Music

Introduction to music, including notation, written and aural skills, and basic conceptual resources of music theory. Exploration of scale, mode, rhythm, meter, texture and form, with reference to a diverse range of musics.

This course is an introduction to basic skills in sight reading. Instruction includes reading rhythms in simple meter, solfege recitation, and sight-singing simple melodies.

An introduction to the potential of digital sound synthesis and signal processing. Teaches proficiency in elementary and advanced digital audio techniques. This course aims to challenge some of the tacet assumptions about music that are built into the design of various user interfaces and hardware and fosters a creative approach to using digital audio workstation software and equipment.  Permission of Instructor required to enroll. Music Majors have priority for enrollment.

An introduction to the potential of digital sound synthesis and signal processing. Teaches proficiency in elementary and advanced digital audio techniques. This course aims to challenge some of the tacet assumptions about music that are built into the design of various user interfaces and hardware and fosters a creative approach to using digital audio workstation software and equipment.  Permission of Instructor required to enroll. Music Majors have priority for enrollment.

An introduction to the potential of digital sound synthesis and signal processing. Teaches proficiency in elementary and advanced digital audio techniques. This course aims to challenge some of the tacet assumptions about music that are built into the design of various user interfaces and hardware and fosters a creative approach to using digital audio workstation software and equipment.  Permission of Instructor required to enroll. Music Majors have priority for enrollment.

Elementary analysis and composition in a variety of modal and tonal idioms. A one-hour weekly lab is required, to be scheduled at the beginning of the term.  Course to be taken in conjunction with the Ear-Training sequence, up through Ear-Training IV. 

Elementary analysis and composition in a variety of tonal idioms.  A one-hour weekly lab is required, to be scheduled at the beginning of the term.  Course to be taken in conjunction with the Ear-Training sequence, up through Ear-Training IV.

Topics in Western music from the Classical era to the present day, focusing on the development of musical style and thought, and on analysis of selected works.

This course will explore the piano repertoire of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with a focus on performance. The course consists of four modules: European piano music prior to WWII, the American pioneers, multiplicity of directions and cultural identities in piano music 1945-present (prepared piano, indeterminacy, integrated serialism, minimalism), and the piano music of Columbia University composers (including electronic music at the Computer Music Center, spectral piano, Center for United States-China Arts Exchange, microtonal music). We will explore the constantly evolving
musical notation and performance practices. Through lectures, discussions, reading, listening, analysis, and performance projects, students will gain an understanding of the aesthetic of a wide array of keyboard literature, notation, and performance techniques.

This course will explore the piano repertoire of the twentieth and twenty-first centuries, with a focus on performance. The course consists of four modules: European piano music prior to WWII, the American pioneers, multiplicity of directions and cultural identities in piano music 1945-present (prepared piano, indeterminacy, integrated serialism, minimalism), and the piano music of Columbia University composers (including electronic music at the Computer Music Center, spectral piano, Center for United States-China Arts Exchange, microtonal music). We will explore the constantly evolving
musical notation and performance practices. Through lectures, discussions, reading, listening, analysis, and performance projects, students will gain an understanding of the aesthetic of a wide array of keyboard literature, notation, and performance techniques.

Composition in shorter forms. Students will compose new works for the cello, with a focus on diverse approaches to the instrument. Student pieces will be workshopped, rehearsed, and performed (and/or recorded).   

Intermediate analysis and composition in a variety of tonal idioms.  A one-hour weekly lab is required, to be scheduled at the beginning of the term.  Course to be taken in conjunction with the Ear-Training sequence, up through Ear-Training IV.

Intermediate analysis and composition in a variety of tonal and extended tonal idioms.  A one-hour weekly lab is required, to be scheduled at the beginning of the term.  Course to be taken in conjunction with the Ear-Training sequence, up through Ear-Training IV.

Working with her advisor, a student will develop a vocal or instrumental recital program with representative musical works from a variety of historical periods. In order to satisfy the requirement, the student will present an hour long public performance of the recital program. Students may also satisfy this requirement by composing original vocal or instrumental works.

Working with her advisor, a student will develop a vocal or instrumental recital program with representative musical works from a variety of historical periods. In order to satisfy the requirement, the student will present an hour long public performance of the recital program. Students may also satisfy this requirement by composing original vocal or instrumental works.

