Courses

Traces the historical development of Western music from the beginning of the 19th century to present day. Organized in a largely chronological fashion, the course investigates developments in musical genres, ensembles, and performance circumstances through the Romantic, Modern, and Postmodern historical eras in music. The methodology of the course will comprise examination of the musical artifacts, the circumstances from which they arose, and their ultimate impact on the trajectory of musical history past, present, and future. There will be due consideration of the reception histories of the work and the ways those valuations have changed over time, up to and including the present day. Apprehension of the music itself, through guided listening and methods of analysis suited to each epoch under study, will also form an integral part of the course. The ways that theoretical and interpretive practices varied over the period in question will form a related part of the class discussions.

The course is designed to prepare Music majors with keyboard skills generally expected of all musicians. Skills covered include score reading, transposition, simple harmonization, and improvising simple chordal accompaniment.

SAMC’s Orchestra is dedicated to the exploration and sharing of the vast literature of symphonic music, presented on and off-campus to the glory of God. The core repertoire of this large ensemble is the masterworks of the eighteenth through twentieth centuries. In keeping with the School’s spirit of collaboration, the Orchestra also performs newly created works by SAMC faculty and student composers. Membership in this ensemble is open to students of all majors by audition.

SAMC’s Concert Band is dedicated to the exploration and sharing of music for brass, winds, and percussion, presented on and off-campus to the glory of God. The repertoire for this ensemble includes music originally composed for this instrumentation, and arrangements of music from the 18th century to the present. Membership in this ensemble is open to students of all majors by audition.

The large vocal ensembles of the School of the Arts, Media + Culture provide opportunity for singers to develop vocal technique and music literacy while learning choral repertoire from many stylistic periods and traditions. The Chamber Choir is the most advanced vocal ensemble at TWU and has the most rigorous rehearsal and performance schedule. This course develops musical leadership by teaching ensemble-singing skills, lyric diction, and expressive performance techniques. The Chamber Choir regularly represents the university in local performances as well as on international tours. TWU’s large vocal ensembles are open to students of all majors by audition.

Chamber Singers (Section A) Worship Team (Section B) Renaissance Singers (Section C) Vocal Jazz Ensemble (Section D) Musical Theatre Vocal Ensemble (Section E)

Brass Quintet (Section A) Jazz Combo (Section B) Stage Band (Section C) String Quartet (Section D) Woodwind Quintet (Section G) Traditional Jazz Ensemble (Section H) Guitar Ensemble (Section I) Music Theatre Ensemble (Section J) New Music Ensemble (Section K)

The large vocal ensembles of the School of the Arts, Media + Culture provide opportunity for singers to develop vocal technique and music literacy while learning choral repertoire from many stylistic periods and traditions. The Concert Choir is the introductory vocal ensemble at TWU and most singers will spend a minimum of one semester in Concert Choir before progressing to the more advanced ensembles. This course introduces ensemble-singing skills, lyric diction, and expressive performance techniques. The Concert Choir regularly takes part in major joint performances with the other TWU choirs. TWU’s large vocal ensembles are open to students of all majors by audition.

Topics vary from year to year.