MUS 316 - Composition: Songwriting and Storytelling

Students will develop skills in song composition drawing upon a range of genres and styles, including rock, rap, blues, opera, music-theatre, folk, protest, and jazz standard. We will examine relevant models of these styles to inform composition, and hone musicianship skills in hearing melodies, rhythms, and harmonic progressions and in setting different kinds of lyrics. Students will notate songs as lead sheets and then make arrangements for performances at a final concert.

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group I
Prerequisite(s): MUS 210
Instructional Method: Conference-studio
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Understand how arguments can be made, visions presented, or feelings or ideas conveyed through language or other modes of expression (symbols, movement, images, sounds, etc.).
Analyze and interpret texts, whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts.
Evaluate arguments made in or about texts (whether literary or philosophical, in English or a foreign language, or works of the visual or performing arts).