Will Johnson
Will Johnson

Photograph by Nicholas Chase.

Composition/Music Technology

The Composition/Music Technology program puts primary emphasis on individual student creative goals.  Our goal is to guide our students to develop the ability to realize their musical ideas fully and completely.  As a part of this task, all students develop basic skills in using notation and sequencing programs; additional work in digital recording, sound design and multi-media is also available for students interested in those areas.

Now, more than ever, sound is music and music is that which is heard.   To that end, student composers are expected to present their work in a Student Composer's Concert every semester.   Presentations may be acoustic or electronic, or a mix of both. 

We also encourage student composers to work collaboratively with Theater Arts students on dance and drama projects, and with Communication Studies students in video production.    Advanced composition students can have their work performed by faculty directed campus performing ensembles.

WHAT WILL YOU STUDY IN THE COMPOSITION/MUSIC TECHNLOGY PROGRAM?

COMPOSITION
An important goal of the Composition/Music Technology program is to build fluency in composition.   To become fluent, there must be time for practice.   Students should enroll in a class which requires composition every semester in residence.   In early semesters, this may be a theory class; but students do not have to complete the theory classes before taking composition-often students enroll in both theory and composition. 

Composition instruction is primarily one-on-one.  Students enroll in Studio Composition  (Music 445) with an appropriate faculty member.   All students may also take the composition seminar (Music 425); jazz students, and others who have completed two semesters of jazz theory, may take the Jazz Composition class (Music 412).

MUSIC TECHNOLOGY
Students whose compositional work employs electronic resources as an integral part of  their music making often enter our program with highly developed skills in using those resources.  Other students enter with minimal experience with those resources.

Students with limited exposure to music technology should complete Music Technology: Tools and Applications (Music 259), early in their course of study.  This course provides an introduction to digital recording, music sequencing, music notation programs and electronic sound design using Music department facilities (Wolford Recording Studio, Ives 33 MIDI Studio and Ives 46 Digital Keyboard lab). 

Students desiring a more in-depth study of digital recording should take the Recording Studio workshop class (Music 481).   This workshop, which may be repeated, prepares and enables students to work independently in Wolford Recording Studio.  Both the MIDI studio and the Digital Keyboard Lab are also available for individual student projects.

PERFORMANCE
Composers, like all music majors, must declare a major performance medium upon entering their program of studies.    They must enroll in a major departmental performing ensemble every semester in residence; at least one semester must be in a vocal ensemble, and one semester in an instrumental ensemble.

Students in the Applied Music concentration are required to enroll in Studio Instruction on their major performance medium each semester in residence.    Composers are allowed to enroll in both Studio Composition (Music 145 or 445) and Studio Instruction in voice or an instrument.  We strongly encourage composers to develop skill as performers as a part of their training.

MUSIC THEORY
Composition/Music Technology students complete four semesters of theory, including Music 311, 20th century techniques, as a part of their program.   Even students whose compositional interests are far the many non-traditional idioms developed in the last century should explore in some depth the resources offered by the many challenges to more traditional modes of music making that are now themselves a part of our history.

Students who take Music 110 and Music 111  are encouraged take the two semesters of Jazz Theory (Music 112, Music 212) as well.  Jazz theory classes provide experience with materials and techniques useful in many compositional styles far removed from jazz.  

Classes dealing with specific compositional techniques like counterpoint-Music 341-will be useful to many students.  (See also Special Studies, below.)

EAR TRAINING
Students should avail themselves of every opportunity to develop their musical hearing.   Music 320, Ear Training IV, and Music 321 practica-especially rhythm-are an important part of the program.

ARRANGING/ORCHESTRATION
Students are encouraged to gain experience in arranging as a compositional tool.  All students who have completed Music 210 or Music 212 may take Instrumental and Choral Arranging (Music 314); students with an interest in jazz, rock or related music should also consider Small Band Arranging (Music 317), which has Music 212 as a prerequisite.

Class Instruction in strings (Music 422), woodwinds (Music 423), brass (Music 424), percussion (Music 429) and guitar (Music 418) offer composers an opportunity to develop basic skills in orchestral instruments; these skills are especially valuable for arranging.

CONDUCTING
Composers should be able to conduct their own music; such composers get significantly more performances.   All students are urged to include Conducting Technique (Music 401) in their program; the specialized courses Choral Conducting and Methods (Music 402) and Instrumental Conducting and Methods (Music 403)  will be valuable for many students. 

HISTORY
Exposure to the history and repertory of  all music, past and present, is especially desirable for today's composer.   All students complete four survey courses and one seminar, normally dealing with 20th century music.   A useful elective for students with a special interest in music technology is is Music 301,  Music Technology: Then and Now an upper division GE class in category C1.

SPECIAL STUDIES
Often Composition/Music Technology students find that an area of great interest to them is not offered as a part of the regular curriculum.   We strongly urge our students to propose Special Studies projects that will enable them to pursue these interests as a part of their program of study.  

SENIOR PROJECT
The culminating project for Composition/Music Technology program students is a presentation of original work, in a performance before an audience or a recording.

DESIGNING YOUR COMPOSITION/TECHNOLOGY PROGRAM

Students whose primary interest is jazz composition should choose the Jazz Studies concentration.  Other composition students may choose either the Applied Music concentration or the Liberal Arts concentration.

In every case, students pursuing the Composition/Music Technology program as the core of their work should plan their program in close collaboration with a Music department advisor.   In most cases, coursework beyond the unit requirements of the concentration chosen as the framework for study will be desirable.