B102 Roberts Hall
Telephone: 256.824.6436
Email: music@email.uah.edu
The University of Alabama in Huntsville is an accredited institutional member of the National Association of Schools of Music.
Students are advised to officially declare a major and to obtain a Program of Study by the beginning of the sophomore year, if not before. Students may initiate the Program of Study by meeting with the College of Liberal Arts Academic Advisor (Morton Hall, Room 216).
Degrees offered:
Music, BA
Students wishing to pursue a major in music should have pre-college training in their principal performing instrument or voice and have ability to read music fluently. Basic keyboard ability is helpful but not mandatory.
Entering freshmen and transferring students are required to take a placement examination in rudiments (scales, keys, intervals, triads, general notation), music reading, and performance (principal instrument or voice). Deficiencies may be removed through remedial instruction.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville offers a Bachelor of Arts in Music with several different emphases. Students choose one (or more) of these emphases:
- Liberal Arts Emphasis
- Performance Emphasis
- Jazz Emphasis
- Music Technology Emphasis
- Music Business Emphasis
- Church Music Emphasis
- Piano Pedagogy Emphasis
- Music Education Emphasis
Entry Requirements for Music Majors and Minors
Admission to the University of Alabama in Huntsville does not guarantee admission to the UAH Department of Music. Auditions are required for all applicants majoring or minoring in music. The audition is one of the most important factors in the admission process. It will determine admission to the Department of Music as well as eligibility for a music scholarship. Those who have not auditioned and been accepted as music majors may not take studio instruction at the 200-level.
All applicants are strongly encouraged to audition in person. Taped auditions are acceptable if travel distance precludes a personal audition. For audition dates, please consult the audition application or visit the Department of Music website at www.uah.edu/music.
MU 100 - INTRO TO MUSIC LITERATURE
Semester Hours: 3
Basic music appreciation. Exploration of ideas and issues in various types of western music through reading, listening, and discussion. Offered every semester.
MU 102 - INTRODUCTION TO WORLD MUSIC
Semester Hours: 3
Exploration of ideas and issues in various types of non-Western music through reading, listening, and discussion. Includes optional travel abroad. Offered summer semesters only.
MU 106 - INTRO TO MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
Semester Hour: 1
Introduction to Music Technology provides students with an overview of the technical and scientific aspects of music such as: acoustics, music psychology/sociology, and modern electronics. There will be particular emphasis on the use of electronic devices, MIDI and computer software to facilitate
recording, playback, composition, storage, performance and analysis. Offered Fall and Spring semesters only.
MU 108 - INTRODUCTION TO MUSIC THEORY
Semester Hours: 3
Music fundamentals presented in a practical way for students who have no musical training as well as for majors/minors with limited theory knowledge. Mechanical apects of clefs, notation, scales, intervals, chords, and rhythm with some aural skills, and practice in writing and harmonizing melodies. For students who expect to major or minor in music, this course may not be taken for degree credit. Offered Summer and Fall semesters only.
MU 110 - INTRO ARTS MANAGEMENT
Semester Hours: 3
Designed to explore arts management and administration, focusing primarily on non-profit considerations, but also addressing commercial activities in the arts.
MU 120 - BEGINNING CLASS VOICE
Semester Hour: 1
This course is designed to aid beginning singers in learning the fundamentals of solo singing.
MU 130 - PIANO CLASS
Semester Hour: 1
Techniques of performance, note reading, and basic musicianship.
MU 131 - PIANO CLASS II
Semester Hour: 1
MU 140 - BEGINNING GUITAR CLASS
Semester Hour: 1
The course objective is to provide basic guitar instruction for students who have had little or no experience playing the guitar. The course will cover note reading, posture, chords, strumming patterns, simple arpeggios, scales, and simple to intermediate solo playing.
MU 199 - MUSIC FORUM
Semester Hours: 0
Concert attendance is an indispensable aspect of a student's music education. Attendance requirements for this course include Thursday morning Music Forums as well as the number of formal concerts specified in the syllabus.
MU 201 - MUSIC THEORY I
Semester Hours: 3
Fundamentals of basic musicianship through practical as well as theoretical studies. Development of skills in written harmony and analysis. Appropriate Musicianship skills (e.g. MU 203) to be taken concurrently throughout theory program.
Prerequisites: The approval of instructor or department chair. Offered Spring semesters only.
MU 202 - MUSIC THEORY II
Semester Hours: 3
Continuation of MU 201. Offered Fall semesters only.
