and participate in jazz workshops held by such major figures as Michael Brecker, John Abercrombi, Dave Leibman, Bob Moses, Clark Terry, and Joe Henderson. Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3610 Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia

Ben Rous, Conductor
2.0 credits

Strings

Lecture / Section 100: W / 7:30-10:00 pm / OCH 101
Class Number: 10639

Sectionals: M / 5:30-7:00 pm

Section 101: Pete Spaar (Double Bass) / OCH B012
Class Number: 10641

Section 102: Adam Carter (Cello) / OCH S004
Class Number: 10642

Section 103: Ayn Balija (Viola) / OCH 113
Class Number: 10643

Section 104: Jeannette Jang (Violin) / OCH 107
Class Number: 10644

Section 105: David Sariti (Violin) / OCH B018
Class Number: 10645

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

Brass / Woodwinds / Percussion

Lecture / Section 200: W / 7:30-10:00 pm / OCH 101
Class Number: 10640

Sectionals: 

Section 201: Elizabeth Roberts (Bassoon) / W / 5:15-6:15 pm / OCH B020 
Class Number: 13530

Section 202: Cody Halquist (Horn) / W / 6:00-7:00 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 13531

Section 203: Kelly Peral (Oboe) / W / 5:15-6:15 pm / TBA
Class Number: 10647

Section 204: Jiyeon Choi (Clarinet) / W / 5:15-6:15 pm / OCH B017
Class Number: 13532

Section 205: Kelly Sulick (Flute) / W / 5:15-6:15 pm / OCH Studio C
Class Number: 10646

Section 206: Nate Lee (Trombone) / W / 6:00-7:00 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 10650

Section 207: John Nye (Trumpet) / W / 6:00-7:00 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 10649

Section 208: I-Jen Fang (Percussion) / W / 6:00-7:00 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10648

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3620 Wind Ensemble

Elliott Tackitt
2.0 credits
Lecture: M / 6:45-9:00 pm / Hunter Smith Band Building / Room 200
Class Number: 10915

The University of Virginia Wind Ensemble is open to all students at UVA by audition, and is conducted by the Director of Bands, Dr. Elliott Tackitt. This 45-member ensemble features the most outstanding brass, woodwind, and percussion players at the University, and rehearses in the Fall and Spring Semesters.

The focus of this ensemble is for students to explore their artistic potential in a collaborative environment. Wind Ensemble members enjoy the opportunity to practice and perform more challenging chamber music and wind band works encompassing a variety of composers, styles, and musical time periods.

The Wind Ensemble has a history of including performing artists from UVA’s Department of Music as soloists, as well as guests from abroad. Musically-inclined students from every College and School are encouraged to participate in auditions, which are held the first week of the semester.

Students interested in auditioning for Fall 2021 are encouraged to visit the Audition Information webpage.

MUEN 3630 Chamber Music Ensembles

1.0 credit, Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Double Reed Ensemble

Kelly Peral
1.0 credit
Lecture / Section 16: TBA
Class Number: 12595

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Flute Ensemble

Kelly Sulick
1.0 credit
Lecture / Section 3: TBA
Class Number: 10651

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Horn Ensemble

Cody Halquist
1.0 credit
Lecture / Section 8: TBA
Class Number: 10653

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Jazz Chamber

1.0 credit, Instructor permission by audition.

Section 7: Pete Spaar / R / 5:30-7:00 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10656

Section 12: Pete Spaar / F / 12:30-2:00 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10657

Section 21: Mike Rosensky / T / 5:30-7:00 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 11031

Section 22: Mike Rosensky / F / 2:00-3:30 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 11032

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Percussion Ensemble

I-Jen Fang
1.0-2.0 credit
Lecture / Section 10: T / 9:30-10:50 am / OCH B018
Class Number: 10655

Restricted to Instructor permission by audition on first day of class.

Re-established in spring 2005 by I-Jen Fang, principal timpanist and percussionist with Charlottesville Symphony, the Percussion Ensemble is a chamber group that performs literature ranging from classical transcriptions to contemporary music. The ensemble draws upon a large family of pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments, and the number of players and amount of equipment varies greatly from piece to piece. Music reading skills and basic percussion technique on all percussion instruments is required. Previous percussion ensemble experience is highly recommended. If you are interested in joining please contact I-Jen Fang.

MUEN 3630 String Chamber Music

Section 9: Jeannette Jang / TBA
Class Number: 14607

Section 17: Ayn Balija / TBA
Class Number: 10658

Section 18: David Sariti / TBA
Class Number: 10659

Section 20: Adam Carter / TBA
Class Number: 10660

Section 25: John Mayhood / TBA
Class Number: 13054

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Trombone Ensemble

Nate Lee
1.0 credit
Section 5: TBA
Class Number: 10654

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition. Contact Nathaniel Lee to schedule an audition.

MUEN 3630 Woodwind Ensemble

Elizabeth Roberts
1.0 credit
Lecture / Section 4: TBA
Class Number: 10652

Explore, rehearse and perform woodwind chamber music, including both standard and more obscure works. Focus on developing chamber music playing skills, learning the tendencies of the woodwind instruments, developing musicianship, and enjoying making and sharing music! Instructor permission and audition required.

MUEN 3630 Woodwind Quintet

Jiyeon Choi
1.0 credit
Section 2: TBA
Class Number: 13567

MUEN 3645 Bluegrass Workshop

Richard Will
1.0 credit, Instructor permission
Lecture: T / 7:00-8:00 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 12341

This course seeks to develop the playing, singing, and improvising skills necessary for the idomatic performance of bluegrass music, while also providing an opportunity for discussion of its origins and development.  Appropriate for experienced players working to improve their knowledge or for players versed in other genres to learn new styles.

