Class Schedules

Formerly "Music Appreciation". This course will explore Western Art Music (a.k.a. "Classical Music") in order to better understand how music is constructed, what music means, what social history brought it about, what instruments are used in performance and what this music has in common with other art forms. No previous musical instruction is required. Fundamentals of music will be addressed in class to establish the ability to grasp musical forms, various styles and music history. Music from J. S. Bach to the present day will be heard, compared and, to a limited degree, analyzed.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, students will learn the basics of Western staff notation and explore melody, harmony, texture, and rhythm & meter in European classical music, as well as some other tonal genres, including pop, rock, and folk. Students will apply knowledge in written and online exercises, analysis activities, and music composition. In addition, students will learn how to convert sound into notation and notation into sound through ear training activities, including aural exercises, dictation, and sight singing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Electronic music composition explores the art of creating experimental sound compositions using analog and digital technology. Although we will survey the historical development of electronic music, the emphasis of the class is on composition, including multi-media and experimental work. The class format includes listening, discussion, lab sessions and a final concert showcasing works created throughout the semester.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Analysis of musical structures:  the "architectural" assemblage of music into formal, harmonic, and temporal units; how these units evolved into standard models; and the endless variation within and among these models.  Repertoire will be wide-ranging and include classical, jazz, and popular music. Prerequisite(s): MUSI 113

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, we will examine cover versions of previously recorded songs, with a focus on how the intersection of gender, sexuality, race, class, and genre through changing socio-historical and cultural contexts shapes different meanings listeners ascribe to the songs. We will explore how artists covering other people’s songs can emulate, pay homage to, comment upon, subvert meanings of, and create parodies of previously recorded works. Related to this typology, we will investigate and interrogate meanings around the concept of authenticity and its role in music criticism. Students will learn basic musical analysis skills to aid the understanding of musical processes at play in various cover song recordings. This course is designed to help students develop reading comprehension, argumentative writing, and critical thinking skills.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this writing workshop, we will practice transmuting artistic experience into words. We will look at visual art, listen to music, and watch theatrical and dance performances, and in response, we’ll practice different modes of incorporating our reactions into creative and critical writing. We’ll read fiction, poetry, personal essays, criticism, reviews, memoirs, etc. and we’ll try our hands at each form, gaining a sense of what is involved in describing the color of a cello’s sound, the gestures of a dancing body, or the intangible emotions we feel when we stand in front of a painting. In a final project, students will choose an artistic form and a mode of response and develop a larger-scale piece of writing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

What is involved in claims that music, even music without words, can "express" things, "mean" things, be "about" things? Where did the desire to conceive of music as representation come from, when and where did it emerge historically, and what political, ideological, and aesthetic paradigms does such an idea reflect, reinforce, or reject? In this course, we will trace music's developing sense of autonomy, its changing relationship with words and its eventual freedom from them, from the Middle Ages through the late eighteenth century. We will look closely into musical works in the primary genres of European music in the Medieval, Renaissance, Baroque, and Classical eras: mass, motet, madrigal, variation, suite, opera, concerto, symphony. As such, we will engage with modal and tonal repertories, as well as music that exists in the space in between those fixed categories. Course readings in musicology, critical theory, and history will provide a framework for understanding how these repertories responded to changes in intellectual and political life, bringing about profound transformations in what people (composers and performers, patrons and audiences, critics and philosophers) believed music was for and what it could do, what it could say without saying. If in the European Medieval imagination music was fundamentally an adornment of the Word, by the end of the eighteenth century, its powers of signification had developed to the point where commentators would feel justified in claiming that some pieces of music were "about music itself." In this course, we trace that story, in sounds and in words. Prerequisite(s): MUSI 113 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course will provide instruction in basic conducting technique. Topics will include score preparation, beat patterns, cuing, the expressive and independent use of both arms, and control of music elements such as dynamics, tempo, and phrasing. This offering of the course will have a choral emphasis; issues specific to instrumental conducting will also be addressed. The course is designed principally for music majors and minors, though other students with appropriate musical background are welcome.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WP