The course presents tools, techniques, methodologies, and concepts for composing original music for dance (both acoustic and electronic). Composers will develop a work for dance collaborating with choreographers, culminating in a public showing at the end of the semester. Weekly meetings will be used to discuss the unique challenges (both practical and aesthetic) that this type of interdisciplinary collaboration raises, and to troubleshoot potential solutions. Students will examine case studies of collaborative composer/choreographer pairs (especially from the last 75 years), as potential models for working via the study of artist statements, interviews, articles, videos, and classroom discussions with invited guests. No prior experience writing for dance is necessary. Basic familiarity with a digital audio workspace is preferable. For participants who don’t write music or work in sound, a research project either analyzing a composer/choreographer pairing or looking at a topic relating to music and dance more broadly will serve as an equivalent final project (resulting in an academic paper, a podcast, or the production of an educational video).

Modular Sound Synthesis is a hands-on studio class that explores contemporary techniques for synthesizers both in studio practice and performance while framing them in the historical context in which they developed. The class approaches the fundamentals of sound and synthesis through the perspective of Columbia’s Computer Music Center: vintage function generators, suitcase reel-to-reel tape machines, prototype modules, custom devices; and the first programmable music synthesizer, the RCA Mark II. Students will learn to perform and compose on both hardware devices and software emulations, utilizing them as a creative tool for recording and live performance. Topics include oscillators, modulation, sequencers, voltage processing, wave shaping, filters, and LFOs. The course will engage in listening to both historical and contemporary examples to develop critical listening skills. This class is designed as a follow-up to Intro to Digital Music for undergraduates or graduate students interested in integrating modular synthesis within their artistic practice.

This course examines the transatlantic sounds of African music, including Afrobeat, Afrobeats, Amapiano, Chimurenga, Highlife, Kwaito, Makossa, Reggae, and more, to explore the rich cultural roots of African musical traditions and how they navigate and assimilate within the global popular culture sphere. From migration and collaborations to the rise of African artists in the era of advanced technology, the course uncovers how these genres transcend borders, inspire cross-cultural innovation, and influence the global music scene in contemporary times. Critical issues such as cultural appropriation, commodification, gender, health, and authenticity in the ever-evolving global music industry will be explored. By the end of the course, you will have a deep understanding of the complex dynamics driving the influence and dissemination of African music across the world.

This course will address hands-on making through creative projects reinforced with critical and historical readings to contextualize work.  Coursework will explore fabrication, gears and motors, homemade instruments, 3d printing, amplifiers and transducers, circuit bending, and getting comfortable soldering and reading circuits. The course engages creative uses of audio technology within and beyond the concert hall, instrumental acoustics and organology, and movement, gesture, and space as elements of structuring sound work. Fluency, troubleshooting,
and self-reliance regarding basic audio hardware, signal flow, and technical requirements for supporting the addition of amplification, fixed media, or interactive electronics to sound work will be a focus throughout. We’ll explore instrument building and modification, installation
design and construction, and physical interfaces to software instruments through hands-on projects supported by readings and repertoire and will culminate in a creative project of your own design.

This course provides an opportunity for students in the Music Department’s Composition DMA program to engage in off-campus practicum or internships in music composition for academic credit that will count towards the requirements for the degree.

This class explores advanced topics relating to the production of music by computer. Although programming experience is not a prerequisite, various programming techniques are enlisted to investigate interface design, algorithmic composition, computer analysis and processing of digital audio, and the use of computer music in contexts such as VR/AR applications. Check with the instructor for the particular focus of the class in an upcoming semester. Note: this class is not necessarily a continuation of Sound: Advanced Topics I/GR6610. Some familiarity with computer music hardware/software is expected. Permission of instructor is required to enroll.

This course explores both analogue and digital tools for the sound reinforcement of concerts in all formats. Through hands-on experience, the course addresses the impact and potential of contemporary tools on the aesthetic choices of musical projects. The course supports artists (performers, composers, improvisers, sounds artists, etc.) by providing a solid foundation and a working knowledge of live sound concepts in order to improve the realization of their creative audio work. A significant feature of the course is direct experience producing live concerts in order to fully understand the implications of the transition between the pre-concert studio preparation and live concert execution. Under the supervision of the instructor, students are expected to oversee the audio-related technical aspects of two to three music department events, including the doctoral composition work of the Columbia Composers concert series. Topics include the practice and theory behind analog and digital mixing, live sound processing, concert diffusion, spatial audio, sound reinforcement, mixed music techniques, concert recording, and efficient equipment set-up and tear-down. Please note that students must be available for two whole-day Saturday events whose dates will be determined and distributed by the instructor at the start of the semester.

Interdisciplinary group work as part of Dissertation Proposal Seminar series.

Interdisciplinary group work as part of Dissertation Proposal Seminar series.