MUEN 3646 Bluegrass Band

Richard Will
1.0 credit, Instructor permission
Lecture: T / 6:00-7:00 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 12778

This course seeks to develop the advanced playing, singing, improvising, and collaborating skills necessary to perform in a traditional bluegrass band, along with knowledge of bluegrass history and repertoire.

Prerequisite: MUEN 3645

MUEN 3650 University Singers

Michael Slon
2.0 credits
Lecture: MW / 3:30-5:30 pm / OCH 101
Class Number: 10662

The University Singers is the University's premier SATB ensemble, performing a cappella and accompanied choral literature ranging from chant to the works of contemporary composers. Past repertoire has included Bach's Mass in B minor, Orff's Carmina Burana, the Duruflé Requiem, and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, as well as shorter a cappella works. Recent trips have taken the group to Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, and the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., as well as the campuses of other American universities for collaborative concerts. The group has also been heard on European tours in England, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. Recent highlights have included performances with the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia, a concert and workshop with Bobby McFerrin, and a concert tour of the Southeastern U.S.

Students in the University Singers come from all six of UVA's undergraduate schools, including Arts and Sciences, Education, and Engineering, as well as several of the University's graduate and professional schools. Together, they enjoy an esprit de corps that arises from the pursuit of musical excellence and the camaraderie the singers develop offstage.

All singers at the University - undergraduates, graduate students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to audition. University Singers is offered for two hours academic credit. Michael Slon, who has conducted choruses at the Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana University School of Music, is the conductor. For more information on the University Singers, please visit our webpage. 

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3651 Chamber Singers

Michael Slon
2.0 credits
Lecture: F / 1:00-3:15 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 10661

Chamber Singers is a select ensemble drawn from the University Singers. The ensemble meets once a week and focuses on music for chamber choir ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary pieces. Recent performances have included the Monteverdi Mass for 4 voices (1651), Britten'sHymn to St. Cecilia, and Bach's Cantata 150, as well as contemporary works by Meredith Monk and Eric Whitacre, and arrangements of classic jazz standards by Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, and the King's Singers. Interested singers will be considered for the chamber ensemble as part of their University Singers audition. For more information, please visit our webpage.

Restricted to: Instructor permission

MUEN 3660 Ensemble Music with Piano

John Mayhood
2.0 credits
Lecture: TBA
Class Number: 13533

Studies in the preparation and performance of ensemble music with piano. Focus is on the development of collaborative skills and a practical understanding of cultural and theoretical context. Repertoire to be studied varies from semester to semester.

MUEN 3670 Early Music Ensemble: Baroque Orchestra

David Sariti
2.0 credits
Lecture: R / 7:00-9:00 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 10962

The Baroque Orchestra, directed by David Sariti, offers students the rare opportunity to perform music of the 17th and 18th centuries on the instruments for which it was written, at low pitch. Students use period instruments from the University's extensive collection, receiving personal instruction on the special techniques necessary, and must be accomplished on their modern counterparts. Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3680 New Music Ensemble

I-Jen Fang
1.0 credit
Lecture: R / 3:30-5:30 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10663

Restricted to Instructor permission by audition on first day of class.

Performance of vocal and instrumental music of the twentieth century.

A one-credit course at the University of Virginia, the New Music Ensemble explores and performs exciting music of our time. The ensemble consists of dedicated instrumentalists, singers and UVA performance faculty. We perform a wide variety of contemporary music suitable to our instrumentation, including new works created by UVA composers.

The New Music Ensemble seeks dedicated instrumentalists and singers to explore and perform a wide variety of contemporary music. To audition, come to the first class with your instrument. If you are interested in joining please contact I-Jen Fang.

Open to UVA students, community musicians and advanced high school students.

Spring 2022 Undergraduate Courses

MUSI 1310 Basic Musical Skills

3.0 credits

Section 1 (Justin Mueller): MWF / 9:00-9:50 am / OCH 107
Class Number: 19127

Section 2 (Ben Rous): MWF / 10:00-10:50 am / OCH B012
Class Number: 19128

Section 3 (Justin Mueller): MWF / 10:00-10:50 am / OCH 107
Class Number: 19223

Study of the rudiments of music and training in the ability to read music. Prerequisite: No previous knowledge of music required.

MUSI 1410 Symphonic Listening

Ben Rous
3.0 credits
MWF / 11:00-11:50 / OCH B012
Class Number: 19234

Discussion Sections:

Section 101 (Omar Fraire): R / 9:30-10:20 am / OCH S008
Class Number: 19235

Section 102 (Omar Fraire): R / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH S008
Class Number: 19236

Section 103 (Omar Fraire): R / 12:30-1:20 pm / OCH S008
Class Number: 19237

Symphonic Listening focuses on the sounds and forms of symphonic music. Listening skills are emphasized, with no prior musical knowledge required. We will learn to recognize orchestral instruments by their timbre, discern levels of consonance and dissonance, identify types of textures, and think critically about how musical content expresses cultural context. Students will gain a framework for understanding symphonic music of any genre.