Prerequisites: MU 201 and MU 203.
MU 203 - MUSICIANSHIP SKILLS I
Semester Hour: 1
To be taken concurrently with MU 201 and designed to complement written studies. Exercises in sight singing using solfege, numbers or other systems. Basic conducting patterns, rhythmic execution and melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic dictation.
Prerequisites: Approval of instructor or department chair. Offered Spring semesters only.
MU 204 - MUSICIANSHIP SKILLS II
Semester Hour: 1
Continuation of MU 203. Offered Fall semesters only.
Prerequisites: MU 201 and MU 203.
MU 205 - JAZZ THEORY
Semester Hours: 2
This course serves as an introduction to the theoretical analysis of jazz harmony, with an emphasis on styles from the bebop era and later. Offered every other Fall semester.
Prerequisites: MU 201.
MU 207 - MUSIC TECHNOLOGY I
Semester Hours: 3
Students will learn the basics of using a computer interface to create and edit music, using a software MIDI sequencer and Digital Audio Workstation. Students will learn the basics of MIDI sequencing and music production. Prerequisites: MU 106.
MU 208 - MUSIC TECHNOLOGY II
Semester Hours: 3
Students will learn advanced techniques in digital audio production, including (but not limited to): Advanced MIDI sequencing, audio sampling, and production/mastering. Prerequisites: MU 106, MU 207.
MU 301 - THEORY OF MUSIC III
Semester Hours: 3
A study on chromatic harmony and a continuation of the studies of MU 201 and MU 202.
Prerequisites: MU 202 and MU 204.
MU 302 - MUSICAL MATLS OF MODERN ERA
Semester Hours: 3
Systems of tonal organization, compositional procedures, terminology, and analytical methods that related to music since 1900. Offered every other Fall semester only.
Prerequisites: MU 301 and MU 303 and MU 304.
MU 303 - MUSICIANSHIP SKILLS III
Semester Hour: 1
Continuation of MU 204. Offered Spring semesters only.
Prerequisites: MU 202 and MU 204.
MU 305 - MUSIC TECHNOLOGY III
Semester Hours: 3
This course will focus primarily on analogue and digital audio systems setup and implementation. Mixing consoles, amplifiers, loudspeakers, microphones, keyboards, playback equipment, processing, cabling, configuration, computer harware and software will be discussed and demonstrated in depth.
Prerequisite: MU 106.
MU 306 - MUSIC TECHNOLOGY IV
Semester Hours: 3
An exploration of music technology hardware and software, including and overview of acoustics, MIDI and digital audio data structures, and an introduction to multimedia authoring. Offered every other Spring semester only.
Prerequisites: MU 106 and EE 100.
MU 311 - HISTORY OF MUSIC I
Semester Hours: 3
Focus on music as an art in western civilization to 1750. Representative musical works and style. Understanding of musical concepts in view of historical background and cultural context. Offered Fall semesters only.
Prerequisites: MU 100 and MU 301.
MU 312 - HISTORY OF MUSIC II
Semester Hours: 3
Focus on music as an art in western civilization from 1750 to the present. Representative musical works and style. Understanding of musical concepts in view of historical background and cultural context. Offered Spring semesters only.
Prerequisites: MU 100 and MU 301.
MU 313 - SURVEY OF CHURCH MUSIC
Semester Hours: 3
Explores Christian music from historical and musical perspectives.
Prerequisites: MU 100 and MU 301.
MU 314 - THE BEATLES
Semester Hours: 3
The purpose of this course is to familiarize the student with the music, lyrics, recordings, personal and public lives, production techniques, career strategy, social ramifications, and technological impact of the musical group known as The Beatles. The course will provide the student with an appreciation for the music itself, and a broader comprehension of the social, economic, political, and
cultural upheavals that gave rise to the musical trends of the Sixties.
MU 316 - HIST & APPRECIATION OF JAZZ
Semester Hours: 3
This course is designed to explore the history and development of jazz as an art form, from its origins as popular music to its evolution into an Art Music. Improvisation will be explained and explored in the context of the different styles of jazz. The course will focus on understanding through listening to jazz. Every other spring semester only.
Prerequisite: MU 100.
MU 317 - JAZZ ARRANGING
Semester Hours: 2
This course provides the student with instruction in arranging for small and large jazz ensembles, both instrumental and vocal. Offered every other Spring semester only.
Prerequisite: MU 205.