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course introduces students to the field of ethnomusicology through its philosophical foundation, theoretical models, and disciplinary practices. Topics include comparative approach, structuralist/functionalist models, cultural relativism, organology, bi-musicality, reflexivity, post/modernism, among other recent research directions. Assignments are designed to develop skills in musical fieldwork, transcription and analysis, as well as preparing and presenting scholarly findings in ethnographic disciplines. This course is aimed primarily for students of music and/or anthropology. Prerequisite(s): Basic knowledge or experience in world music and performance recommended.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The Macalester Wind Ensemble performs music in a wide variety of styles, from as early as the 17th century to the classics of band literature, to music composed within the last few years. It is open without audition to wind and percussion students with at least high-school level performance skills.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Study of traditional African music through performance modes of drumming, singing, flutes, marimba, gyil, and dancing. Instrumental and vocal pieces will be selected from a variety of musical styles such as unaccompanied vocal chants, songs, music from life cycle events, royal music and music for social and other festive occasions. The repertoire includes music from Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Concert Choir is the advanced, select vocal ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. Members are held to an exceptional standard of musicianship and commitment. The choir draws its repertoire from music of the last six centuries and tours annually through the United States or abroad. The ensemble commissions and premieres at least one new work every year. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Three 90-minute rehearsals per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Chorale is the large choral ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. The choir's repertoire includes a cappella and accompanied music from various Western and non-Western vocal traditions. The Chorale and Concert Choir combine annually to perform a major work with orchestra. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Two 90-minute rehearsals per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Chorale is the large choral ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. The choir's repertoire includes a cappella and accompanied music from various Western and non-Western vocal traditions. The Chorale and Concert Choir combine annually to perform a major work with orchestra. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Two 90-minute rehearsals per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Macalester Asian Music Ensemble performs chamber genres and repertoires from across Asia. Students may choose to specialize in one or more of the music traditions represented by the department's instrument collections and faculty expertise. These include, but are not limited to, Javanese gamelan, East and Southeast Asian chamber instrumental music, as well as Indian, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian traditions. We perform two major concerts (fall and spring) every academic year, and take part in a number of College and outside events and performances.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Bagpipe and highland drum lessons are available free of charge to all students. Beginners and musicians of any experience level are encouraged to participate in lessons and/or ensemble.  We perform traditional and modern music at concert and competitions.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Chamber Music program offers an opportunity for students to explore and perform repertoire for small ensembles. All instrumentalists and vocalists are eligible to participate and entrance is by audition or by arrangement with Mr. Mandarano. Students who are accepted into Chamber Music are placed in various ensembles and over the course of the semester immerse themselves in learning a challenging and varied repertoire. Rehearsal times are arranged based on schedule availability and individual practice is required. Ensembles receive periodic coaching from department faculty or professional studio instructors and there is least one performance required per semester. Examples of chamber ensemble include: string quartet, piano trio, woodwind quintet, brass sextet, piano trio, flute and clarinet choirs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Macalester Symphony Orchestra prepares and performs a wide range of repertoire for symphony orchestra from the time of Bach to the present day, including the music of living composers. Playing in the orchestra blends individual and group achievement to build toward several challenging, rewarding performances each semester. Social interaction among the members of the orchestra is facilitated by various events, including orchestra dinners and a brief tour. In the spring semester, there is a concerto competition concert, featuring student soloists. Auditions for orchestra are held at the start of the fall semester. Space permitting, a limited number of students may be able to join at the start of the spring semester.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Historical performance has changed the aesthetic and musical experiences of audiences all over the world. The new ways to interpret music before 1750 has changed the way the audiences listen to this kind of music. Macalester Early Music Ensemble approaches instrumental and vocal music from Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque period. No audition needed.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course offers a systematic exploration of Western Art Music, commonly referred to as "Classical Music". We focus specifically on pivotal composers and their representative works from the late Baroque era to the present. By analyzing and comparing their compositions, students will gain insights into the creative processes and artistic pursuits within their historical and social contexts, thereby enhancing their ability to appreciate music more efficiently and professionally. This course is not merely a music history or theory class but a combination of both, achieved through active listening. The goal of learning in this course is to open a gateway for students to explore classical concert music from various eras, styles, and genres. Students are encouraged to listen to more music, think more actively, and ask questions. This approach aims to deepen their understanding and appreciation of classical music, fostering a proactive and inquisitive mindset toward musical exploration. Prior music training experience is NOT required.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, students will learn the basics of Western staff notation and explore melody, harmony, texture, and rhythm & meter in European classical music, as well as some other tonal genres, including pop, rock, and folk. Students will apply knowledge in written and online exercises, analysis activities, and music composition. In addition, students will learn how to convert sound into notation and notation into sound through ear training activities, including aural exercises, dictation, and sight singing.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Study of music in various African traditions within a social and historical context. Interrelationships between music and society (function, context, structure, gender roles, political considerations). Instruments, life-cycle rites, genres, musical organizations, traditional musicians, contemporary popular music.