MUSI 1620 History of the Wind Band

Drew Koch
2.0 credits
TR / 11:00-11:50 am / Hunter Smith Band Building
Class Number: 20406

MUSI 2090 Sound Studies: The Art and Experience of Listening

Noel Lobley
3.0 credits
MW / 2:00-3:15 pm / Wilson 142
Class Number: 13320

When we think about knowing the world through the senses, we are likely to think first of the visible world. But sound, hearing and listening are crucial too and often take precedence in many communities. Recently scholars in history, anthropology, geography, literary studies, acoustics, music, ecology, environmental science,  and art have come together in the field of Sound Studies, reflecting on the role of sounds as forces that flow in and beyond human life. How do sound art, technology, and design create the world we inhabit and our everyday social and political experience? How can vibrations both heal and destroy? What does it mean to experience immersive and embodied sound? We will ponder these and other questions, moving between theoretical, experiential, and creative explorations. 

Please note: this course is an introduction to Sound Studies, there is no pre-requisite, and students from all backgrounds, levels and experiences are welcome to come and explore myriad ways to engage with sound.

MUSI 2120 History of Jazz

Scott DeVeaux
3.0 credits
Section 100: MW / 2:00-2:50 / Wilson 402
Class Number: 20415

Discussion Sections:

Sections 101 & 107 (Corey Harris): T / 9:30-10:20 am / OCH 107
Class Number: 20416 / 20422

Sections 102 & 108 (Corey Harris): T / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH 107
Class Number: 20417 / 20423

Sections 103 & 109 (Corey Harris): T / 12:30-1:20 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 20418 / 20424

Section 104 (Siavash Mohebbi): R / 9:30-10:20 am / OCH 107
Class Number: 20419

Section 105 (Siavash Mohebbi): R / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH 107
Class Number: 20420

Section 106 (Siavash Mohebbi): R / 12:30-1:20 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 20421

Perhaps you have heard this anecdote. Someone asks, "What is jazz?"" And the answer is, "If you have to ask, you willl never know." But that's no longer true.

In this class, we will teach you about jazz. We will explain what music improvisation is, and how it works. We will offer guides about how to listen to the music. And we will tell you the story of jazz: how it fits into American history, and more specifically Black history. You will come to know the music and the personalities of jazz titans such as Louis Armstrong, John Coltrane, Billie Holiday, and Charlie Parker. And you will get to see the intertwining of styles and recordings that make up the jazz tradition.

This class presupposes no musical knowledge, beyond the desire to learn about traditions that may be outside your experience. With that in mind, the first two chapters in the textbook Jazz concentrates on musical elements.  Learn as much as you can by 1) reading Chapters 1-2; 2) watching the lecture videos on Collab under Chapters 1-2; 3) consulting the Norton study space, which has ample discussion of terms and concepts.  

The course itself tells the story of jazz,  starting with the origins in the complex musical culture of the early 20th century and proceeding, step by step.  We will arrive at the present in three ways: 1) through the modernist narrative, which leads to the jazz avant-garde; 2) the fusion narrative, which links jazz to popular culture; and 3) the historicist narrative, framing the jazz present in terms of its past.

MUSI 2302 Keyboard Skills (Beginning)

2.0 credits, instructor permission
Carlehr Swanson
TR / 12:30-1:45 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 10618

Introductory keyboard skills; includes sight-reading, improvisation, and accompaniment at the keyboard in a variety of styles. No previous knowledge of music required. Satisfies the performance requirement for music majors.

MUSI 2304 Keyboard Skills (Intermediate)

John Mayhood
2.0 credits, instructor permission
TR / 11:00 am - 12:15 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 10619

Intermediate keyboard skills for students with some previous musical experience. Satisfies the performance requirement for music majors. Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUSI 2307 Play Guitar!

Mike Rosensky
2.0 credits, instructor permission
MW / 1:00-1:50 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 19119

Fundamentals of playing the guitar: left and right hands, chords, strumming, and scales. We'll also incorporate rhythmic training, music theory, song form, pop/rock styles and accompanimental textures. A new course designed to improve guitar performance.

Please give a brief description of your guitar experience when you request instructor permission. I will contact students on my permissions list shortly after registration ends.

Students must provide their own guitar.

MUSI 2340 Learn to Groove

Robert Jospe
2.0 credits

MW / 10:00-10:50 am / OCH B018
Class Number: 11248

"Learn to Groove" hand drumming and rhythmic fluency with Robert Jospe. This is a hands on drumming/percussion class using congas, djembes, claves, shakers, etc. This class is designed to enhance ones knowledge of syncopated patterns associated with jazz, rock, African and Latin American music and to improve ones facility in playing these patterns. This course will follow my book "Learn To Groove" and can include music students, non music students and is open to students of all skill levels. The course requires that students have or purchase a hand drum of their own. Congas, bongos, djembes, doumbeks or any other hand drums are appropriate.

MUSI 2342 Learn to Groove Intermediate

Robert Jospe
2.0 credits
MW / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH B018
Class Number: 11641

"Learn to Groove" hand drumming and rhythmic fluency with Robert Jospe. This is the intermediate level of the class. It is a hands on drumming/percussion class using congas, djembes, claves, shakers, etc. This class is designed to enhance ones knowledge of syncopated patterns associated with jazz, rock, African and Latin American music and to improve ones facility in playing these patterns.

MUSI 2559 New Course in Music
Topic: Creative Discovery

Elliott Tackitt
2.0 credits
TR / 1:00-1:50 pm / Hunter Smith Band Building
Class Number: 20407

This course is about discovering your creative potential. What is Creativity at work? A writer scribbling intensely at a café table? A ballet dancer, en pointe, in vibrant costume? The Los Angeles Philharmonic performing in Walt Disney Concert Hall? We often wonder about the source of an artist’s immense creativity, harnessed with ease, yet seemingly out of our own reach. But each of us has tremendous resources of creativity, often unknown or under-explored.

