About Music
Performing, creating, and understanding music. Courses carry the MUS subject code and are offered through the College of Arts, Design & Communication. Numbers below 300 are introductory, 300–499 advanced undergraduate, and 500 and above graduate. Prerequisites are enforced at registration.
How the sequence works
Of the 9 MUS courses listed, 3 are introductory (numbers under 300), 0 are advanced undergraduate (300–499). 3 courses have no prerequisite and are a reasonable first step. Later courses assume the earlier ones, so read prerequisites before you plan a term — they are enforced at registration and an override from the Music department is the only way around them.
MUS 1010 — Music Fundamentals 2 cr
Notation, rhythm, scales, keys, intervals, and basic ear training for students without prior theory.
Prerequisite: none.
MUS 1110 — Music Theory I 3 cr
Diatonic harmony, voice leading, part writing, and analysis of common-practice music, with aural skills.
Prerequisite: MUS 1010 or placement.
MUS 1120 — Music Theory II 3 cr
Chromatic harmony, modulation, and larger forms, with continued aural training.
Prerequisite: MUS 1110.
MUS 1500 — Class Piano 1 cr
Functional keyboard skills: reading, scales, chords, harmonization, and simple accompaniment.
Prerequisite: none.
MUS 2010 — Music History I 3 cr
Western art music from antiquity through the Baroque, with listening and score study.
Prerequisite: MUS 1120.
MUS 2020 — Music History II 3 cr
The Classical era to the present, including twentieth-century and popular idioms.
Prerequisite: MUS 2010.
MUS 2500 — Introduction to Music Technology 3 cr
Recording, editing, MIDI, notation software, and producing a short project.
Prerequisite: none.
MUS 3100 — Conducting 2 cr
Baton technique, score preparation, rehearsal planning, and podium practice.
Prerequisite: MUS 1120.
MUS 3500 — Composition 3 cr
Writing original music in a range of styles, workshopped and performed.
Prerequisite: MUS 1120.
Planning and advising
Your degree audit shows exactly how MUS courses apply to your requirements; this list only shows what is offered. If you are choosing between two courses, deciding when to take a heavy one, or wondering whether a course will run next term, your academic adviser can tell you. Course availability by term is set close to registration and is not guaranteed by anything on this page.
Fictional information
UW–Porter Falls is a work of parody. Every course, prerequisite, credit value, and department on this page is invented; nothing here describes a real curriculum or a course you can enroll in.