Fall 2026 Undergraduate Courses
MUSI 1310 Basic Musical Skills (3 credits)
Study of the rudiments of music and training in the ability to read music. No previous knowledge of music required.
Ben Rous
Section 1: MWF / 10:00-10:50 am / OCH 107
Class Number: 10759
TBD
Section 2: MWF / 12:00-12:50 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 13093
TBD
Section 3: MWF / 9:00-9:50 am / OCH 113
Class Number: 19145
MUSI 2090 Sound Studies (3 credits)
Topic: The Art and Experience of Listening
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.
Noel Lobley
MW / 9:30-10:45 am / Wilson 142
Class Number: 13511
MUSI 2120 History of Jazz (3 credits)
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.
Scott DeVeaux
Section 100: MW / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH B012
Class Number: 14370
Discussion Sections:
TBD
Section 101: R / 9:30-10:20 am / OCH S008
Class Number: 14371
Section 102: R / 10:30AM-11:20 am / OCH S008
Class Number: 14372
Section 103: R / 12:30-1:20 pm / OCH S008
Class Number: 14373
MUSI 2150 Women in Jazz (3 credits)
Jazz has historically been a male-dominated field. Who are the women artists whose work emerged in jazz, what is their music, and what are their stories of inspiration, creativity, struggles and triumphs? Through our exploration of recordings, scholarship, music journalism, video, film and live music performance we will ponder these questions and gain a better understanding of how the politics of gender have challenged jazz music.
Nicole Mitchell Gantt
MW / 2:00-3:15 pm / Wilson 244
Class Number: 19846
MUSI 2302 Keyboard Skills (Beginning) (2 credits)
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. Requirement: Instructor Permission
Shelby Sender
Section 1: TR / 11:00 am - 12:15 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 10760
Section 2: TR / 12:30-1:45 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 11482
MUSI 2307 Play Guitar! 1 (2 credits)
Fundamentals of playing guitar, with an emphasis on rhythmic training along with some music theory. This class will start from scratch and is meant for beginners. Experienced guitarists are encouraged to enroll in MUSI 3307 Play Guitar! 2. Students must provide a guitar.
Mike Rosensky
MW / 1:00-1:50 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 12525
MUSI 2308 Vocal Skills Class (2 credits)
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.
Pam Beasley
MW / 4:00-4:50 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 14071
MUSI 2309 Group Voice Class, Popular (2 credits)
A fun, no pressure singing experience in popular music (pop, rock, jazz, theater, r&b, gospel, singer-songwriter, folk...). Exercises to help you improve tone, intonation, range, breath, power, and flexibility. Ways to develop your repertoire – the right keys, tempos, and arrangements for songs of your choosing. Tips on phrasing, rhythm and improvisation; easy basics of sight reading, piano and theory; tips on performance and marketing.
Stephanie Nakasian
TR / 12:30-1:20 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 13273
MUSI 2340 Learn to Groove (2 credits)
"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.
Robert Jospe
Section 1: MW / 10:00-10:50 am / 101 Hunter Smith Band Building
Class Number: 12196
Section 2: MW / 11:00-11:50 am / 101 Hunter Smith Band Building
Class Number: 12197
MUSI 2342 Learn to Groove Intermediate (2 credits)
"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.
Robert Jospe
MW / 1:00-1:50 pm / 101 Hunter Smith Band Building
Class Number: 12198
MUSI 2600 Jazz Improvisation (3 credits)
Sharel Cassity
TR / 3:30-5:00 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 11329
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 (1-3 credits)
Requirement: Instructor Permission
MUSI 3040 20th- and 21st-Century Music (3 credits)
Moving backward in time from the 2020s to 1900, we will listen together to pop music, jazz, classical and everything in between. Central questions for this course include: What can music teach us about race, gender, colonialism, technology, and the environment in the 20th and 21st centuries? How did musicians respond to the major political events (American and global) of their eras? How does historical perspective change how we listen? An incomplete list of musicians we will study includes Charlie XCX, Beyoncé, Avril Lavigne, the Backstreet Boys, DJ Screw, Whitney Houston, NWA, Kenny G, Michael Jackson, Gerard Grisey, Alice Coltrane, Carlos Santana, Bob Marley, Pauline Oliveros, Harry Belafonte, John Cage, Karlheinz Stockhausen, Iannis Xenakis, Art Blakey, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Bessie Smith, Kurt Weil, Jean Sibelius, Eric Satie.