The course is not about the specialties of professional artists and requires no previous artistic experience. We’ll focus on unlocking our creative potential and bringing liberating, exploratory practices to our daily lives. We’ll discuss research on joy, creativity, and being in flow; we’ll explore awareness, availability, balancing, and flow through introspective exercises; we’ll consider our sense of identity and how it shapes our reality; and we’ll discuss patterned thoughts and actions, and their impact on our own creative living.

Class activities include weekly readings and discussions; brief weekly responses collected via a Google Form; two reflective papers; a brief presentation on a “found” resource; and one creative project in a medium of the student’s choice.

MUSI 2600 Jazz Improvisation

John D'earth
3.0 credits
TR / 3:30-5:00 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 10950

The Jazz Improvisation Workshop explores the basic techniques and procedures for improvising in jazz and other musical contexts. No previous jazz or improvising experience is required but students must demonstrate a degree of fluency on their main instrument, an ability to read music and some familiarity with the basics of music theory. An individual interview/audition with the instructor is required before registering for this class.

MUSI 2993: Independent Study

1.0 - 3.0 credits
Instructor permission and instructor number required to enroll.

MUSI 3010 Studies in Early Modern Music (1500-1700)

Bonnie Gordon
3.0 credits
TR / 2:00-3:15 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 19074

When Christopher Columbus arrived in modern day Trinidad in 1498, he attempted to communicate with indigenous people using tambourines. He thought this would be enticing. It didn’t work. “On observing the music and dancing, however, they dropped their oars, and picked up their bows, and strung them. Each one seized his shield, and they began to shoot arrows at us.”

This class uses sound to explore unexpected encounters in the premodern world. Course materials focus on a selection of exemplary pieces, listening to composition, improvisation, text-music relations, the representation of dramatic stories, the expression of religious ideas, and performance. This is a class about how to do history, how to listen, and how to imagine the sonic past. What was it like to listen to music in a world before car alarms and amplified sound? What were the technological equivalents of headphones and MP3s?

Geographically, the class centers on Western Europe and Jamestown, Virginia. It takes a global perspective and explores the role of sound in the deep histories of white supremacy in forming the bricks and mortar of music performance and scholarship in the United States.  Chronologically, we will pivot around the turn of the seventeenth centaury, a moment of overwhelming uncertainty, fantastic creative energy, and sometimes violent debates about truth. Course work will include reading, writing, listening, visits to special collections, and reflection.

The course is taught at the music major level. Majors and non-majors are welcome. There are no prerequisites, and knowledge of Western music notation is not required.

MUSI 3030 Studies in 19th-Century Music

Elizabeth Ozment
3.0 credits
MW / 3:30-4:45 / OCH B012
Class Number: 13341

How does one define 19thCE music? Can you imagine attending the premiere of a Beethoven symphony or Rossini opera? Why were so many people taking piano lessons? How did music intensify feelings of community and difference? What is the purpose of music?

In this seminar, we will begin to answer the above questions by overviewing the creative, cultural, social, intellectual, musical history of Europe during the long nineteenth century, the period in-between the French Revolution and the outbreak of the First World War. This era saw the dissolution of previous ways of understanding the world and the development of new ideologies and artistic movements. Nineteenth-century music intersected with the rise of historicism, nationalism, romanticism, liberalism, socialism, feminism, industrialization, and secularization; reflecting and informing European experiences and worldviews.

In this seminar we will strengthen our critical listening skills, place compositions in historical context, and relate these sounds to broader cultural trends. Our study of historical documents will highlight some common themes that distinguish this period of European music from eighteenth- and twentieth-century trends. We will also acknowledge that this music frequently articulated contradictory aesthetics, thereby illuminating period struggles over the purpose and value of artistic expression.

MUSI 3050 Music and Discourse

3.0 credits
Justin Mueller
MWF / 1:00-1:50pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 13342

Studies the range of music that has flourished in the twentieth century, including modernist and post-modern art music, popular music, and world music, through historical, critical, and ethnographic approaches.

MUSI 3307 Play Guitar! 2

2.0 credits
Mike Rosensky
MW / 2:00-2:50 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 20770

The course will have flexibility from semester to semester depending on the makeup of the class.  Topics may include: Bar Chord/Power Chord Refresher, (Advanced) Syncopated Strumming, Blues Form, Three-Note Major and Minor Triads up and down the fretboard, Pentatonic Scale Positions, Major Scale Positions, Scale Patterns, Song Analysis, Composition, Improvisation, Seventh Chords, Chords of Higher Tension, Funk Grooves, Introduction to Jazz Guitar.

MUSI 3310 Theory I

3.0 credits
Scott DeVeaux
MWF / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH 107 
Class Number: 11645

Studies pitch and formal organization in European concert music of the 18th and 19th centuries. Includes four-part vocal writing, 18th-century style keyboard accompaniment, key relations, and form. Students compose numerous short passages of music and study significant compositions by period composers.

MUSI 3320 Theory II

Fred Maus
3.0 credits
MWF / 12:00-12:50 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 12007

Studies pitch and formal organization in European concert music of the 18th and 19th centuries. Includes four-part vocal writing, 18th-century style keyboard accompaniment, key relations, and form. Students compose numerous short passages of music and study significan compositions by period composers.