General Education Requirements:
Internationalism

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

Electronic music composition explores the art of creating experimental sound compositions using analog and digital technology. Although we will survey the historical development of electronic music, the emphasis of the class is on composition, including multi-media and experimental work. The class format includes listening, discussion, lab sessions and a final concert showcasing works created throughout the semester.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

In this course, students will study chromatic harmony based in European classical and romantic music and some popular musical genres and learn about some common large-scale form designs, such as binary, ternary, song form, and forms associated with pop & rock music. Students will apply knowledge in written and online exercises, analysis activities, and music composition. In addition, students will develop skills in converting sound into notation and notation into sound through ear training activities, including aural exercises, dictation, and sight singing. Prerequisite(s): MUSI 113

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course provides a critical and historical introduction to opera from the early eighteenth century to the present. No background in music is required: the course is meant to serve students wanting a first experience with the art form as well as those who come with some experience and wish to deepen their engagement. If you've ever been curious about what all the fuss is about opera, this course is for you! We will occasionally look at musical scores, but students without skills in reading Western musical notation may succeed in the course by focusing on other aspects of opera (e.g. the text of the opera and its source material, performance and staging, critical reception history) in their written work. Along with the close study of individual operas on a variety of subjects--myth and legend, politics and religion, the bourgeois center and its margins--we will read critical commentary that contextualizes these artworks within the history of ideas. We will be interested above all in the ways in which opera tells us what it sounds like, and feels like, to be human.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course explores music of the European nineteenth century from two perspectives that together define the era. Romanticism is an aesthetic orientation that pits itself against Enlightenment and Classicism. Unlike the refined music of the eighteenth century, Romantic music (piano music, operas, even symphonies) sold itself to bourgeois audiences as wild, tuned to the supernatural, the transcendent, touched by madness, intoxicated by drugs, obsessed with sex. Meanwhile, these same cultural consumers, the bourgeoisie, were driven to identify themselves as national subjects, citizens of unique and independent cultural and political nations. National music sold itself as an expression of the spirit of a language community. In class, guided by listening and reading assignments, we will discuss the ways in which these two framing ideas shaped musical composition, performance, and audience listening habits, leading to changes in the way music was discussed in philosophical and political discourse. Prerequisite(s): MUSI 113 or permission of instructor.

General Education Requirements:
Writing WA

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

This course delves into the evolution of musical modernism, focusing on how contemporary composers globally, after the 20th century, explore and manipulate musical parameters. We will examine how these sound-explorers push the boundaries of musical elements in composition, analyzing cases that employ innovative techniques to reshape our understanding of these elements. Students will engage in independent research, investigating various acoustic and electronic idioms, while embracing a wide array of musical practices, instruments, concepts, compositional philosophies, and cultural traditions. The course aims to foster a deep appreciation of modern musical innovations and includes practices and examination of score study. By studying case by case and musical elements by elements, students are encouraged to contribute their own interpretations and creative explorations, examining the musical frameworks of Western contemporary music composed by composers whose roots are in both Western and Eastern traditions. Prior music training experience is required. Prerequisite(s): MUSI 113 or higher.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

This course is designed to provide students with the fundamental tools for composing expressive and cohesive concert music. Through a combination of lectures, individual lessons, seminars, instrumental workshops, group projects, reading sessions, guest lectures, and a final recital, students will engage with diverse teaching formats that foster both technical mastery and creative exploration. The curriculum emphasizes the analysis and application of compositional techniques, spanning from traditional to contemporary styles. Students will be encouraged to conduct independent research and explore their own compositions, working with both acoustic and electronic idioms. The course embraces a wide array of musical techniques, instruments, styles, and genres based on Eastern and Western practices and traditions, allowing students to develop a broad understanding of music’s diverse possibilities. Furthermore, students will have opportunities to engage with the global music community through guest lectures, reading sessions, and masterclasses. These experiences enrich the learning process and prepare students to contribute to the wider musical landscape. By the end of the course, students will have developed the skills necessary to transform their musical ideas into complete, professionally notated works and will have enriched their portfolios with polished compositions and recorded performances. Prior music training experience is required. Prerequisite(s): MUSI 113 or higher.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:
Fine arts