MU 320 - PIANO PEDAGOGY
Semester Hours: 2
Materials, techniques, and practices in teaching beginners and students through lower advanced grades of piano. Practical experience. Offered upon demand.
Prerequisite: approval of instructor.
MU 321 - PIANO PEDAGOGY II
Semester Hours: 2
An examination of relevant methods in piano pedagogy and technique for all levels of instruction. The course will also assess the historical acheivements made by previous pedagogues in the field of piano pedagogy.
Prerequisite: MU 320.
MU 322 - DICTION FOR SINGERS
Semester Hours: 2
Intended as an overview for vocal and choral students who wish to learn the diction requirements for singing in Latin, Italian, German, French, and English. Offered every Fall semester only.
Prerequisite: MUA 111.
MU 325 - CONDUCTING
Semester Hours: 2
Basic techniques of choral and instrumental conducting. Offered Fall semesters only.
Prerequisite: MU 301.
MU 399 - SPECIAL TOPICS IN MUSIC
Semester Hours: 3
Special topics in music. Focus and emphasis of topics announced in advance. Offered upon demand.
MU 401 - FORM AND ANALYSIS
Semester Hours: 2
Musical forms and analysis. Offered every other Fall semester only.
Prerequisites: MU 303 and 312.
MU 402 - CHURCH MUSIC METDS, MATRL & AD
Semester Hours: 3
Church Music Methods, Materials, and Administration.
Prerequisite: MU 301.
MU 404 - MUSIC TECHNOLOGY INDIV PROJECT
Semester Hour: 1
Three-semester sequence for students enrolled in music technology majors and minors. Students will create individual projects in MIDI, sound creation and editing, and multimedia.
Prerequisite: MU 306.
MU 406 - INTERNSHIP IN MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
Semester Hours: 3
An internship of eight hours per week working in the music technology industry. Offered upon demand.
Prerequisite: MU 306.
MU 407 - INTERNSHIP MUSIC BUSINESS
Semester Hours: 3
Internship in Music Business.
Prerequisites: MU 100 and MU 110 and MU 301 and MKT 301 and MGT 301 and FIN 410.
MU 408 - INTERNSHIP CHURCH MUSIC
Semester Hours: 3
An internship of nine hours per week working in church music.
Prerequisites: MU 100 and MU 301 and MU 313 and MU 402 and MUE 328.
MU 409 - INTERNSHIP GRP PIANO PEDAGOGY
Semester Hour: 1
An internship of three hours per week working with an approved group piano program.
Prerequisites: MU 100 and MU 321 and MU 420 and MUE 328.
MU 410 - INTERNSHIP INDIVID PIANO PEDAG
Semester Hours: 3
An internship of nine hours per week working with a local piano teacher.
Prerequisites: MU 100 and MU 321 and MU 420 and MUE 328.
MU 411 - INTNSHIP INDVL PIANO PEDAGOGY
Semester Hours: 3
Courses of study and activity developed by the student and submitted to music faculty for approval. Projects to reinforce learning and performance experiences. May be repeated, but no more than two hours count toward degree requirements. Offered upon demand.
Prerequisites: MU 100 and MU 321 and MU 420 and MUE 328.
MU 416 - ORCHESTRATION
Semester Hours: 2
Instruments of the band and orchestra, their ranges, transpositions, and capabilities. Practical experience in arranging for instruments. Offered every other Fall semester only.
Prerequisite: MU 302.
MU 420 - PIANO LITERATURE
Semester Hours: 2
Music for string keyboard instruments from the pre-pianoforte period to the present. Representative works from all periods. Offered upon demand.
Prerequisites: MU 302 and MU 304 and MU 312.
MU 425 - ADVANCED CONDUCTING
Semester Hours: 2
Review of basic conducting patterns. Emphasis on communication as the role of the conductor. Detailed score preparation. Offered every other Spring semester only.
Prerequisite: MU 325.
MU 440 - STUDIO INSTR-VOICE
Semester Hours: 0.5
(Date refers to original appointment to the university.)
Burel, Joshua, Assistant Professor, Music, 2017, PhD, Florida State University.
Carey, Matthew, Assistant Professor, Music, 2016, DMA, Texas Tech University.
Doty, Johnna, Lecturer, Music, 2012, MFA, Boston University.
Ng, Ka Man (Melody), Assistant Professor, Music, 2013, PhD, University of Wisconsin.
Ragsdale, Christopher, Associate Professor, Music, 2006, DMA, University of Miami, Florida.
Sanders, Carolyn, Professor, Music, 1990, DMA, Florida State University.