Jade Conlee
TR / 11:00 am - 12:15 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 20291
MUSI 3050 Music and Discourse (3 credits)
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.
Fred Maus
Section 1: MWF / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH 113
Class Number: 12237
Karl Hagstrom Miller
Section 2: MWF / 10:00-10:50 am / OCH 113
Class Number: 19146
MUSI 3060 Motown vs. Everybody: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly (3 credits)
This course explores Motown Record Corporation's profound impact on culture and society, tracing its roots back to its inception and structural model of The Ford Motor Company. Along with its exceptionally talented artists, such as Stevie Wonder and Marvin Gaye, the record label played a significant role in breaking down racial barriers and unifying people from diverse backgrounds through the undeniable power of music. In addition, we will compare Motown to two other record labels, Stax Records and Philadelphia International Records, to better understand how all three reflected the political and social movements of the U.S. from the late 1950s to the late 1970s. As these three labels reflect the ideas of assimilation, integration, and self-reliance in Black America, we will explore why music is a powerful tool in resistance and examine how music as resistance continues to be relevant in today's society.
JoVia Armstrong
TR / 11:00 am - 12:15 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 14119
MUSI 3307 Play Guitar! 2 (2 credits)
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.
Mike Rosensky
MW / 2:00-2:50 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 13512
MUSI 3310 Theory I (3 credits)
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.
Scott DeVeaux
Section 1: MWF / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH B012
Class Number: 12453
Fred Maus
Section 2: MWF / 1:00-1:50 pm / OCH 113
Class Number: 13513
MUSI 3332 and 3334 Musicianship I and II (2 credits)
These lab courses give practical experience with many aspects of musical perception, performance, and creation; this includes sight-reading/singing; dictation of melody, rhythm, and harmony; and aural identification of intervals, chords, and rhythmic patterns. Students are welcome to take Musicianship more than once, whether by moving to a higher level or repeating the same level. Musicianship I and II may be taken for a grade or CR/NC. To satisfy the Musicianship requirement in the Music Major though, students must take Musicianship once as a graded course.
MUSI 3332 Musicianship I
TBD
MWF / 12:00-12:50 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 10761
MUSI 3334 Musicianship II
Adam Carter
MWF / 12:00-12:50 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 11683
MUSI 3370 Songwriting (3 credits)
Ted Coffey
Section 100: TR / 11:00 am - 12:15 pm / B012
Class Number: 19147
Discussion Sections:
TBD
Section 101: W / 9:30-10:20 am / OCH S008
Class Number: 20562
Section 102: W / 10:30AM-11:20 am / OCH S008
Class Number: 20563
Section 103: W / 12:30-1:20 pm / OCH S008
Class Number: 20564
MUSI 3371 Creative Music Ensemble (3 credits)
Creative Jazz Ensemble (CJE) is high-level performance and research ensemble directed by composer/creative flutist Nicole Mitchell. CJE will rehearse, develop, and perform work by Mitchell, in addition to repertoire by innovative jazz and creative music composers of the 21st century. Selected members of CJE will have the opportunity to compose for the ensemble. Advanced music students of any instrument (including electronics), with or without an improvisational background, are invited.
Nicole Mitchell Gantt
T / 7:15-9:45pm / B018
Class Number: 14414
MUSI 3376 Make Beats (3 credits)
JoVia Armstrong
TR / 3:30-4:45pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 19152
MUSI 3390 Introduction to Music & Computers (3 credits)
Introduction to Music and Computers is 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 music via digital technologies. Theoretical and practical topics include acoustics, recording, editing and mixing, MIDI, sound synthesis, and audio DSP. Students learn a host of skills and technologies useful for working with digital audio.
3390 fulfills the composition requirement of the Music Major. This is a composition class and key assignments are creative in nature. Note that you MUST register for the Lab (0 credits), as well as the course.