MUSI 3321 Music Theory for Popular Music

3.0 credits
Fred Maus
MW / 2:00-3:15 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 20176

MUSI 3332 and 3334 Musicianship I and II

2.0 credit

These lab courses give practical experience with many aspects of musical perception, performance, and creation. These will include sight-reading and sight-singing; dictation of melody, rhythm, and harmony; aural identification of intervals, chords, and rhythmic patterns; and exercises in musical memory and improvisation. Lectures, dictations, exercises, and quizzes will be in person on Mondays and Wednesdays. Singing and rhythm practice will be online on Fridays, and most homework assignments will also be completed online. Please contact Prof. Adam Carter with questions or concerns.

MUSI 3332 Musicianship I

Varun Kishore
MWF / 12:00-12:50 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 10321

MUSI 3334 Musicianship II

Adam Carter
MWF / 12:00-12:50 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 10322

MUSI 3342 Learn to Groove Advanced

Robert Jospe
2.0 credits
MW / 1:00-1:50 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 13909

Advanced- Learn To Groove is offered to students who are majoring in music and/or currently playing in percussion ensembles, the orchestra, the marching band and/or have taken and done well in Learn To Groove MUSI 2342. This course is designed for students to gain a broad understanding and facility through hand drumming of the rhythmic language associated with West and Central African, Caribbean, Brazilian, and contemporary styles of jazz, rock and funk from the United States. Students who take this course will be able articulate rhythmic patterns that form the foundation of dance music played throughout the Americas as well as how West and Central African rhythms have influenced the dance music and rhythms of the Americas.

This course builds on the material from Learn To Groove 2340 and 2342 and will focus on six alternative hand patterns in 4/4 and 6/8 for the clave rhythms in the Learn To Groove course book as well as extended polyrhythms, soloing and playing in odd meters. Indian rhythms and a piece written for the Mridangam from India will also be included in the live performance. Drum circle leadership skills will also be included. This class includes a recital performance of "Groove Passage-LTG" an original composition written for the class. The performance will feature the full ensemble as well as individual solos.

The course requires that students have a hand drum of their own as well as the course book Learn To Groove. 8"-12" Djembes are recommended.

MUSI 3350 Deep Listening

Fred Maus
1.0 credit
W / 11:00-11:50 am 
Class Number: 13787

Exploration of collective activities that involve listening and making sound together, and other interactions, at the intersection of music-making and contemplative practices, drawing on the work of Pauline Oliveros, the Fluxus artists, and other musicians and thinkers. Weekly reading assignments for conceptualization in relation to the experiential component; weekly email responses to readings along with several brief reflective papers.

MUSI 3374 Composing Mixtapes

A.D. Carson
3.0 credit
TR / 9:30-10:45 am / NCH 398
Class Number: 13343

Discussion Sections:

Lab 101 (Brian Lindgren): M / 9:00-9:50 am / NCH 398
Class Number: 12835

Lab 102 (Brian Lindgren): M / 10:00-10:50 am / NCH 398
Class Number: 13344

Lab 103 (Brian Lindgren): M / 11:00-11:50 am / NCH 398
Class Number: 13345

MUSI 3376 Make Beats

Ted Coffey
3.0 credits
TR / 2:00-3:15 pm / OCH 113 
Class Number: 20178

MUSI 3390 Introduction to Computers and Music

Michele Zaccagnini
3.0 credits
TR / 12:30-1:45 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 20182

Discussion Sections:

Lab 101 (Matias Vilaplana): W / 9:00-9:50 am / OCH B011
Class Number: 20183

Lab 102 (Matias Vilaplana): W / 10:00-10:50 am / OCH B011
Class Number: 20184

Lab 103 (Matias Vilaplana): W / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH B011
Class Number: 2018t

Introduction to Music and Computers in an upper-level introductory course in music technology. Students gain theoretical, historical and practical knowledge of electronic and computer music. An emphasis is placed on creative hands-on experience composing computer music. Theoretical topics include acoustics, recording, digital audio, MIDI, sound synthesis, and audio DSP. Students learn skills in sound-file editing, multitrack sound mixing, sound synthesis, and sound processing. This is a composition class and key assignments are creative in nature.

Prerequisite: MUSI 3310. The course can be repeated for credit with approval of instructor.

MUSI 3400 Ecoacoustics

Matthew Burtner
3.0 credits
Lecture: TR / 2:00-3:15 / OCH B012
Class Number: 20179

MUSI 3510 Music and Community Engagement
Topic: Amplified Justice

Bonnie Gordon and Nomi Dave
3.0 credits
TR / 9:30-10:45 am / NCH 042
Class Number: 20187

This yearlong community engaged course explores the connections between sound, voice, and claims for justice. What does justice mean, evoke, and promise for different people in particular times and places? How are justice claims made outside of the legal system and in everyday life, through stories, political actions, and art? What are the voices and narratives that are often left out of formal, disciplinary proceedings? Social media, mainstream news, and television show us how legal proceedings often silence stories. On the other hand, artists and activists amplify voices to incite change. This class digs into the dissonance between these voices and ways of hearing. The class exposes students to a range of research and engagement methods that work toward equitable community partnerships, and teaches students to think intentionally of the role of creative practice in redressing inequity. Students will have the opportunity to work with community partners and engage in creative practice. The class is connected to the new Sound Justice Lab. Prior musical experience is not necessary.

This is a year-long course through the College’s Civic & Community Engagement Program. Students are not permitted to enroll for just one semester.

MUSI 3993 Independent Study

1.0-3.0 credits
Instructor permission and instructor number required to enroll.