Course Materials

The Macalester Wind Ensemble performs music in a wide variety of styles, from as early as the 17th century to the classics of band literature, to music composed within the last few years. It is open without audition to wind and percussion students with at least high-school level performance skills.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Study of traditional African music through performance modes of drumming, singing, flutes, marimba, gyil, and dancing. Instrumental and vocal pieces will be selected from a variety of musical styles such as unaccompanied vocal chants, songs, music from life cycle events, royal music and music for social and other festive occasions. The repertoire includes music from Ghana, Guinea, Nigeria, Tanzania and Zimbabwe.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Concert Choir is the advanced, select vocal ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. Members are held to an exceptional standard of musicianship and commitment. The choir draws its repertoire from music of the last six centuries and tours annually through the United States or abroad. The ensemble commissions and premieres at least one new work every year. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Three 90-minute rehearsals per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Chorale is the large choral ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. The choir's repertoire includes a cappella and accompanied music from various Western and non-Western vocal traditions. The Chorale and Concert Choir combine annually to perform a major work with orchestra. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Two 90-minute rehearsals per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Chorale is the large choral ensemble of Macalester College, directed by Michael McGaghie. The choir's repertoire includes a cappella and accompanied music from various Western and non-Western vocal traditions. The Chorale and Concert Choir combine annually to perform a major work with orchestra. Membership is open to all Macalester students by audition. Two 90-minute rehearsals per week.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Macalester Asian Music Ensemble performs chamber genres and repertoires from across Asia. Students may choose to specialize in one or more of the music traditions represented by the department's instrument collections and faculty expertise. These include, but are not limited to, Javanese gamelan, East and Southeast Asian chamber instrumental music, as well as Indian, Middle Eastern, and Central Asian traditions. We perform two major concerts (fall and spring) every academic year, and take part in a number of College and outside events and performances.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Jazz and Popular Music Combos are open to all who wish to concentrate on repertoire, improvisation and original music. Students will focus on developing their composition and performance skills while exploring many different styles of contemporary music. The combos present two concerts each year.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Bagpipe and highland drum lessons are available free of charge to all students. Beginners and musicians of any experience level are encouraged to participate in lessons and/or ensemble.  We perform traditional and modern music at concert and competitions.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Chamber Music program offers an opportunity for students to explore and perform repertoire for small ensembles. All instrumentalists and vocalists are eligible to participate and entrance is by audition or by arrangement with Mr. Mandarano. Students who are accepted into Chamber Music are placed in various ensembles and over the course of the semester immerse themselves in learning a challenging and varied repertoire. Rehearsal times are arranged based on schedule availability and individual practice is required. Ensembles receive periodic coaching from department faculty or professional studio instructors and there is least one performance required per semester. Examples of chamber ensemble include: string quartet, piano trio, woodwind quintet, brass sextet, piano trio, flute and clarinet choirs.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

The Macalester Symphony Orchestra prepares and performs a wide range of repertoire for symphony orchestra from the time of Bach to the present day, including the music of living composers. Playing in the orchestra blends individual and group achievement to build toward several challenging, rewarding performances each semester. Social interaction among the members of the orchestra is facilitated by various events, including orchestra dinners and a brief tour. In the spring semester, there is a concerto competition concert, featuring student soloists. Auditions for orchestra are held at the start of the fall semester. Space permitting, a limited number of students may be able to join at the start of the spring semester.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials

Historical performance has changed the aesthetic and musical experiences of audiences all over the world. The new ways to interpret music before 1750 has changed the way the audiences listen to this kind of music. Macalester Early Music Ensemble approaches instrumental and vocal music from Medieval, Renaissance and Baroque period. No audition needed.

General Education Requirements:

Distribution Requirements:

Course Materials