Theory & Practice II: Popular Music

(2 Credits)

Theory and analysis of popular music. Popular music, defined broadly, includes pop, rock, hip hop, rap, metal, jazz, folk, and musical theater and film repertoire. Topics include scales and modes, lead sheet and Nashville number notation, phrase structure, song forms, harmonic syntax, loops and harmonic chord schemas, tonicization and modulation, and rhythmic and timbral analysis in popular music. Students will develop basic proficiency in a DAW and music notation program. This course will culminate in a final composition or analysis project.