4523 Issues in Ethnomusicology
Topic: Electronic Music in Africa

Noel Lobley
3.0 credits
MW / 9:30-10:45 1m / Wilson 142
Class Number: 12200

In 2018, the renowned British music journal Fact boldly claimed that “the world’s best electronic music festival is in Uganda.” Indeed, African cities have long been places for some of the most futuristic music, sounds that reverberate between local identities and international avant-garde scenes. Explosive, hypnotic and ultra-modern electronic sounds meld stunning dance forms with musical theatre and fashion, articulating the urban youth experience in cities as diverse and vibrant as Johannesburg, Nairobi, Kinshasa, Lagos, Dar es Salaam, and Kampala.

In this course, we will engage multiplex genres of electronic music from the African continent, including Congolese congotronics, Ugandan acholitronix, Tanzanian singeli, and South African shangaan electro and gqom apocalyptic bass music, paying close attention to innovations in artistic practice, remix culture and Afrofuturism. Blending critical and contextual work with exciting opportunities for real world outputs, we will be engaging with professional artists from different electronic scenes, such as the boiling Nyege Nyege collective and The Black Power Station, alongside other professional partners in music production, radio and written journalism, as well as exhibition and museum curation. As a way to open professional avenues for students, coursework will be driven towards the organization of an end of the semester multi-modal event representing in Charlottesville the electronic music bursting from the African continent. Building on each other’s interests and skills, students will all be working to imagine, design and curate this event.

No prior musical experience is required

MUSI 4543 Sound Studio

Ted Coffey
3.0 credits
R / 4:00-6:30 pm / OCH B011
Class Number: 19075

Pre-requisite: MUSI 3390, Permission of the Instructor

This upper-level seminar explores experimental techniques in sound recording, processing, mixing, and music production generally. The course assumes proficiency with DAWs, including experience using basic, commercial effects such as EQ, compression, and time-based effects. We will use MaxMSP (https://cycling74.com/products/max/) to create custom applications for playing with sound. Participants will find past experience with MaxMSP, other sound synthesis software languages, and-or programming / scripting languages helpful; however, willingness to embrace MaxMSP and thinking algorithmically will suffice. Beyond this technological focus, we will look at the role of instrumental performance in sound design — particularly experimental and so-called extended technique. Listening and reading assignments will complement weekly creative projects. Creative work will culminate in a final portfolio of sound design and songs.

MUSI 4559 New Course in Music
Topic: Photosonic Composition

Alex Christie
3.0 credits
MW / 2:00-3:15 pm / Wilson 141
Class Number: 19261

Contemporary technology allows artists to combine light and sound in innovative works of art. These works include new musical instruments that respond to the flickering of candles, pieces of music for synthesizers and strobe lights, multi-colored lightbulb sculptures that react to musical input, or anything else an artist can imagine. Photosonic composition is the practice of making multi-sensory art out of light and sound that changes the way we think about the world around us. In this class, students take a hands-on approach to learning about this art form by building new instruments and composing their own photosonic pieces. The class focuses on creative projects and no previous experience is necessary. You will learn how to work with a variety of electronic music tools and lighting technologies and develop your own musical and artistic voice expressed through interactive light and sound.

4582 Composition II

Michele Zaccagnini
3.0 credits
TR / 9:30-10:45 / OCH B011
Class Number: 20181

MUSI 4582 is an upper-level music composition course. Students will receive a combination of individual lessons and group sessions. The course will provide a forum for students to listen, discuss, workshop, develop, and explore inspirations, compositions, and ideas. Over the course of the semester, students are expected to compose a large-scale work or a series of smaller works in the style of their choosing. Students may compose electronic, acoustic, or electroacoustic music. The course may be repeated for credit with approval of the instructor.

Prerequisite: Students are expected to have some prior composition experience and should be comfortable with standard music notation or DAWs. While not required, it is recommended that students have taken MUSI 3370, 3380, 3390, participated in UVA’s Composers Collective, or taken another music composition course prior to taking MUSI 4582.

4760 Choral Conducting II

Michael Slon
3.0 credits
Lecture: MW / 2:00-3:15 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 13348

MUSI 4993 Independent Study

1.0-3.0 credits
Instructor permission and instructor number required to enroll.

Spring 2022 Graduate Courses

MUSI 7519 Current Studies / Research and Criticism
Topic: The "Black" Voice

A.D. Carson
3.0 credits
T / 2:00-4:30 pm / NCH 398
Class Number: 14056

MUSI 7519 Current Studies / Research and Criticism
Topic: Recent Writings in Popular Music Studies

Karl Hagstrom Miller
3.0 credits
R / 2:00-4:30 pm / OCH S008
Class Number: 20768

This seminar introduces students to recently published books in the interdisciplinary field of US popular music studies.  The goals of the seminar are three-fold.  First, we will examine the current state of the field in terms of subject-matter, methodology, and writing style.  Second, we will place recent works within the context of the literature on popular music reaching back centuries.  Finally, we will explore the potentials of writing scholarship on popular music by comparing authors’ first monographs to the doctoral dissertations on which they were based.  We will read to learn about popular music.  We will also read to learn about writing about popular music.

MUSI 7524 Field Research & Ethnography Performance

Michelle Kisliuk
3.0 credits
W / 3:00-5:30 pm / OCH S008
Class Number: 20191

MUSI 7547 Materials of Contemporary Music

Michele Zaccagnini
3.0 credits
W / 2:00-4:30 pm / OCH B011
Class Number: 13349

Spring 2022 Curricular Ensembles

MUBD 2601 Basketball Band

Andrew Koch
1.0 credit
W / 6:30-9:30 pm / Hunter Smith Band Building
Class Number: 11071

The Basketball Band performs at every home men's and women's basketball game at the John Paul Jones Arena and all post season tournament games. Much of the music must be performed memorized. New music is introduced on a weekly basis. Students enrolling in Basketball Band must be a member of the current year's marching band course (MUBD 2610, 2620, 2630, or 2640).