Leah Reid
Section 100: TR / 3:30-4:45 pm / OCH B012
Class Number: 12855
Lab Sections:
TBD
Section 101: M / 9:00-9:50 am / OCH B011
Class Number: 12646
Section 102: M / 10:00-10:50 am / OCH B011
Class Number: 12647
Section 103: M / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH B011
Class Number: 12648
MUSI 3400 Ecoacoustics (3 credits)
Ecoacoustics explores the intersection between ecology and music. It engages with natural systems of change and the unique sonic energy of places. Students learn recording and analysis techniques, and create their own ecoacoustic sound works as we study seminal works from the musical and artistic fields of acoustic ecology, sonology, soundscape composition, sonification, earthwork art, and deep listening.
Matthew Burtner & TBD
TR / 2:00-3:15 / OCH 107
Class Number: 19148
MUSI 3410 Orchestration I: Anatomy of the Orchestra (3 credits)
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.
Ben Rous
MWF / 11:00-11:50 am / OCH 107
Class Number: 19153
MUSI 3420 Keyboard Skills III (2 credits)
John Mayhood
TR / 9:30-10:45 am / OCH 113
Class Number: 20270
MUSI 3570 Music Cultures (3 credits)
Topic: Curating Sound: Art, Ethnography, and Community Practice
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, from Europe to New York, and right back here to the Charlottesville and UVA communities, 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.
Less a lecture format, and more of an interactive workshop, critical and creative content will be explored in an open-pedagogical model where students apprentice as curators and eventually take an active role in curating the class itself. Expect a mix of group project work, individual reflection and portfolio curation, and real-world collaborative work with professional partners.
Noel Lobley
MW / 2:00-3:15 pm / Wilson 142
Class Number: 13517
MUSI 3993 Independent Study (1-3 credits)
Requirement: Instructor Permission
MUSI 4331 Theory III (3.0 credits)
Michael Puri
TR / 9:30-10:45 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 19150
MUSI 4509 Cultural & Historical Studies (3 credits)
Topic: Pirate Songs: Musics of Global Conflict in the Revolutionary Era
Tunes about pirates, sea battles, impressment, captivity, and blockade circulated across oceans and empires during the eighteenth century. This combined undergraduate/graduate research seminar investigates global and transnational conflict through the archive of naval song. Students will work with materials from the Naval Documents of the American Revolution project (https://navydocs.org/) and from Special Collections. Together we will investigate questions about oral transmission, the relationship between performance and power, and the preservation of memory and emotion.
Our core documents cluster around 1700s, when sea travel connected and reshaped the world. But the course spans centuries as it examines the mobility of song across linguistic, political, and temporal boundaries. The class will be relevant both to students working in premodern and medieval studies, who will practice working with manuscripts and early documents, and to students interested in popular culture who will examine the afterlives and modern reinterpretations of these songs.
By the end of the seminar, students will produce original individual and collaborative projects shaped by their interests and disciplinary backgrounds. Projects may include research papers, digital exhibits, annotated archival editions, or performances in multiple genres. Creative and interpretive approaches are welcome: students may reimagine archival songs through historically informed performance, experimental adaptation, or contemporary musical forms, grounded in rigorous research. Though students with backgrounds in music or languages other than English are encouraged to engage materials aligned with their skills and interests, no prior musical training or language expertise is required.
Bonnie Gordon
W / 3:30-6:00 pm / OCH S008
Class Number: 19829
MUSI 4533 Advanced Musicianship (3 credits)
Michael Slon
MW / 2:00-3:15 pm / OCH 107
Class Number: 20558
MUSI 4545 Computer Applications in Music (3.0 credits)
Topic: Designing Audio Effect Plugins
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!
Luke Dahl
TR / 9:30-10:45 am / B011
Class Number: 19154
MUSI 4581 Composition I (3.0 credits)
MUSI 4581 is an upper-level music composition course. Students will receive a combination of individual online lessons and synchronous online 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.
4581 fulfills the composition requirement of the Music Major. The course can 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 3380, 3390, participated in UVA’s Composers Collective, or taken another music composition course prior to taking MUSI 4581.
Leah Reid
TR / 11:00 am - 12:15 pm / OCH B011
Class Number: 19149
MUSI 4723 EDM Production & Performance (3 credits)
Luke Dahl
TR / 2:00- 3:15 pm / OCH B011
Class Number: 20271
MUSI 4950 Performance Concentration Seminar (1 credit)
Daniel Sender
Class Number: 12010
MUSI 4993 Independent Study (1-3 credits)
Requirement: Instructor Permission