Applied Music Courses
MUS 130 - Applied Piano for Beginners
This course will help the student acquire the basic skills necessary to play the piano,
such as reading music, understanding rhythm, coordinating both hands, and phrasing.
This course supports the development of Written and Oral Communication, Critical Thinking
and Personal and Professional Development.
MUS 180 Beginning Piano II
Piano II will continue to develop the skills gained in Piano I. Students will play more complicated pieces, drawn mostly from the Classical repertoire combined with some folk music, along with technical exercises. Periodic in-class performances will be required.
Prerequisite: MUS 130
MUS 230 Beginning Piano III
Beginning Piano III and IV (MUS 230, MUS 280) are continuation classes designed for students who have previously taken Beginning Piano I and II at Middlesex. Students will play selections from a variety of composers, along with increasingly difficult technical exercises. Periodic in-class performances will be required.
Prerequisite: MUS 130 and MUS 180
MUS 280 Beginning Piano IV
Prerequisite: MUS 130, MUS 180, and MUS 230
MUS 131 - Applied Guitar for Beginners
The course will begin with classical-style finger picking, tone production, sight-reading and tuning techniques. Students will learn both plectrum and finger-style strumming techniques, and will play basic jazz, pop and blues chord progressions. Chord theory and symbol notation will be explained, and the course will conclude with the introduction to basic arranging techniques. Students will complete a performance project. Periodic in-class performances will be required. Students must have an acoustic guitar.
MUS 181 - Guitar II
The course is offered as a continuation from MUS 131, Applied Guitar for Beginners. Students will further develop classical, fingerstyle guitar techniques and repertoire. We will explore technical exercises, Major and minor scales, chord theory, and perform solo and ensemble repertoire. Students will complete a performance project. Periodic in-class performances will be required. Students must have an acoustic guitar.
Prerequisite: MUS 131
MUS 132 - Voice I
For anyone who enjoys singing. Covers breathing, tone and vocal production. Students sing songs from the classical literature, as well as popular tunes.
This course supports student development of Written and Oral Communications, Critical Thinking, and Personal and Professional Development.
MUS 182 - Voice II
Students will continue to develop the basic principles of vocal production, practice, performance, and style outlined in Voice I. Through written reviews, concert attendance, and class discussions, they will practice thinking critically about singing and the range of vocal repertoire. Instruction will focus on Classical vocal technique as well as performance skills, with the long-term objectives that students will continue to develop their voices and become comfortable on a public stage.
Prerequisite: MUS 132
MUS 134 - World Drumming
This course will explore the realm of percussion from a variety of perspectives incorporating
both history and practice. We will look at the historical development of percussion
and percussion instruments, as well as their use in various cultural traditions, not
only in western classical music, but in the music of indigenous peoples throughout
the world. We will also look at the way those traditions have influenced one another
to shape the use of percussion today. The performance aspect of this course will focus
on the basic percussion rudiments and building technique for performance. Students
may work in groups and individually on percussion exercises and repertoire. This course
is designed to be informative for students of any background and is open to all students
regardless of ability.
MUS 184 - World Drumming II
This continuation course will explore the realm of percussion from many perspectives
incorporating history, cultural traditions, influences and practice. Students in this
second semester course will be assigned a research project. The performance aspects
of this course will focus on improving basic percussion rudiments acquired in the
first semester. Improvisation and group interaction will be explored. The class will
work towards a final group performance (required) near the end of the semester.
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