MUEN 2600 Concert Band

Andrew Koch
1.0 credit
R / 3:30-5:30 pm / Hunter Smith Band Building
Class Number: 10290

The University of Virginia Concert Band is a large wind ensemble, conducted by Michael Idzior & Andrew Koch in the Spring Semester. Its membership is composed of dedicated students from every division and department within the University. Music selections have included standard band literature, pop music, and concertos with special guest artists. Concert Band members stay involved in making music in an ensemble setting while exploring both new literature and old favorites. For more information on the Concert Band, please contact the directors via email at bands@virginia.edu.

MUEN 2650 MICE Ensemble

Matthew Burtner
1.0 credit
T / 4:15-5:30 pm / OCH B011
Class Number: 12784

MUEN 2690 / 3690 African Music and Dance Ensemble

Michelle Kisliuk
1.0 credit
R / 4:30-5:30 pm / OCH 107
Class Number (MUEN 2690): 20475
Class Number (MUEN 3690): 20482

A compact version of this ensemble course, with some new ideas embedded. Focus on Ewe (Ghana/Togo), BaAka (Central African Republic) and Baganda (Ugandan) traditions, with some forays into African electronic music in independent cooperation with MUSI 4523).

Those with previous experience should register for MUEN 3690, those new to the material for MUEN 2690 (sections meet at the same time).

MUEN 3600 Jazz Ensemble

John D'earth
2.0 credits
MR / 7:30-9:30 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10291

Led by internationally recognized jazz trumpeter/composer John D'earth, the Jazz Ensemble is a full-sized jazz big band, whose focus includes “head arrangements” group improvisation, world music and original compositions from within the band, along with music ranging from swing to bop to fusion. You'll gain valuable experience in ensemble playing and in the art of solo improvisation, and may take private instruction in jazz improvisation, perform in small combos and participate in jazz workshops held by such major figures as Michael Brecker, John Abercrombi, Dave Leibman, Bob Moses, Clark Terry, and Joe Henderson. Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3610 Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia

Ben Rous, Conductor
2.0 credits

Strings

Lecture / Section 100: W / 7:30-10:00 pm / OCH 101
Class Number: 10292

Sectionals: M / 5:30-7:00 pm

Section 101: Pete Spaar (Double Bass) / OCH B012
Class Number: 10294

Section 102: Ayn Balija (Viola) / OCH 113
Class Number: 10295

Section 103: Daniel Sender (Violin) / OCH 107
Class Number: 19080

Section 104: David Sariti (Violin) / OCH B018
Class Number: 19079

Section 105: Adam Carter (Cello) / OCH S004
Class Number: 11148

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

Brass / Woodwinds / Percussion

Lecture / Section 200: W / 7:30-10:00 pm / OCH 101
Class Number: 10293

Sectionals: 

Section 201: Cody Halquist (Horn) / W / 6:00-7:00 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 13948

Section 202: Kelly Sulick (Flute) / W / 5:15-6:15 pm / OCH Studio C
Class Number: 10298

Section 203: Kelly Peral (Oboe) / W / 5:15-6:15 pm / TBA
Class Number: 10299

Section 204: I-Jen Fang (Percussion) / W / 6:00-7:00 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10300

Section 205: Arthur Zanin (Trumpet) / OCH 107
Class Number: 10301

Section 206: Elizabeth Roberts (Bassoon) / W / 5:15-6:15 pm / OCH B020
Class Number: 14299

Section 207: Jiyeon Choi (Clarinet) / W / 5:15-6:15 pm / OCH B017
Class Number: 12539

Section 208: Nate Lee (Trombone) / W / 6:00-7:00 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 20775

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3620 Wind Ensemble

Elliott Tackitt
2.0 credits
T / 6:30-5:30 pm / Hunter Smith Band Building
Class Number: 10616

The University of Virginia Wind Ensemble is open to all students at UVA by audition, and is conducted by the Director of Bands, Dr. Elliott Tackitt. This 45-member ensemble features the most outstanding brass, woodwind, and percussion players at the University, and rehearses in the Fall and Spring Semesters.

The focus of this ensemble is for students to explore their artistic potential in a collaborative environment. Wind Ensemble members enjoy the opportunity to practice and perform more challenging chamber music and wind band works encompassing a variety of composers, styles, and musical time periods.

The Wind Ensemble has a history of including performing artists from UVA’s Department of Music as soloists, as well as guests from abroad. Musically-inclined students from every College and School are encouraged to participate in auditions, which are held the first week of the semester.

Students interested in auditioning for Spring 2022 are encouraged to visit the Audition Information webpage.

MUEN 3630 Chamber Music Ensembles

1.0 credit, Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Double Reed Ensemble

Kelly Peral
1.0 credit
Section 4: TBA
Class Number: 12426

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Flute Ensemble

Kelly Sulick
1.0 credit
Section 5: TBA
Class Number: 10305

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Horn Ensemble

Cody Halquist
1.0 credit
Section 3: TBA
Class Number: 10304

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Jazz Chamber

1.0 credit, Instructor permission by audition.

