MUS 1200 What is Music?

This introductory course offers a broad exploration of music, focusing on how we experience, understand, and describe it. Students will engage with fundamental musical elements such as melody, rhythm, harmony, texture, and form, while also considering how music is created and performed. Through listening, discussion, and analysis, the course encourages critical engagement with the many ways music shapes and enriches the human experience.

Credits

4 sh

Course Types

Expression

Offered

• Fall
• Spring

Course Outcomes

1. Identify and describe fundamental concepts to music such as rhythm, melody, harmony, timbre, texture, dynamics, and form.
2. Recognize and discuss key characteristics of musical styles, traditions, and practices
3. Analyze some of the ways music reflects and interacts with cultural and historical contexts
4. Critically engage with and articulate one’s own experiences and connections with music