This course explores the composition, arrangement, mixing, and mastering of modern electronic music. Topics include aesthetics of formal song structure and melodic and harmonic construction techniques, synthesis and sound design, using a digital audio workstation (DAW) to program musical elements using audio or MIDI, sound processing using effects such as equalization and compression, and introductory mastering techniques.

An audio professional working in the gaming industry is required to possess not only musical and audio talent, but also knowledge and experience with typical audio workflow. Composing for Video Games and Interactive Media prepares the student for a career in the industry by covering the many facets of sound production and engineering that are particular to game music and other forms of interactive media.

This course examines the theoretical foundations of jazz and popular music, focusing on advanced harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic concepts. Key topics include extended harmony, chord-scale relationships, chord substitution, reharmonization, melodic embellishment, counterpoint, voice leading, meter, rhythm, and syncopation. Students will explore these concepts within standard 12-bar blues forms, 32-bar song forms, and modern pop song arrangements. Through aural analysis, ear training, transcription, and model composition exercises, students will deepen their understanding of chord progressions, melodic development, and song structure, with special emphasis on interpreting and writing chord symbols and lead-sheet notation. The course also examines the historical and social impact of influential jazz and popular music composers and performers, highlighting how these artists shaped the evolution of music. By the end of the course, students will be able to analyze a wide range of repertoires and create original compositions that demonstrate a deeper understanding of jazz and popular music theory.

Allows examination of a special problem or topic area in the theatre, dance, music, visual arts, and other performing and fine arts. Topics and specific content and methods vary from term to term. Each term’s offering, however, features an introduction to a historical period, movement, phenomenon, practitioner(s), or other subfield of study within performing arts and/or visual culture. In so doing, students develop theoretical and experiential knowledge of an artistic period, movement, phenomenon, practitioner(s) or other subfield of study within performing arts and/or visual culture.