Section 10: Pete Spaar / R / 5:30-7:00 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10307

Section 13: Pete Spaar / F / 12:30-2:00 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10310

Section 11: Mike Rosensky / T / 5:30-7:00 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10308

Section 12: Mike Rosensky / F / 2:00-3:30 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10309

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Percussion Ensemble

I-Jen Fang
1.0 credit
Section 1: T / 7:30-10:00 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10302

Restricted to Instructor permission by audition on first day of class.

Re-established in spring 2005 by I-Jen Fang, principal timpanist and percussionist with Charlottesville Symphony, the Percussion Ensemble is a chamber group that performs literature ranging from classical transcriptions to contemporary music. The ensemble draws upon a large family of pitched and non-pitched percussion instruments, and the number of players and amount of equipment varies greatly from piece to piece. Music reading skills and basic percussion technique on all percussion instruments is required. Previous percussion ensemble experience is highly recommended. If you are interested in joining please contact I-Jen Fang.

MUEN 3630 String Chamber Music

Section 15: Daniel Sender / TBA
Class Number: 10311

Section 16: David Sariti / TBA
Class Number: 10312

Section 17: Ayn Balija / TBA
Class Number: 10313

Section 18: Adam Carter / TBA
Class Number: 10314

Section 20: John Mayhood / TBA
Class Number: 12968

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3630 Trombone Ensemble

Nate Lee
1.0 credit
Section 19: TBA
Class Number: 11250

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition. Contact Nathaniel Lee to schedule an audition.

MUEN 3630 Woodwind Ensemble

Elizabeth Roberts
1.0 credit
Section 2: TBA
Class Number: 10303

Explore, rehearse and perform woodwind chamber music, including both standard and more obscure works. Focus on developing chamber music playing skills, learning the tendencies of the woodwind instruments, developing musicianship, and enjoying making and sharing music! Instructor permission and audition required.

MUEN 3630 Woodwind Quintet

Jiyeon Choi
1.0 credit
Section 8: TBA
Class Number: 10306

MUEN 3650 University Singers

Michael Slon
2.0 credits
MW / 3:30-5:30 pm / OCH 101
Class Number: 10316

The University Singers is the University's premier SATB ensemble, performing a cappella and accompanied choral literature ranging from chant to the works of contemporary composers. Past repertoire has included Bach's Mass in B minor, Orff's Carmina Burana, the Duruflé Requiem, and Bernstein's Chichester Psalms, as well as shorter a cappella works. Recent trips have taken the group to Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Cincinnati, New Orleans, New York City, Philadelphia, and the National Cathedral in Washington D.C., as well as the campuses of other American universities for collaborative concerts. The group has also been heard on European tours in England, Italy, Belgium, Germany, and Switzerland. Recent highlights have included performances with the Charlottesville Symphony at the University of Virginia, a concert and workshop with Bobby McFerrin, and a concert tour of the Southeastern U.S.

Students in the University Singers come from all six of UVA's undergraduate schools, including Arts and Sciences, Education, and Engineering, as well as several of the University's graduate and professional schools. Together, they enjoy an esprit de corps that arises from the pursuit of musical excellence and the camaraderie the singers develop offstage.

All singers at the University - undergraduates, graduate students, staff, and faculty are encouraged to audition. University Singers is offered for two hours academic credit. Michael Slon, who has conducted choruses at the Oberlin Conservatory and Indiana University School of Music, is the conductor. For more information on the University Singers, please visit our webpage. 

Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3651 Chamber Singers

Michael Slon
2.0 credits
F / 1:00-3:15 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 10315

Chamber Singers is a select ensemble drawn from the University Singers. The ensemble meets once a week and focuses on music for chamber choir ranging from the Renaissance to contemporary pieces. Recent performances have included the Monteverdi Mass for 4 voices (1651), Britten'sHymn to St. Cecilia, and Bach's Cantata 150, as well as contemporary works by Meredith Monk and Eric Whitacre, and arrangements of classic jazz standards by Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern, and the King's Singers. Interested singers will be considered for the chamber ensemble as part of their University Singers audition. For more information, please visit our webpage.

Restricted to: Instructor permission

MUEN 3660 Ensemble Music with Piano

John Mayhood
2.0 credits
TBA
Class Number: 12432

Studies in the preparation and performance of ensemble music with piano. Focus is on the development of collaborative skills and a practical understanding of cultural and theoretical context. Repertoire to be studied varies from semester to semester.

MUEN 3670 Early Music Ensemble: Baroque Orchestra

David Sariti
2.0 credits
R / 7:00-9:00 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 10617

The Baroque Orchestra, directed by David Sariti, offers students the rare opportunity to perform music of the 17th and 18th centuries on the instruments for which it was written, at low pitch. Students use period instruments from the University's extensive collection, receiving personal instruction on the special techniques necessary, and must be accomplished on their modern counterparts. Restricted to: Instructor permission by audition.

MUEN 3680 New Music Ensemble

I-Jen Fang
2.0 credit
R / 3:30-5:30 pm / OCH B018
Class Number: 10317

Restricted to Instructor permission by audition on first day of class.

Performance of vocal and instrumental music of the twentieth century.

A one-credit course at the University of Virginia, the New Music Ensemble explores and performs exciting music of our time. The ensemble consists of dedicated instrumentalists, singers and UVA performance faculty. We perform a wide variety of contemporary music suitable to our instrumentation, including new works created by UVA composers.

The New Music Ensemble seeks dedicated instrumentalists and singers to explore and perform a wide variety of contemporary music. To audition, come to the first class with your instrument. If you are interested in joining please contact I-Jen Fang.

Open to UVA students, community musicians and advanced high school students.